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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks South Kinsman, North Kinsman, NH
Trails
Trails: Basin-Cascade Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Kinsman Pond Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, July 28, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parked at Northbound Basin parking area. Good sized horse-shoe shaped paved lot with plenty of spaces and outhouses. Only 2nd car there at 6AM. Was pretty full about 3PM but still had spaces. Southbound side seemed similarly large. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Standing/Running Water on Trail 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All major and minor crossings were fairly easy. The first river crossing on Basin Cascade is hard to spot. There are a lot of bushwhacks and well trodden side paths. I actually went by crossing quite a ways before I realized I was off path (the actual trail drops down to a large pool and fall and crosses. The side path climbs up the bank on what looks almost like rock steps. If you find yourself in a wide muddy section you missed crossing). The second crossing on way back has a small plastic "temporary" crossing sign directing you about .1 miles above crossing where bridge is out (and for what it's worth the crossing at the old bridge site didn't look that hard either). So crossings were easy but you had to keep an eye out for them with all the side paths. The side paths are as worn out as the actual trail in many places. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: All generally in good shape. Lot of blow down work done of late based on all the wood chips. Only blow down I remember is a large duck under above Kinsman falls that was pretty easy due to the angle tree is at. Log bridges at beginning of Kinsman Pond Trail from Cascade were rotted and disintegrated but did their job. There were also some bad log bridges that had snapped in the first section of Cascade Trail as you leave Lonesome Lake. Trail blazes were fairly old and spaced out in many sections of all the trails and blended in with the bark on the trees, especially the white blazes. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: All trails should be OK for dogs although there are some steeper ledges with log steps on the Fishin Jimmy trail that could be an issue for smaller or less coordinated dogs. Saw at least one dog on each trail. 
Bugs
Bugs: Not an issue. An occasional mosquito or horse fly here and there. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Saw a Red Sox baseball cap and some old flip-flops on the Basin Cascade trail. Suspect this was more "tourist trash" than lost items but if they were yours they're still there. 
 
Comments
Comments: Great hike today to finish the 48 4,000 footers - lot of great views and variety (waterfalls, ponds, mossy rocks, open ledges and 360 views). Trails were a mixture of dry, wet and muddy depending on where you were. Lot of tree roots on these trails so walking was slower than you might otherwise think looking at the map. The only really rough section was above Kinsman Falls on the Basin-Cascade trail. Lot of really muddy areas, wet rocks and wet tree roots as you climb somewhat steeply up to the site of the washed out bridge. Some of the ledges on the Fishin Jimmy Trail were wet and tricky (I descended this way so that made it worse than it probably was going up).There was also a section on Kinsman Pond Trail that climbs through a section of moss covered rocks that was slick and had countless side paths and bushwhacks to avoid which became a little confusing. Blazes were pretty spaced out so trail was not always obvious. Some of the bushwhacks look more like the trail than the actual trail. When in doubt stay in the brook bed until you spot a blaze. Otherwise trails were reasonably dry with low water levels.  
Name
Name: DayTrip 
E-Mail
E-Mail: bblanchette0709@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-07-29 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

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