Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
North Kinsman (attempt), NH |
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| Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 25, 2014 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
LFC was PACKED to the brim when we arrived at 12:30pm to start. Barely squeezed into a spot. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Traction, Ice Axe |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
buried |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
saw a few coming down on Sunday |
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| Bugs: |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
We got a late start because we planned on hiking up to the Kinsman Pond shelter for an overnight. Arrived to the LCG parking area around 12:30 to find a completely full lot. We squeezed in the best we could and headed up. Lonesome lake trail was well packed out with lots of blue ice under a light covering of packed powder. On this section of the trail you could probably get away with light traction. Lot's of people crossed the lake straight to the hut. In the hut for a break, we understood why there were so many cars. There was a large group of scouts and leaders/parents - maybe 20-30 who stayed over Sat into Sun. We took out break and headed on. I would recommend full traction and either an ice axe or high quality hiking pole for stability on the Fishin' Jimmy trail. The trail is lots of ups and downs, and the steeper downs and steep ups were completely ice covered with 3-6 inches of powder on top. Going was slow for the beginners in our group, but with traction we did fine. We made it to the shelter around 5pm and had dinner and hunkered down for a cold night. The temp probably dropped to 10-15 below without the windchill. Dave woke up around 7 unable to feel his toes and we opted to head down instead of summit. Wise choice, he likely has 2nd degree frost bite and a trip to the summit could have been worse. There was one other group of 4 - 2 men and 2 boys in the shelter who attempted North Kinsman shortly after we headed out, but gave up due to extreme cold and very high winds. |
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| Name: |
Rick, Dave, and Matt |
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| E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-01-27 |
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| Link: |
https:// |
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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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