| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Lonesome Lake, Fishin' Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, February 16, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of space at Lafayette Campground. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged. Lonesome lake seems to be nice and solid, with some isolated rotten spots near shore but nothing hazardous. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few bendovers at face level along Fishin' Jimmy. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Beautiful, clear day. Still frigid but, unlike Sunday, the wind cooperated this time.
The Lonesome Lake Trail is thoroughly packed thanks to a huge troop of boy scouts descending from the hut, but the Fishin' Jimmy Trail onward was drifted and unbroken save for a single set of postholes. Getting from the parking lot to the summit of North Kinsman took me five hours, counting a half-hour lunch break at the hut. After that I turned around (blowing off the south peak) because, while I don't mind walking out by headlamp, still being on the peaks at nightfall is quite another matter! At the rate I'd been going I figured it might take me an extra 2½ hours to get across the ridge and back.
Then again, I didn't have as long as day as the guy who made the postholes. After following them for two miles I began having visions of having to punch my PLB to disqualify a Darwin Award candidate in the advanced stages of exhaustion and hypothermia. We finally crossed paths just below the Kinsman Ridge junction as he was on his way back. He had managed to summit North Kinsman, was still in good spirits, and appeared otherwise excellently prepared but for the glaring lack of snowshoes. It wasn't that he didn't know better: his dog had eaten them! I caught up with him again in the parking lot as he was packing up his car.
I checked "ice axe" for recommended equipment because there are a couple steep slopes along Fishin' Jimmy where my snowshoes weren't gripping, so the pick came in pretty handy for pulling myself up. |
|
 | Name: |
Daniel Franke |
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 | E-Mail: |
dfoxfranke@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-02-17 |
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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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