| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 11, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lafayette Place southbound lot is closed. Northbound was open and plowed. Noted that half the vehicles were from out of state. Also noted that someone had knocked over one of the portapotties at some point during the day (pretty clearly not the wind). |
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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 |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Mostly bridged, though a barebooter postholed deeply into one on the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Cut out one blowdown on Fishin' Jimmy Trail. A few remain, including a widow maker not too far above the hut. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
No new snow to speak of remaining down low here, but there were a few inches of snow as one ascended to Lafayette Place, and much more higher up. In the mountains, this was one of the biggest snow storms of the year. Please do not head into the mountains unprepared. It is still winter and any prepared hiker should have snowshoes.
I stuck to the trails kosher down low (normally I take some of the access roads), as there were signs indicating the Lafayette campground was closed to all traffic. Lonesome Lake Trail had a few inches of new powder on it. Bony up to the elbow, but increasingly good snowpack (albeit soft) thereafter. Probably 6-10 inches of powder around the height of land. Though the lake is still frozen, I opted to not take the risk and instead broke out the Cascade Brook Trail.
Hut and restrooms are closed to the public. There is a caretaker there, but only for emergencies.
Fishin' Jimmy Trail may have seen a little bit of traffic down low since the snowstorm, but was otherwise unbroken. Generally about a foot of powder. Unfortunately, some unprepared Massachusetts Microspikers caught up and briefly passed, before falling back due to posthole exhaustion. I offered to let them pass, but they wanted me to break the trail instead. Unfortunately they were unprepared, but they continued, even despite complaining about cold feet.
Kinsman Ridge Trail had generally a foot or two of powder on top of a deep base. I think there is more snow now than there was in February. Blazes are only a few inches above the snowpack in places. Some deep drifts too. Postholers were sinking up to their unmentionables in quite a few places.
Passed a few more unprepared Microspikers on the way out. Cotton shirts, no snowpants, no gaitors, snow going down their boots. Yet they did not care about the risk they were taking, nor what they were doing to the trail; they only wanted their peaks. Lots of postholes in their wake, and some of the icy steeps that I had cut a nice footbed into are decimated again from the Microspikes not getting purchase and them subsequently sliding down. And, true to form, someone went to the bathroom in the middle of the trail.
Noted a set of snowshoe tracks ascending Cascade Brook from below. No tracks on Kinsman Ridge to the Cannonballs or the Mt. Kinsman Trail. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-04-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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