Cannon Mt. on New Year's Eve

[Mike P.]

Date(s) Hiked: 12/31/2007

Trails(s) Hiked: Lonsone Lake, Hi-Cannon & Kinsman Ridge, returned same way

Total Distance: 5.8 RT approx 2350 feet elevation gain

Difficulty: moderate but short with one tough spot.

Conditions: a few inches of fresh powder covering the well packed trails, minor drifting up high

Special Required Equipment: plastic boots allowed me to kick steps up & down the snow & hardpacked ladder, without them crampons would have been needed in that section.

Trip Report: The overnight snow made for a slow ride from the Conway Hostel to trailhead. Two choices fro getting there, the Kanc or Route 302. Iopted for 302 with a stop at the Highland Center to renew my membership & get some breakfast. By the time I hit the trail is was almost 10:00 but Cannon is a short trip. Met one guy in the lot who was heading to the Kinsmans & hopefully Cannon too.

Met several people descending from Lonesome Lake Hut, many wearing snowshoes. Once I hit the hi-Cannon trail, I wouldn't see another person all day. Cloud ceiling was about 3700 feet aloowing me to see the Parkway from the open areas & the top of the ladder. Just passed the ladder I took my pack off for the 1st time & saw my snowshoes were missing.

With no one else on the trail, this meant I would have go back down the ladder. My plan was to take the longer & slightly easier KRT & Lonesome Lake trail back. At the view for the Lake I could look down at the ice but a little higher & teh visibility disapppeared. I was somewhat surprised when I reached the junction with KRT that no one had come up from the hut today to do Cannon.

It took 3 3/4 hours to get up (because I'm out of shape!) but just an hour and 35 minutes to get down thanks to some boot glissading. I found my snowshoes about 100 yeards below the ladder right in the middle of the trail.

Happy New Year!

[walkerd2]

I saw only two groups on the Kinsmans that day, there just wasn't too many people out. But I did see a lot of people descending from the hut. My plan had been the Kinsmans and Cannon, plus seeing the KRT not broken out and not relishing the idea of route finding in the dark I ended up bagging N&S.

I didn't realize that was you when I talked you in the parking lot. Nice to meet you. I was the one with the silver honda who had just arrived when you were leaving.

[MichaelJ]

Glad you found the 'shoes!
For what it's worth, I don't think the KRT down the backside of Cannon is easier...

[Mike P.]

No, it's steeper overall down the backside of Cannon, but no mention of ladders being tricky if icy. Cannon was my wife's first 4K back in 1995 & we descended KRT & hit NE Cannonball too. One of us, I can't remember who, maybe me, slipped on one of the slabs high on the LL Trail. I was curious how it was in winter & figured it was usually broken out by the folks staying at the hut.

This meeting you too walkerd2. I should have known you were from one of the bbs's. Monday, poor weather, only the die hards are out. Last time I was hiking from Lafayette place was a miserable raining April day up the Kinsmans. Only people I came across was Frodo (from VFTT) & his party.