Date(s) Hiked:
March 18–19, 2006
Trails(s) Hiked:
Lonesome Lake, Dodge Cutoff, Hi-Cannon, Kinsman Ridge
Total Distance:
approx 7.9 miles
Difficulty:
Extremely tricky, almost technical in spots, due to ice and slippery conditions.
Conditions:
A few inches of soft, light snow over hard-pack, many smooth icy sections. Treacherous in spots.
Special Required Equipment:
Full crampons mandatory; ice axe recommended.
Trip Report:
This weekend I joined several friends to spend the weekend in Franconia Notch up in New Hampshire, hiking and overnighting in the woods. While only one of the three planned peaks was summited, and only three of the five planned attendees made it, it was still a fantastic trip.
The day started with two ominous events. First, Ivy called to say she and her husband couldn’t make it; she had bronchitis. She tried to go up early and hike in anyway, but got barely a quarter-mile before having to turn around. She promised to leave their share of the group food that they were carrying at the trailhead for us. The second event was a huge speed trap around mile 92 on I-93, one which I was fortunate enough to have noticed from far enough away to go through at the speed limit. 8)
I met up with Bunchberry and her friend Nicole at the Lonesome Lake trailhead, in Lafayette Campground, right on time. It wasn’t too cold, around 15°F, but the wind was whipping through that parking lot making it much more unpleasant. Fortunately, we would soon be on the trail and in the trees, stripping off our outer layers with the self-induced warmth of lugging a 45lb pack up 960’ over 1.7 miles. We got to the hut right on schedule, claimed a bunkroom, stored our food, dumped most of our gear, had lunch, then started up Cannon Mtn.
We took the Dodge Cut-Off to the Hi-Cannon Trail to the summit, a route that would encompass 2.4 miles and 1300’ of elevation gain. We easily overcame our first problem, which was finding the trail; it had not been hiked since about four inches of snow had fallen, and the first few blazes were very indistinct. Once we got far enough, the corridor was obvious, and after a short time joined up from the cut-off to the main trail.
Back in the fall I had taken the Hi-Cannon Trail, and while steep in spots, overall I knew it to be technically easy except for one spot: the ladder. Well, for a reason I hadn’t expected, it was even harder: at the top, the flat “balcony” like rock that you step onto from the ladder was covered with a curving slope of ice. This meant that you couldn’t sit, couldn’t kneel, could only carefully sidestep. While my photo in this trip’s album of Nicole standing atop the ladder makes it look easy, keep in mind that she’s standing on about a 14” wide platform of ice and the dropoff is about 15’ straight down. It was not pleasant for someone scared of heights (me).
From there, though, it was an easy walk through the snow-laden woods up to the summit. After taking in the view from the windblown observation platform we made our way to the ski area summit lodge, for the very non-nature, but appreciated, experience of a warm, dry room, hot cocoa, a hot bowl of chili, and real toilets. While there, one of the ski patrol rangers told us about a rescue taking place over on Franconia Ridge, a hiker with a broken leg or ankle. Considering where they were at the moment (the Skookumchuck / Garfield Ridge junction, 4.2 miles from the road), it was going to a long, difficult evening for a lot of people. Unfortunately, Bunchberry wasn’t feeling well and we were running behind schedule, so we couldn’t stay too long before having to head back across the summit and down the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
This would prove to be an … interesting … experience. I knew it was going to be steep. What I didn’t predict was the ice. There were spots where the trail was nearly vertical, and though this wasn’t a problem for me with my crampons, Bunchberry’s crampons weren’t working as well, and Nicole didn’t even have them; she only had Stabilicers, which are just not meant for this kind of activity. I ended up giving her my ice axe so she could control herself and intentionally slide down (glissade) the steeper sections. There was one spot that I wouldn’t even attempt – a solid, smooth ice flow went right across the trail and straight down the other side. One slip and it would be 50’ slide with no hope at all of even slowing down before slamming into trees and rocks at the bottom and breaking a lot of body parts, if not dying. Would you believe I forgot to take a picture of the thing? Anyway, Nicole cut through the woods above the flow, and the rest of us followed. Considering the difficulty of this bit, I was shocked that this trail had been trodden out, while the route we took up was untouched.
As with most adventures, this one passed, and we eventually made it back down the 2.5 miles of this route back to the hut, where after changing into dry clothes we cooked up a tasty dinner and relaxed in the hut, which with 40+ people in it, eating and cooking, as well as a roaring wood stove, was in the 70’s while outside it would drop to a low of 5°F overnight. I played cribbage with one of the other guests, Nicole read her book, and Bunchberry absorbed the heat of the fire. It was the late hour of 8:30 when we finally curled up in our fluffy sleeping bags for a cozy and warm night in the unheated, uninsulated bunkhouses.
Sunday morning the sky was full of lightly falling snow, which in fact never stopped the entire time we were there. Even in the middle of the night, when with a squinted eye I could see the partially-obscured stars in the sky, it was still simultaneously snowing. Notch weather can be remarkable.
Our plan had been to climb North and South Kinsman, but a report from other hut guests advised us that without full crampons, it would be far too dangerous for Nicole to attempt those trails, so instead we took a lazy morning. I spent some time talking to a woman and her daughter who now live in the town where I grew up; it was amusing to share notes on high school teachers I’d had 20 years ago that this girl now has. Eventually, though I packed my gear and we all flew down the trail to the cars. From there, a delicious breakfast at Peg’s in Lincoln could only be topped by timing the drive just right to listen to A Prairie Home Companion rebroadcast of a show from Nashville with incredible music (Alison Kraus, BR549, and Katie Bellville among others) on the way home.
This trip had been planned months ago, but turned out to be a perfectly-timed recharge. Almost as good as skiing.
My pictures are here.
Bunchberry posted hers here.
March 18–19, 2006
Trails(s) Hiked:
Lonesome Lake, Dodge Cutoff, Hi-Cannon, Kinsman Ridge
Total Distance:
approx 7.9 miles
Difficulty:
Extremely tricky, almost technical in spots, due to ice and slippery conditions.
Conditions:
A few inches of soft, light snow over hard-pack, many smooth icy sections. Treacherous in spots.
Special Required Equipment:
Full crampons mandatory; ice axe recommended.
Trip Report:
This weekend I joined several friends to spend the weekend in Franconia Notch up in New Hampshire, hiking and overnighting in the woods. While only one of the three planned peaks was summited, and only three of the five planned attendees made it, it was still a fantastic trip.
The day started with two ominous events. First, Ivy called to say she and her husband couldn’t make it; she had bronchitis. She tried to go up early and hike in anyway, but got barely a quarter-mile before having to turn around. She promised to leave their share of the group food that they were carrying at the trailhead for us. The second event was a huge speed trap around mile 92 on I-93, one which I was fortunate enough to have noticed from far enough away to go through at the speed limit. 8)
I met up with Bunchberry and her friend Nicole at the Lonesome Lake trailhead, in Lafayette Campground, right on time. It wasn’t too cold, around 15°F, but the wind was whipping through that parking lot making it much more unpleasant. Fortunately, we would soon be on the trail and in the trees, stripping off our outer layers with the self-induced warmth of lugging a 45lb pack up 960’ over 1.7 miles. We got to the hut right on schedule, claimed a bunkroom, stored our food, dumped most of our gear, had lunch, then started up Cannon Mtn.
We took the Dodge Cut-Off to the Hi-Cannon Trail to the summit, a route that would encompass 2.4 miles and 1300’ of elevation gain. We easily overcame our first problem, which was finding the trail; it had not been hiked since about four inches of snow had fallen, and the first few blazes were very indistinct. Once we got far enough, the corridor was obvious, and after a short time joined up from the cut-off to the main trail.
Back in the fall I had taken the Hi-Cannon Trail, and while steep in spots, overall I knew it to be technically easy except for one spot: the ladder. Well, for a reason I hadn’t expected, it was even harder: at the top, the flat “balcony” like rock that you step onto from the ladder was covered with a curving slope of ice. This meant that you couldn’t sit, couldn’t kneel, could only carefully sidestep. While my photo in this trip’s album of Nicole standing atop the ladder makes it look easy, keep in mind that she’s standing on about a 14” wide platform of ice and the dropoff is about 15’ straight down. It was not pleasant for someone scared of heights (me).
From there, though, it was an easy walk through the snow-laden woods up to the summit. After taking in the view from the windblown observation platform we made our way to the ski area summit lodge, for the very non-nature, but appreciated, experience of a warm, dry room, hot cocoa, a hot bowl of chili, and real toilets. While there, one of the ski patrol rangers told us about a rescue taking place over on Franconia Ridge, a hiker with a broken leg or ankle. Considering where they were at the moment (the Skookumchuck / Garfield Ridge junction, 4.2 miles from the road), it was going to a long, difficult evening for a lot of people. Unfortunately, Bunchberry wasn’t feeling well and we were running behind schedule, so we couldn’t stay too long before having to head back across the summit and down the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
This would prove to be an … interesting … experience. I knew it was going to be steep. What I didn’t predict was the ice. There were spots where the trail was nearly vertical, and though this wasn’t a problem for me with my crampons, Bunchberry’s crampons weren’t working as well, and Nicole didn’t even have them; she only had Stabilicers, which are just not meant for this kind of activity. I ended up giving her my ice axe so she could control herself and intentionally slide down (glissade) the steeper sections. There was one spot that I wouldn’t even attempt – a solid, smooth ice flow went right across the trail and straight down the other side. One slip and it would be 50’ slide with no hope at all of even slowing down before slamming into trees and rocks at the bottom and breaking a lot of body parts, if not dying. Would you believe I forgot to take a picture of the thing? Anyway, Nicole cut through the woods above the flow, and the rest of us followed. Considering the difficulty of this bit, I was shocked that this trail had been trodden out, while the route we took up was untouched.
As with most adventures, this one passed, and we eventually made it back down the 2.5 miles of this route back to the hut, where after changing into dry clothes we cooked up a tasty dinner and relaxed in the hut, which with 40+ people in it, eating and cooking, as well as a roaring wood stove, was in the 70’s while outside it would drop to a low of 5°F overnight. I played cribbage with one of the other guests, Nicole read her book, and Bunchberry absorbed the heat of the fire. It was the late hour of 8:30 when we finally curled up in our fluffy sleeping bags for a cozy and warm night in the unheated, uninsulated bunkhouses.
Sunday morning the sky was full of lightly falling snow, which in fact never stopped the entire time we were there. Even in the middle of the night, when with a squinted eye I could see the partially-obscured stars in the sky, it was still simultaneously snowing. Notch weather can be remarkable.
Our plan had been to climb North and South Kinsman, but a report from other hut guests advised us that without full crampons, it would be far too dangerous for Nicole to attempt those trails, so instead we took a lazy morning. I spent some time talking to a woman and her daughter who now live in the town where I grew up; it was amusing to share notes on high school teachers I’d had 20 years ago that this girl now has. Eventually, though I packed my gear and we all flew down the trail to the cars. From there, a delicious breakfast at Peg’s in Lincoln could only be topped by timing the drive just right to listen to A Prairie Home Companion rebroadcast of a show from Nashville with incredible music (Alison Kraus, BR549, and Katie Bellville among others) on the way home.
This trip had been planned months ago, but turned out to be a perfectly-timed recharge. Almost as good as skiing.
My pictures are here.
Bunchberry posted hers here.
