N
NH_Mtn_Hiker
Guest
Date(s) Hiked:
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Trails(s) Hiked:
Basin-Cascades (1mi)...Cascade Brook(1.3mi)...Fishin' Jimmy(2mi)...Kinsman Ridge(1.5mi)
Returned via same route
Total Distance:
11.6 miles (3800' elev. gain)
Difficulty:
First half up- Easy except 2 difficult brook crossings due to high water
second half up-Moderate
Conditions:
light rain on the way up. 47-50 deg.
partly sunny coming down. 55 deg.
Special Required Equipment:
Quality waterproof hiking boots, raingear, hiking poles were very helpful
Trip Report:
This trip was posted on the Go New England website; however, it wasn't posted until after this weekend's weather was forecasted. So, because of the rain (or they didn't what to hike with me
), no one responded.
I left the Basin this morning at 9:00 and started up the Basin-Cascades trail. With the exception of the 2 water crossings this was an easy hike. At the water crossings, I crossed about 100 feet downstream of the trail by jumping from 1 boulder in the brook to the next. This trail although short was the best part of the hike. The views of the raging Cascade brook, which at times sounded like Niagra Falls, were awesome.
I was warned that the Cascade Brook trail was, well, a brook. While this was apparently true, it was still one of the nicest trails I've hiked. All the rocks and log bridges made it easy to keep my boots dry. This trail was far dryer than the Fishin' Jimmy Trail and the Kinsman Ridge trail. In addition, the elevation gain was spread fairly evenly along the length of the trail making it another easy trail.
The Fishin' Jimmy trail starts out; up hill, down hill, up hill, down hill, you get the picture. After about half-a-mile the trail begins to ascend more steadily. One section of ledge has a brook running down it, this was the most difficult part of this trail, mainly because of all the rain. This trail was very wet. In places debris dams had formed flooding the trail with over a foot of water, in one place the log bridges had been washed away. During dryer conditions this trail would rank a moderate.
The last part of the hike up was on the Kinsman Ridge trail. This trail was wet, muddy, and had been washed out in places. The section between the two peaks was the worst. The trail on either side of North Kinsman was the steepest and most difficult of the day, other than the water crossings.
As I returned, after having lunch on South Kinsman, the sun started coming out, the air warmed up, and Franconia Ridge came into view. Except for the lower section of the Fishin' Jimmy trail which seemed to have more up hills than down on the way back, the not-too-steep descent made for an easy hike, again, except for a few water crossings already mentioned. Total time on trail = 8 hours, includes two 15min. breaks.
Even with the rain and lack of views at the top this was my most enjoyable solo hike to date.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Trails(s) Hiked:
Basin-Cascades (1mi)...Cascade Brook(1.3mi)...Fishin' Jimmy(2mi)...Kinsman Ridge(1.5mi)
Returned via same route
Total Distance:
11.6 miles (3800' elev. gain)
Difficulty:
First half up- Easy except 2 difficult brook crossings due to high water
second half up-Moderate
Conditions:
light rain on the way up. 47-50 deg.
partly sunny coming down. 55 deg.
Special Required Equipment:
Quality waterproof hiking boots, raingear, hiking poles were very helpful
Trip Report:
This trip was posted on the Go New England website; however, it wasn't posted until after this weekend's weather was forecasted. So, because of the rain (or they didn't what to hike with me
), no one responded.I left the Basin this morning at 9:00 and started up the Basin-Cascades trail. With the exception of the 2 water crossings this was an easy hike. At the water crossings, I crossed about 100 feet downstream of the trail by jumping from 1 boulder in the brook to the next. This trail although short was the best part of the hike. The views of the raging Cascade brook, which at times sounded like Niagra Falls, were awesome.
I was warned that the Cascade Brook trail was, well, a brook. While this was apparently true, it was still one of the nicest trails I've hiked. All the rocks and log bridges made it easy to keep my boots dry. This trail was far dryer than the Fishin' Jimmy Trail and the Kinsman Ridge trail. In addition, the elevation gain was spread fairly evenly along the length of the trail making it another easy trail.
The Fishin' Jimmy trail starts out; up hill, down hill, up hill, down hill, you get the picture. After about half-a-mile the trail begins to ascend more steadily. One section of ledge has a brook running down it, this was the most difficult part of this trail, mainly because of all the rain. This trail was very wet. In places debris dams had formed flooding the trail with over a foot of water, in one place the log bridges had been washed away. During dryer conditions this trail would rank a moderate.
The last part of the hike up was on the Kinsman Ridge trail. This trail was wet, muddy, and had been washed out in places. The section between the two peaks was the worst. The trail on either side of North Kinsman was the steepest and most difficult of the day, other than the water crossings.
As I returned, after having lunch on South Kinsman, the sun started coming out, the air warmed up, and Franconia Ridge came into view. Except for the lower section of the Fishin' Jimmy trail which seemed to have more up hills than down on the way back, the not-too-steep descent made for an easy hike, again, except for a few water crossings already mentioned. Total time on trail = 8 hours, includes two 15min. breaks.
Even with the rain and lack of views at the top this was my most enjoyable solo hike to date.
