Summit: North Kinsman (4,293'), South Kinsman (4,358')
Trail route: Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Trail conditions: A mix of bare ground, ice and packed snow
Weather: Temps in the 20's, partly cloudy and sunshine
Total miles: 10
Total time: 7 hours
Sunday looked like the better day for hiking this weekend and a good day for a visit to the Kinsmans both North and South. I would be joining Jill and Larry for this hike. Larry only needed South Kinsman but it's tough to get there without going over North Kinsman unless coming up from the south which is very long or the Reel Brook Trail both of which see little use during the winter.
We met at the Mt. Kinsman Trail parking lot at 8:00 am which was completely iced over. Traction would not have been overkill in the parking lot. The start of the trail was bare ground with sections of ice. A lot of the woods was completely bare, no snow to be seen anywhere. We started out bare booting. The snowshoes stayed in the car and we only had microspikes. Further up the trail Larry had an ice incident and decided to put on his microspikes.
When we reached the Bald Peak spur trail junction there was still no snow. A couple passed us and one hiker scolded Jill and I for not having our microspikes on. We had a few curt comments for her and then continued up the trail, without our microspikes on. It was not until further up the trail before we decided to put on traction where the ice was more prevalent.
We arrived at the Kinsman Ridge Trail to find the surrounding summits in the clouds but it appeared to be clearing. The trail was well-packed snow and there was a few areas of icy ledges to carefully get up and over. There were no mishaps and we safely arrived at the summit of North Kinsman. We made our way down to the outlook and the few remaining clouds were clearing away opening up a spectacular view over to Franconia Ridge.
After a few minutes enjoying the views we continued our hike over to South Kinsman. The trail was in great shape and there were only a few icy ledges to maneuver down. We came up onto the summit of South Kinsman and were greeted with a cold wind. It was the coldest spot all day. After some photos and a snack we started our 5-mile return hike.
It was a pleasant hike back to North Kinsman and from there it was all downhill. We kept our microspikes on all the way to the bottom of the trail when the ice became scarce. It never did go away completely and we ended up putting traction back on all the way to the parking lot.
It was a great day for this hike and both the weather and trail conditions were better than I thought they would be. With a snow storm on the way trail conditions will be changing dramatically throughout the White Mountains this week!
Enjoy the photos and video!
Bare trail to start the hike
Doesn't look like winter
Frozen waterfall
Stepping lightly on a frozen water crossing
Still no snow at the Bald Peak spur trail
Jill lifts the end of this tree so we can easily cross under
Icy trail
More ice as we get closer to the trail junction
Trees were frosted at higher elevations
Along the Kinsman Ridge Trail
Digging in with the microspikes to get up over this ice
Carefully moving up an icy ledge
More ice just before reaching the summit of North Kinsman
A view of Franconia Ridge seen from the trail
On the North Kinsman outlook
Sun through thin cloud cover
Lonesome Lake in the distance and Franconia Ridge beyond
Three hikers can be seen crossing Lonesome Lake when zoomed in
Mount Moosilauke
Sun over South Kinsman
Descending North Kinsman on our way to South Kinsman
Looking through a frosty branch
A view of Franconia Ridge from South Kinsman
Ice formations on a ledge
The sun was not warm on the cold summit of South Kinsman
Mount Lafayette
On our way back to North Kinsman
View from the Kinsman Ridge Trail
Frosted branches
Carefully descending an icy ledge
Making the turn onto the Mt. Kinsman Trail
Mushroom in a mossy bed
Descending an ice flow
We could hear a hollow sound while walking on the ice of this water crossing
Passing by the sugar shack
Back at the parking lot after a great day on the Kinsmans
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
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