Sunday, June 22, 2014

June 21-22: Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, Lafayette; Cannon, N Kinsman, S Kinsman (peaks 1-7)

Day 1: Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, Lafayette

Trails: Up Flume Slide, across Franconia Ridge, down Greanleaf and Old Bridle Path.
Distance: 13.63 mi, Elev Gain: 5628 ft, Book Time: 9:37, Actual Time: 7:30



Flume

Liberty

Lincoln

Lafayette

Day 2: Cannon, N Kinsman, S Kinsman

Trails: Up Hi-Cannon, across Kinsman Ridge, down Fishin' Jimmy and Lonesome Lake.
Distance: 12.95 mi, Elev Gain: 5161 ft, Book Time: 9:02, Actual Time: 9:00



Cannon

N Kinsman

S Kinsman

Notes


Bike shuttle. I left car at Lafayette CG and biked to Flume Visitor Ctr to start my hike. It was only 4 miles and all downhill, but it was a good practice run for the Presi Traverse bike shuttle. Should I stick to numbered roads or take the shortcut? Rte 302/115/2 is 27 miles and 1000 feet of climbing; whereas Mt Clinton/Jefferson Notch/Valley Rd is 17 miles and 1400 feet of climbing.

Little Haystack Mountain's elevation is 4780 ft, but it is not included among the 48 peaks on the Four Thousand Footers list. "To qualify for the list, a peak must rise 200 feet above any ridge connecting it to a higher neighbor. As a result, several notable peaks are not included on the lists despite their height." (http://www.amc4000footer.org/faqs.html)

Franconia Ridge was awesome. The weather was near perfect, and it brought out the crowds. I passed hundreds of people--"Excuse me. When you get a chance... Thank-you."--or perhaps, "Merci!" as many of the hikers were from Quebec.



On Saturday, I hiked way faster than book time, even with 2 long breaks--to chat with a fellow cyclist on Lincoln, and for a bowl of potato/dill soup at Greanleaf. I was only passed once, by a runner on Franconia Ridge, who tagged Lincoln, then raced back to Lafayette. I think my summer spent biking made me stronger. But hiking beats you up in a different way than biking. The second day, I was moving much slower. A father and son blew by me on Fishin' Jimmy. I tried to match their pace but couldn't. Even the guy pictured above hopped past me.

Stop and smell the roses


Hiking more slowly on Sunday, I had time to enjoy (and photograph) the scenery.

Franconia Ridge - yesterday's hike

Kinsman Pond from N Kinsman

Lonesome Lake with Franconia Ridge in the background.

People on the Trail

Kevin F


  • Kevin F caught up with me just before the slide, so we hiked up Flume Slide together. 
  • The description in White Mountain Guide is accurate: "It is an extremely steep, rough trail, with polished rock slabs that are extremely slippery when wet (and they are nearly always wet, due to the many seep springs on these steep slopes). It is not recommended for descent, and its use is discouraged in wet weather when the ledges are more than ordinarily dangerous." 
  • Kevin came from CO to finish his 48 on the Bonds, but his brother got sick and Kevin didn't want to finish without him. Same thing happened last year, except it was Kevin that got sick. Here's hoping 3rd times a charm, and Kevin and his brother finish the Four Thousand Footers together next summer.


Kevin and Phillip at the top of Flume Slide

Rachel and Isis

  • I don't remember which trail, but I said hi to Rachel on Saturday because I recognized Isis from her posts on FB's Hike the 4000 footers of NH! 
  • Rachel's Facebook album started, "A hike like this deserves it's own album... You don't get very many days like this on Franconia Ridge"


From L to R: Cole, Alton, Rachel, Isis. photo credit: from Rachel's FB album

Alton and Cole
  • I don't remember passing Alton, but she was on the Ridge the same day, as evidenced by her photo with Rachel above.
  • Alton was completing the Pemi Loop with her dog, in just 10 hours! A couple of years ago, it took me 2 days--each about 13 hours--and I had to stop for a nap on the Lincoln Woods Trail on the return.

The importance of food.


Saturday I ate well. I stopped at Starbucks for coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the drive up. Then I enjoyed Potato Leek soup at Greenleaf Hut. So I barely touched my trail food.
Sunday I woke up at 5am intending to go get coffee and eggs, but the restaurants in Franconia don't open until 7. Rather than waste the morning, I packed my tent and hit the trail at 5:30am. I subsisted on Clif Bars, dried fruit, and half a PBJ. My feet ached, my neck hurt, my quads were tight and I hiked slower and slower, placing each foot carefully as I descended. When I finally reach Lonesome Lake Hut, they served me coffee, chocolate cake, and lentil soup--my first real food of the day. Suddenly, I had renewed energy and nearly ran the rest of the way to the parking lot.

Saturday post-hike dinner with Bill AA and Claire, Jay O and Mason, Don and Anne K at Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton.

I sampled a flight, a Belgian Tripel, a Belgian Duppel, and a Porter.

Sunday post-hike, I stopped at Woodstock Inn and found a relevant IPA.

Burger and a beer -- the perfect meal after a weekend climbing mountains.

Fishin' Jimmy

I was worried that Fishin' Jimmy was going to be too rugged a downhill for my aching feet and legs. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the descent was, but it made wonder how Jimmy managed before all the trail improvements--wooden risers, stone stairs, boardwalks, and even toeholds blasted in rock faces.

Wooden risers. Photo credit: http://upnessmountains.blogspot.com/2012/06/kinsman-pond-hut-overnight.html

Stone stairs.

Toeholds blasted in rock face.

Boardwalk.

What I Carried

Day 1: I didn't use any of the stuff on the right of my bag. Weight: 8 pounds plus 2.5 L water.

Day 2: The unused stuff on the right makes a much smaller pile than the previous day, mostly safety gear that I hope never to use. Weight: Less than day 1--no Steripen, no raincoat, no long johns, no 2nd headlamp, no battery pack, no bug repellent, reduced 1st Aid kit.
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