Mt. Kinsman, Cannon Mountain

by John Flaherty

Trails: Lonesome Lake trail, Fishin' Jimmi Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Hi-Cannon trail

Date: Sept 10-11, 2000

We set out for Kinsman Lake Sunday early afternoon. It was a beautiful day with temps near 80 and bright sunshine. We took the Lonesome Lake trail up to the Lake where we stopped for a quick snack. There was a good number of people hanging out. From there we continued on to Kinsman Lake via the Fishin' Jimmi trail. Although it was a little warm, the trail conditions were perfect: dry, good footing, and no blowdowns. We reached the pond around 4 pm, dropped our packs, and summitted North and South Kinsman. I had been on N. Kinsman on a previous trip but this was the first time I had summitted South Kinsman, and so was happy to be able to cross it off my list of peaks needed to complete the 48 4,000 footers. The views of Fraconia Ridge were beautiful, especially on the way down. The sun set was reflecting off the ridge and illuminating it in bright yellow/orange. We had the shelter to ourselves that night. Kinsman is by far the most beautiful area to camp !

Very scenic and peaceful. The next morning we packed up and took the Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon Mountain. It was a moderately strenuous hike due to having to climb and descend the 3 "Cannon Balls" before actually ascending Cannon itself. One section of trail is very steep for about three tenths of a mile, but levels out before reaching the summit. The summit is a little diassapointing due to Cannon being a ski resort which runs its tram in the off season for tourists. But we did appreciate being able to water up and enjoyed the views into the valley. From there we took the Hi-Cannon trail back down to its connection with Lonesome Lake trail. The trail was moderately steep its entire length with steeper sections of ledge and one area with a wooden ladder. The trail had some areas of loose stone but generally had decent footing. This has been the best trip I have taken in the last couple of years due to the beautiful weather we were blessed with.

Equipment: The usual

Special Equipment: None