The climb back up to North Kinsman was not difficult, and soon we were heading down proper, angling back to meet Ewart at the hut. I again thought about subsituting snowshoes for yak-trax or crampons, but again laziness got the best of me, and we managed back down the hard and sometimes slippery trail to where it flattened out for the last mile or so to the hut, where I then ditched the 'shoes and just barebooted it. Under increasingly sunny skies, we arrived at the hut -- 45 minutes after Ewart.
After a quick break, we started back -- this time choosing to make a beeline straight across frozen Lonesome Lake. Although the windchill was fierce, the now mostly-clear conditions gave us some beautiful views of Cannon Mountain, Franconia Ridge, and back to our two peaks for today, North and South Kinsman.
Shortcut across Lonesome Lake
The hike back down to the trailhead was easy and uneventful, and we arrived back shortly before 3:30pm. Cold and blustery, and with not as many views as we would have liked, this was still a satisfying and successful outing!
Interactive Trackmap & Photo Points - The Kinsmans - Click link below to expand
Hike Data - Kinsmans via Lonesome Lake
Start Time:
8:13a.m.
End Time:
3:21p.m.
Duration:
7h8m
Distance:
15.42 km
(9.58 mi)
Average Speed:
2.2 km/hr
(1.3 mph)
Start Elevation:
1777ft
(542m)
*
Max Elevation:
4449ft
(1356m)
*
Min Elevation:
1681ft
(512m)
*
End Elevation:
1693ft
(516m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
3499ft
(1066m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
3591ft
(1095m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
