North & South Kinsman (4000 footers)

Friday was a beautiful day in the White Mountains, and we had arranged to meet up with our friends Mike and Denise to spend the weekend camping and hiking.  

Denise has almost reached the top of all forty-eight 4000-ft peaks in New Hampshire, so she had a few remaining summits in mind.  Under Denise's guidance we opted to hike to the Kinsman ridge and to "bag" the north and south summits.

We ascended via the Basin-Cascade trail (perhaps better known as the 'rooty-and-rocky' trail?), hiked past the idyllic Kinsman pond (with its splendid lean-to), and then zig-zagged our way up the ridge.  It was such a fine day we stopped for lunch three times (twice on the way up, once on the way down).

We descended via the very steep Fishin' Jimmy trail to Lonesome Lake hut where we stopped for tea and a snack.  We then dashed the last two miles down to reach the car just before darkness.

 

The trail starts at a rock formation known as "the basin"

 

On the trail before it is too hot

 The Cascade-Basin trail (or is it the Basin-Cascade trail?) 

 

Kinsman pond

 

At the Kinsman lean-to for elevenses

Reaching tree-line

 At the summit of North Kinsman (lunch #1)

 

The summit cairn on South Kinsman is shaped like a chair.  Peak #41 for Denise, and lunch #2 for everyone.

The steep descent along the Fishin' Jimmy trail

 Lonesome Lake in the late afternoon sun

Afternoon tea at the Lonesome Lake hut