Early Fall at Lonesome Lake

A fine afternoon in the Whites

With the New England Patriots playing at one in the afternoon on Sunday (keep the crowds at home, haha!) and a very sunny forecast for the mountains, I figured what better time for the pup and I to head up to one of my favorite spots in the Whites, Lonesome Lake?

The most obvious, popular route to the lake and AMC hut that sits just above its shores is the Lonesome Lake Trail from the Lincoln Woods campground along I-93. However, with my plans not getting me on the trail until 2:30 p.m., I knew that that parking lot, as it usually is on weekends, would be packed with cars spilling out into every nook and cranny of space along both sides of the interstate. Therefore, I decided to take what I consider a much more scenic and enjoyable route starting at the Basin pull-off just south of the campground.

The Basin itself is usually busy as it was that afternoon with people stopping to take in the wonderful cascades and waterfalls along the short walking trails in the area, but few venture further into the part of the Basin that I find the most rewarding: The Basin Cascade Trail. It's one of my favorite trails I've hiked in the Whites. Not long after starting this trail that my pup and I were away from the main tourist section and walking up alongside the Cascade Brook, which actually starts at Lonesome Lake. The ascent on this trail was dry, moderate and gradual, but full of plenty of exposed roots and rocks along the way to keep me vigilant about each step.

Early view from the slabs along the Basin Cascade Trail

As always, what I loved most about this trail was just how close we were to the brook the entire time. There are several spots along the beginning where you can walk right out onto open rock slabs with the brook tumbling down beside you as you stare back at some beautiful views of mountain peaks back towards the notch. From there, the brook dipped into a small gorge below us that is home to Kinsman Falls. Past this first waterfall, the brook was right at our side again as we made an easy crossing of it. From here, the second half of the trail was slicker and muddier compared to the start, but continued a moderate climb up to the second major waterfall along the way, Rocky Glen Falls

Kinsman Falls

Rocky Glen Falls

Just past Rocky Glen Falls was the trickiest section of the hike, the second major stream crossing to take the Cascade Brook Trail up to the lake. There was once a bridge just south of where we crossed that made this crossing a piece of cake that has long been washed away. It looks like there a no plans to ever rebuild it, but the water was running low enough this day to make the rock hop across very manageable. Be advised that in higher water, this crossing can be a bit precarious.

Early section of the Cascade Brook Trail

The Cascade Brook Trail, also a portion of the Appalachian Trail, started mostly flat and much less rooted and rocky compared to the Basin Cascade Trail. There was very little elevation gain up until the junction with the trail leading up to the Kinsman Pond shelter and Kinsman Ridge. From there, the trail began its steady, moderate to moderately difficult ascent to the lake. What was a flat easy trail transformed into a mangled, rocky climb. It was never as tough as climbing boulders on the Presidentials, but compared to the rest of this hike it was the most difficult stretch. However, the reward was certainly worth it...

The Franconia Ridge

Lonesome Lake was peaceful and serene upon our arrival. We only saw one other family and one or two other solo hikers the entire time we were there. The nosiest thing in the area were the ducks quacking at each other in the water. The skies were clear with just enough clouds to paint a beautiful scene above the view of the Franconia Ridge.

The hike packed a one-two combination of great view gained by way of a great set of trails. It is a less used route to the lake, but one I consider much more enjoyable for the extra mileage and more gradual ascent compared to the Lonesome Lake Trail. It's a trip I highly recommend if you have yet to check it out.

Enjoying the early fall colors on the way back down the Basin Cascade Trail

Here are the time breakdowns from my hike:

• Start at the Basin parking area - 2:10 p.m.
• Junction with the Cascade Brook Trail - 2:51 p.m. (1.3 total miles)
• Arrive at Lonesome Lake - 3:37 p.m. (2.7 total miles)
• Left Lonesome Lake - 4:06 p.m.
• Junction with the Basin Cascade Trail - 4:42 p.m.
• Back at the Basin parking area - 5:45 p.m.

(Almost) Halfway Through the NH48: The Kinsmans

View of the day: Franconia Ridge from North Kinsman lookout

The day started out as many early departures to the Whites do. The clouds above were showing the last warm hues of the sunrise. The first rays of sunlight were just hitting the tips of the trees as I merged onto I-93N headed for the mountains. The interstate, which was bustling with end-of-the-work-week traffic the night before, was now sparsely dotted here and there by a few other cars along the way, an early precursor to the solitude I looked forward to on the trail up to my next two 4000-footers (#'s 22 and 23 overall for me): North and South Kinsman.

For this hike, I chose to take what is described as the "scenic" route by many up to the Kinsmans, the oh-so-well-named Kinsman Mountain Trail off of NH-116 in Easton. Heading south on NH-116, the parking area can be easily missed, but the best way to know you're there is when you pass the Tamarack Tennis Camp. The parking area is almost immediately on your left after you pass a very small pond, also on your left, at the camp. A short gravel road led into a much larger parking area than I expected, with easily enough room for about 10 cars at the main area, and probably 15-20 overall including the edges of the gravel road.

For being the lesser-used route to the summit, I was surprised there were already 7-8 cars in the lot when I arrived. This had me worried that my hike up wouldn't be as singular as I had hoped, but in the entire 3.7 miles up to the ridge I only passed one small group of hikers the whole time.

Old sugar house about 0.6 mi. in on the Kinsman Mountain Trail

Roughly the first 1.5 miles climbed at a easy to moderate grade, starting off as an unjulating trail in open forest that led to an easy, sometimes sandy woods road walk that passed a neat sugar house on my way to entering the bounds of the White Mountain National Forest at 1.1 mi. From there, it was off the woods road and onto the usual exposed roots and rocks of the White Mountains leading up to some beautiful brook crossings between 1.5 and 2.1 miles in.

A few small cascades from a brook crossing

After 1.5 miles the trail's pitch steepened, but nothing that had my legs screaming at me. Plus, crossing several brooks along the way made it an enjoyable climb. At 2.1 miles in I reached the junction with the short side trail to Bald Peak. It is well worth the extra 0.4-mile round-trip to get a good early visit on your way up to the ridge. It's also a good place to take a breath and get ready for the trek to get even steeper.

Nice view from Bald Peak

From the junction with the side trail to Bald Peak the Kinsman Mountain trail started on a flat grade that quickly progressed into what felt like a long trudge up to the ridge. It was in this 1.6 miles to the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail that I could really feel the ascent working its dubious deeds on my legs. With it also being a particularly toasty day even in the mountains I had to take several more stops than usual to take a swing of water and catch a breath to keep going up.

Once at the ridge, just when I wanted the climb to level out, it got to a semi-crazy level of steep. The 0.4 miles to the summit of North Kinsman was a steeper-than-steep, "gauntlet of scrambles" as I wrote in my trail notepad. As I looked at each little section I climbed up, I had to chuckle and simply say "Well that'll be fun on the way down."

Panoramic standing views from South Kinsman

The lookout on North Kinsman was crowded when I first arrived, so I decided to head on, nab the South Kinsman summit, and hope for smaller crowds to take in the view on the way back. From the north to south summit it was a steep drop to a wooded col, followed by slow, steady, moderately difficult rocky climb to the south summit. I stayed there eat some lunch and take in the semi-awesome standing views, before I headed back to the North Kinsman lookout.

Hazy mountains fading into the horizon as seen from North Kinsman

The North Kinsman lookout had thinned out when I arrived back on the summit, so I sat down and took in the highlight of the day: the fantastic view of the Franconia Ridge and hazy blue mountains fading into the horizon. With only another couple with my there for a good while, I let the rolling clouds and jagged summits paint a wonderful backdrop for a peaceful rest. I was glad I was able to enjoy this view after a tough but enjoyable day of hiking. The climb was probably just on the difficult enough side that the Kinsmans will be a one-and-done set for me, but if so, I was treated to some beautiful views for the effort.

Below is the breakdown of my hike:

• Start at Kinsman Mountain Trailhead - 8:00 a.m.
• Entered White Mountain National Forest bounds - 8:35 a.m. (35 min., 1.1 mi.)
• Junction with Bald Peak side trail - 9:18 a.m. (43 min., 2.1 mi.)
• Bald Peak Summit - 9:24 a.m. (6 min., 2.3 mi.)
• Junction with Kinsman Ridge Trail - 10:38 a.m. (1 hr. 12 min., 4.1 mi.)
• North Kinsman summit - 11:00 a.m. (22 min., 4.5 mi.)
• South Kinsman summit - 11:35 a.m. (35 min., 5.4 mi.)

And the return route:

• Left South Kinsman summit - 11:59 a.m.
• North Kinsman lookout - 12:35 p.m. (36 min., 0.9 mi.)
• Left North Kinsman lookout - 12:57 p.m. 
• Junction with Mount Kinsman Trail - 1:12 p.m. (15 min., 1.3 mi.)
• Junction with Bald Peak side trail - 2:05 p.m. (53 min., 2.9 mi.)
• Left WMNF bounds - 2:57 p.m. (52 min., 3.9 mi.)
• Back at Kinsman Mountain Trailhead - 3:15 p.m. (18 min., 5.0 mi.)

Mt. Liberty (and Flume) for the 4th of July

A gorgeous view expanding behind me on Mt. Liberty's summit

Fitting, right? I'd been itching to hike my first 4000 footers of the summer and heck, why not Liberty on the 4th of July? The forecast called for mostly clear skies all the way to the top and perfect temps, so I set off to Franconia Notch to wrap up the last 2 peaks along the ridge I hadn't yet done from the ol' list.

Having had a nightmarish experience on the North Tripyramid Slide Trail last summer where I learned just how much I don't like the idea of slipping and careening to my doom, I stayed far away from the Flume Slide Trail on this trip, instead opting to take the Liberty Springs Trail up and back down. I arrived at the hiker parking area just north of the Flume Visitor Center around 7:30 a.m. and was quite shocked by how few cars were there. I guess more people chose staying home and grilling than setting out and grinding their legs up to the beauties of the White Mountains. In the end, I didn't hate the rare solitude all the way up and onto the ridge. I even got Flume to myself for a little bit!

Annnnnyway, the start on the Whitehouse Trail to the bike path and then onto the Liberty Springs Trail (part of the Appalachian Trail, always a bonus!) was an easy warmup with little elevation gain. The trail was still pretty soggy in a several spots from the weekends heavy rains, with the deep, dark, squishy mud resembling smashed chocolate cake in the middle of the trail.

Quite the nice entrance onto the Appalachian Trail

After meeting up with the bike path, it was quick walk to meet up with the Appalachian Trail. The bridge over the Pemigewasset River felt like a grand entrance onto a short section of one of America's most famous trails (so grand I had to stop and take that photo of it). I'm so used to just soldiering on deep in the woods that when I come upon a small moment like this, I like to pause and take it in for a second. Man made beauty fitting seamlessly into nature's beauty is a wonderful thing to see.

After joining up with the Liberty Spring Trail on the other side of the bridge, it started out with the same characteristics as the Whitehouse Trail: easy elevation gain and lots of mud to walk in and around. It wasn't until just after the major brook crossing (the brook was roaring from the rains, so the rock hop was slightly more precarious) that the trail really started to climb. What had started out as mud, mud, and more mud finally gave way to boulders, boulders, and believe me plenty more boulders. The ascent from that point up to the Franconia Ridge was steady, steep, and unforgiving. There were a couple very sparse flatter stretches to catch a break. However, having read up on the trail beforehand, I was prepared and quite frankly looking forward to the challenging climb. Telling myself that I wanted to round the next corner and see another giant rock staircase (which was usually the case) was motivation to just keep burning my quads to the top.

Major brook crossing

The usual view on the slightly steep ascent to the ridge

After finally passing the Liberty Spring Tentsite and getting up on the Franconia Ridge, I knew the views weren't far away. Once on the ridge, it was a quick 0.3 miles to get up to the summit of Liberty where I was met with the amazing 360-degree views of the White Mountains I had been hoping for. I would try and explain what it's like on top of the ridge lines in the mountains, but (prepare for the cliché) there simply aren't words for it. The feeling and the view up there is just something magical. Part looking down at what the heck you just climbed up to get there and part looking out at so many mountains all around you adds up to a special time on the ridge.

Random action shot just below the Liberty summit

Looking at Flume Mtn. from Liberty

From Liberty it was on to Mt. Flume, which lies 1.25 miles further down the Franconia Ridge. The drop off the back of Liberty's summit was the steepest part of the day, which made for a fun quick climb back up on my return trip. After dipping down into the col between the two, the climb up Flume was another steep climb, this time with smaller rocks on slick reddish dirt that resembled hiking up scree rock on a slide trail...minus the whole fearing for your life part.

Gorgeous view to the South and West from Flume

Flume had another great view, and brought me up to 20 out of the NH48, but Liberty took the cake for me on this trip. It was a summit I was sad to leave. Plus, the trek up the Liberty Spring Trail was an enjoyable challenge that made the reward of the views up top that much sweeter. Liberty Spring is a trail I definitely think I'll do again some day. I've now been up on the Franconia Ridge twice, and both times I've wished I could have stayed much longer than I did. Some of the best views in New Hampshire await up there, and I hope to get back soon.

Below are the time breakdowns from this amazing trip:

• Start at hiker parking area for Whitehouse Trail - 7:37 a.m.
• Junction with bike path - 7:57 a.m. (20 min., 0.6 mi.)
• Junction with Liberty Spring Trail/AT - 8:03 a.m. (5 min., 0.2 mi.)
• Junction with Flume Slide Trail - 8:22 a.m. (19 min., 0.6 mi.)
• Liberty Spring Tentsite - 9:46 a.m. (1 hr. 24 min., 2 mi.)
• Junction with Franconia Ridge Trail - 10:01 a.m. (15 min., 0.3 mi.)
• Mt. Liberty Summit - 10:15 a.m. (14 min., 0.3 mi.)

From Liberty to Flume and back:

• Left Liberty Summit - 10:38 a.m.
• Flume Summit - 11:19 a.m. (41 min., 1.25 mi.)
• Left Flume Summit - 11:46 a.m.
• Back at Liberty Summit - 12:28 p.m. (42 min., 1.25 mi.)
• Back down at hiker parking area - 2:44 p.m. (2 hr. 16 min., 3.7 mi.)

I used Steven Smith and Mike Dickerman's insanely thorough guidebook of the 4000 footers to help me plan this trip. You can get a copy for yourself and support the Appalachian Mountain Club by doing so here.