| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Kinsman, South Kinsman, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Two vehicles at 8am, six at 4pm. Just before the turn onto the level area where vehicles park, there is a washout trench across much of the width of the gravel roadway. Stay to the right coming in, left on exit. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are three crossings on the Mt Kinsman trail, all below the junction with the side spur to Bald Peak. With the recent rain, these are flowing well, but still they were easy enough rock hops. Some of the rocks used for this "hopping" were right at or slightly above or below water, so these crossings would mean wet feet for anyone in sneakers. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
For the most part, the trails are in good shape. Just around the corner from that large shack by the trail, a tree had gone down in the woods, and the top branches blocked the trail completely. This must have been fairly recent, as the leaves on the branches were fresh and green. I cut off those branches with the foldup saw. On the steep ledges descending from North K toward South K, there are numerous places where hikers have gone to the sides, to use trees and roots for footing and handholds. At one place, a small sapling has been uprooted, lies horizontal out onto the rock face, and is unusable as a handhold. Unlike tropical regions, where growth is rampant, up here the slow growth rate simply can't keep up with the heavy hiker traffic, and so the sloped rock surface becomes ever wider with use. But, that's where the trail goes, and in the absence of good cracks and handholds to use that part of the trail becomes ever wider with use. Hikers navigating down the sides at least ought to avoid holding onto small trees up at waist level or higher, as the longer lever just puts more stress on the weakening root structure. There isn't much holding these small trees onto the underlying rock. Grab down low wherever possible.
On the flatter parts of the KRT between the peaks, foot traffic around the muddy spots with standing water results in further "offroading," as the sidelines also are quite fragile. A couple of log sections laid into the mud here and there would help slow this erosion at the sides. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one at the lookout on North Kinsman; nice, curious pup. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Not really. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Very damp and cloudy climb up into and finally up through the low clouds. There was some sun at the junction with the KRT on up. The view from the outlook a few feet below the top of NK was spectacular, with the very top of the Franconia ridge in the clear above the cloud deck, gathered like a white/gray blanket around the highest peaks and barely moving. By the time we were at SK, more of the low clouds had dissipated. Liberty emerged, then Flume, then a few more distant tops. We enjoyed the view in full sun, with clear blue sky overhead, and that slowly thinning low cloud layer below us, with warm, windless are all around us. |
|
 | Name: |
Pappy |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-09-22 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
|
