[at-l] Pemi Trip: Tuesday August 2, 2004: Franconia Notch to Lonesome Lake Hut

[papabear.nyc at verizon.net (Papa Bear)]

Tuesday August 2, 2004: Franconia Notch to Lonesome Lake Hut and to Northeast Cannonball 

I took advantage of this hiking trip to get in a short visit to my son and his family in Natick, MA. I took the bus up from New York on Monday, picked up the rental car in Framingham, and spent the night with them. My grandson is almost 3 and his little sister is just short of 2 months old. 

I left Natick around 5:30 AM to make the drive up to New Hampshire. I had been given estimates of between 3 and 4 hours to make the trip to the Whites. I needed to get to the AMC shuttle pick-up point at the Zealand Trailhead on Zealand Road by 10:10 AM so I could get over to my starting point in Franconia Notch and get going by 11:00 AM. I took the Mass Pike in to Route 128 (I-95) and then 128 up to I-93, which took me all the way up and through Franconia Notch. I stopped on the way at some unremembered New Hampshire town at a Dunkin Donuts for a poor excuse for a breakfast. The traffic was next to nil and I was in Twin Mountains by 8:15 (the 3 hour estimate was more than adequate). I stopped at the Twin Mountain Trading Post for a parking permit, and then drove over on Route 302 to Zealand Road. I parked at the Hale Brook Trailhead and changed into my hiking stuff, saved my car clothes, and donned my overnight pack, which I had pared down to 20 lbs (minus the water which added about another 3 -4 lbs). I then tested my legs by hiking the easy mile along Zealand Road up to the Zealand Trailhead where the shuttle stop was located. I was way early, getting to the shuttle spot by about 9:20. It was a clear sunny day, but a bit warm and humid. Good for views, but not great for strenuous hiking. 

The shuttle showed up about 10 minutes early and the older gent who was driving had my name on the list and those of another couple who showed up about that time. The shuttle seems to run on time and at $10 for anywhere to anywhere it was a good deal. My trip was quick: just up to Twin Mountains and then down to Franconia Notch, but longer trips (like those originating in Pinkham Notch) can take quite a while. The shuttle made one stop at the Gale River Trailhead and then went down Route 3 and I-93 to the Lafayette Place Campground where the Lonesome Lake Trailhead is located. I arrived just at 11:00, exactly on time. 

The Hike up to Lonesome Lake Hut was fairly easy. The trail up is 1.6 miles (and about 1000' of elevation gain) of first a flat section, then some rocky going and finally a few ledges till we finally caught sight of Lonesome Lake, which in my opinion is beautiful in any weather and from any direction. I circled around the pond to the Hut where I registered for the night, unloaded most of the heavy stuff from my pack and had a lunch break. It had taken me just under an hour to get to the Hut from the Notch. 

The plan was to climb Cannon Mountain and the Cannonballs. First I thought I would start at the tramway parking lot and climb Cannon from the north and the cross over the Cannonballs on the Kinsman Ridge Trail and then down to the hut. But the shuttle did not stop at the Cannon tramway and besides I thought it would be easier to go up to the Hut first, dump most of my stuff and then do the peaks as a loop from the Hut. This was supposed to be a short easy day. 

So I hiked up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The idea was to then cross the Cannonballs and climb Cannon. This was a tactical error. The 'Jimmy was very tough and I ran out of time. The very steep and rough route combined with the heat and humidity torpedoed my plan. I also got a few sprinkles on the Kinsman Ridge Trail. So I crossed the Cannonballs all right, but I had to skip Cannon and retreat via the Lonesome Lake Trail back to the Hut. I should have simply gone up this trail, climbed Cannon, returned and climbed NE Cannonball (NEHH) and gone back down the way I came, skipping most of the Kinsman Ridge and 'Jimmy trails. So I missed Cannon, but bagged NE Cannonball. There's always a next time. 

I got back to the Hut around 4:30. The sky was getting dark and rain would soon follow. I changed into "camp clothes" and straightened out my stuff. This hut has separate bunkhouses and I met my roommates: a couple with their 10 year old son who were up here for the first time. One thing I always love to see is all the newcomers and families at the huts. You can see future hikers in many of these 6, 8 or 10 year olds. And I admire the family who will spend the money on this very rough vacation (especially for young kids) instead of another trip to Disneyworld. And I love it in the evenings with folks playing cards or Scrabble with their kids. You know at home they would all be just watching the boob tube. But I digress. 

It rained rather hard for a few hours and I was glad to find myself under a roof. A couple of thru-hikers ("Publics" a SOBO flip-flopper and "Roadrunner" a NOBO) showed up and got work-for-stay. Roadrunner said the Kinsmans were the toughest section of the AT he had done yet. I told him wait till you get to the Mahoosucs. They were good guys enjoying their hikes. 

I was off to bed at 9:30, lights out time. Tomorrow would be a long day. 

Total mileage: 6.3 miles (plus 1 mile on Zealand Road), elevation: +2950', -1986', time: 5:00 
(Elevation gain/loss measured by my Suunto) 
I've got the pictures of this trip up: Pemi Trek Pictures. Enjoy!