View Full Version : Section Hiking in the Whites
I am doing a section north starting in Hanover. For a reasonably trail fit hiker, how doable is a days hike from from Kinsman Notch over S&N Kinsman and ending the day at Lonesome Lake Hut? The book says 13.4 miles.
poison_ivy
08-25-2004, 13:25
It depends on how strong a hiker you are ... It's definitely doable but would be a strenuous trip. The two tough parts would be the climb up out of Kinsman Notch, where you gain about 500 feet over the first half-mile or so. The other tough part would be the hike up S. Kinsman, a 2,000-foot elevation gain over about two miles, with some rock scrambling. Between the two Kinsmans, the trail isn't so bad (though I'm not a big fan of the Fishin Jimmy trail.)
I hiked from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch over two days, staying at Eliza Brook in the middle with two other people, one of whom had only been backpacking twice. She didn't have any problems but was dead tired by the end. With your experience, I'm sure you'll be fine. :)
- Ivy
Blue Jay
08-25-2004, 13:35
I've done it twice. It's a great section of the AT. You'll have a wonderful time.
According to the AMC White Mountain Guide, there is 4700 feet of climb between Kinsman Notch and Lonesome Lake. Book time is 9 hours 35 minutes.
If you plan to do it in a single day, then it's going to be a long day.
According to the AMC White Mountain Guide, there is 4700 feet of climb between Kinsman Notch and Lonesome Lake. Book time is 9 hours 35 minutes.
If you plan to do it in a single day, then it's going to be a long day.I did it in one day once. My wife dropped me off at tramway parking lot and was to pick me up at Kinsman Notch. I grossly underestimated the time required. This was early May and the north side of the Cannon Balls was a mass of side-sloping ice. The climb down South Kinsman took forever.
I told her 4:00. I got there well after 6:00. It was getting dark and I ran the last two miles because I was scared crapless she would go turn me in to the Rangers as a lost hiker if I didn't get there by dark.
Bottom LIne: She was in the Kinsman Notch parking lot, reading a book using the car's domelight, totally unfazed at my late arrival. I went from being afraid she would report me lost to annoyed that she didn't even care I was "missing." (Husband logic.)
SHe laughed at me, "You NEVER get to the trailhead when you say you will. You're AWAYS late."
Anyway, it was a long day, and I don't think I'd try it again.