With the storm in the rearview, I resumed my plans and drove up on Monday the 23rd. I decided to do an overnight at the Kinsman Pond campsite, going in via the Mt. Kinsman Trail, over the Kinsman Ridge Trail and down the Reel Brook Trail. Then a few miles of road back to the car. It was in the 80s and very humid when I started and I was soon pretty gross. There was quite the large variety of mushrooms in the woods. The views from Bald Peak were the best that I would have on this hike. The Mt. Kinsman Trail was only four miles with moderate grades but the heat and humidity wore me out and I was tired by the time I reached the campsite.
I was the only one there. Not even a caretaker (the weather sign had been updated the previous day so I guess the caretakers switch off/take breaks early in the week?) There were no bugs to speak of which seems normal for August. But the mosquitoes are so bad at home I always assume the worst. I heard a couple guys arrive around 8 PM and later learned they were AT hikers. I tried out the new 30 degree underquilt I recently purchased for my hammock. Temps only got down to 58 and even then I was a little cool in the morning which likely speaks more to the fact that I'm usually cold than my insulation setup.
I hiked over the Kinsmans in the morning which were in the fog. I was surprised and embarrassed when I discovered that I had never actually reached the summit of South Kinsman before. Apparently I had failed to make it all the way there on my previous two trips. Whoops! If nothing else it made for a funny (if profane) scene in the video below.
So I essentially completed my first round of the NH48 on this hike.
After that I made my way down the Kinsman Ridge Trail which was tough going at times. Some very slick rocks. Met an older woman hiking the AT who had stayed at the Eliza Brook campsite. She was impressive with her huge pack. I really enjoyed the running water alongside much of this trail. Some top notch swimming holes. I found the powerline section interesting as that's not something you see often up in the Whites. I wonder if people follow it or if it's all overgrown?
My feet were achy as I made my way down the Reel Brook Trail and was annoying with myself for misjudging the distance somewhat. The road walk went on longer that I'd like but I did encounter a cool little cemetery with some markers for the Kinsmans. After reaching the car I considered what to do as it was a little later than I had planned. I opted to stick to my original plan - hiking past Nancy Pond and camping on the Carrigain summit. But that's a tale for another day.
