Naked hiker day! Not!! No reason to expose more flesh to the bloodthirsty mosquitoes, especially the tender parts. I know some diehards really get into it, even posting pictures of their naked butt cheeks on line. Good for them, but I'm not one of them. Besides, I've never seen any other people traipsing around in their birthday suits while I've been out in the woods.I woke while it was still dark and watched the day begin. Pre-dawn, the sky became an orange glow, silhouetting the range of mountains to the east, the clouds above tinged with subtle shades of pink. Slowly, the sun's golden orb emerged from behind the line of peaks and climbed into a pale blue heaven. Absolutely beautiful!
The first mile and a half was a 2,000 foot descent to Kinsman Notch. Then, for a hiker, a little twist to a common saying: What comes down must go up--- a 2,500 foot ascent to Kinsman Ridge. Some of these climbs are not your average grind through a series of switchbacks. Oh no, that would be far too easy. Instead, you're looking at a pretty steep vertical trail that is more perfectly akin to a rock scramble. Therefore, I collapsed my trekking pole, strapped it to the back of my pack, and put on a pair of gloves to help me grip the rock and prevent my hands from being torn up if I fell. Then, slow and steady I picked my way up the trail until, finally, the grade became much more reasonable. It was at that moment I knew I had reached the top of the ridgeline.
My efforts were well rewarded with some superb views with nothing to block them, being as I was above treeline or at least taller than the wind blasted bushes on top. At North Kinsman I sat down to take a break and was amazed by the variety of flies that were buzzing around. Little black midges, some iridescent flies looking like blue bottles, yellow ones with black stripes hovering in the air then zipping away, big horse flies buzzing past sounding like the insect equivalent of a B-2 bomber, etc. Perhaps even more amazing than the variety was that none of them were bothering me.
To get to Franconia Notch, it was another rock scramble down. On the way, I passed the southernmost AMC Hut at Lonesome Lake, which seemed to be quite busy with people enjoying a fine first day of summer. Once down in the notch, I followed the path under the freeway and then the Whitehouse trail to the parking lot. I was hoping to get a ride into town, but there weren't many cars passing and those that were sure as heck weren't stopping. So, I spent a good part of the afternoon walking along the side of the road into Lincoln, passing The Flume, the Indian Head Resort, and the Whale World Aqua Park on my way. I was tired by the time I reached the Price Chopper, not having planned to hoof it into town. To raise my spirits and my energy level, I treated myself to a quart of ice-cream after purchasing the required goods to resupply at the store.
Now, heading out of town, I knew I'd have to have better luck at hitching if I was to make any further progress along the trail that day. Fortunately, a young guy from Manchester pulled over in his pick-up and offered me the ride I so desperately needed. He told me had taken time off from work just to get away from the city for a few days and back to the mountains that he loved. I'm sure glad he did!
It was about six in the evening when I set off towards Liberty Springs Tentsite and it took me a little over an hour and a half to get there. When I did arrive, I took a look around at the tent platforms, but discovered that there was nary a soul around. Not even the caretaker was present. As it would soon be dark and I was getting a bit chilly, I pitched my tent on some flat ground on the far side of the spring, inflated my NeoAir, laid out my sleeping bag and crawled inside. My most difficult resupply day was over.
Pre-Dawn Light
Wooden Blocks in Weathered Rocks
Hello Mr. Toad
Meadow and Pond Below Kinsman
Rock Scramble Hands on Kinsman Ridge
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