This morning I woke up in the hostel around 5:30 AM. I was so tired and did not want to get moving. But it was looking like Boosted wasn’t going to be coming until a little bit after 7 AM, so I rolled back over for a little while. Then eventually got up and begin getting situated for the day. I’m just going to be slack packing today, so I’m only taking the essentials.
I did pack extra warm layers in case it was cold up top of the Kinsman. Especially upon the descent. I brought my wind gear to wear over the course of the morning because it’s not supposed to rain. I packed my water filter away so that it wouldn’t freeze if it was cold. Then just loaded up a bunch of snacks and random other odds and ends that I might need in case of an emergency. Luckily though I’m only doing a 16 mile stretch today, so truly nothing too crazy. Plus, it’s really not supposed to rain or anything today until later on.
Boosted texted that he was on his way and he wound up arriving a little bit after 7:30 AM. I had a couple eclairs for breakfast before he arrived. And a nice hot mocha. Then he came and picked me up and we headed to the trailhead together. I got to meet his girlfriend Ashley, who was super nice. She’s going to be doing a day hike on another portion in the white mountains today. Then is going to come and pick us up when we finish at the next trailhead.
We hit the trail just after 8 AM and began climbing right away. There’s a pretty steep climb coming out of Kinsman Notch, but it doesn’t go on for too long. You go up for a bit and then the trail levels out briefly. Then you climb a little bit more. What I didn’t remember though was that after that segment of trail, things really level out for the next handful of miles. I was shocked how nice and easy the trail was for at least 4–6 miles.
Reunited with Boosted! Who I hiked most of the AT with in 2023.
Sure, the trail was still covered in roots and rocks and was slick from moisture. Plus, there was a good bit of mud and water collecting along the trail. I did my best to keep my feet dry because yesterday they were wet for a really long time. It was so nice to be able to just walk with Boosted and talk for hours. We both had so many stories to share with each other because it’s been a really long time since we’ve seen each other. Plus, we had a lot of stories to reminisce on. I think the last time we physically saw each other in person was at trail days in 2024. Him and Sweet Pea both found up going, so it was a reunion. We tried to get Sweet Pea to come out today, but he had some other things going on. There is a chance, though that all of us will get to see each other when I make it up to Bethel Maine. It’s at least possible.
We got to enjoy a few easy miles today before beginning the climb up Kinsman.
I had such a good time, walking and talking together. It really helped the time to go by quickly. It was also nice to slow my pace down a little bit and just letting Boosted the pace. We were only going 16 miles so I wasn’t particularly in a rush. Plus there’s a pretty decent chance that I’m going to be taking a zero tomorrow because of the weather. It’s supposed to rain a lot tonight and the rain is going to turn into snow at higher elevation. There was a good chance that somewhere between 4–6 inches of snow is going to accumulate on the higher peaks. Then the following morning (Friday) it’s supposed to continue snowing, and likely snow throughout the course of the day. But weather is ever changing so I’m going to just watch and see what happens.
The trail was so incredibly beautiful today and I really enjoyed it. It just looked like a lush green rainforest with tons of pine trees. The middle part of the day was so nice and easy. The biggest obstacle was really just going around larger puddles, and portions with mud. We saw a ton of moose poop, but never saw a moose. And the weather wound up being pretty perfect, at least at lower elevation. I was curious when I was going to be like as we made our way further up to the South Kinsman.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as gray and dark out as you might’ve expected. They were even moments where we had some of you often in the distance. When we were about 10 miles into the day, the cruisy terrain came to an end, and we began to climb up to the Kinsman. Right as we begin, the claim we ran into another hiker. Her name was Peanut and it turns out she was the tent that I saw pitched by the trailhead last night. She was camped right by the road where I got picked up for the night. And I’ve heard her name a bunch of times through either Fresh Ground or some other trail angel. At least back when I was out here on trail previously. So it was very cool to finally run into each other!
The trail follows along this river for a while, which has a few waterfalls along it. Before the major climbing up Kinsman really begins.
I was curious what her plans were for tonight. But she didn’t seem super worried about the weather and was likely just going to camp out tonight and do Franconia tomorrow. Apparently she’s only taken one zero day the entire trail! Which is super hard-core. It was nice to talk to her for a little bit before continuing on. Then we got into the real climbing for the day.
The climb up Kinsman is super steep, but not particularly technical. It’s your standard white mountains rocky climb, which requires using your hands a little bit. I remember really enjoy enjoying this climb previously in 2023. It’s nice when you’re able to get all the way up in just about 2–3 miles. I would rather do a steeper and shorter climb than a slightly more gradual climb that just burns my calves.
The nice thing about Kinsman too is that you’re not above a tree line for a particularly long amount of time. Though as we got up further and further, the weather definitely began to shift. Today the winds are supposed to be around 35–40 mph. And there’s a chance of some precipitation. As we got further to the top, you could see dustings of snow covering the trees and flurries began to go through the air. Luckily, there was still enough foliage that the wind wasn’t too bad.
Some of the larger rocks that you had to climb up had already been coated in moisture, which was frozen over. So you definitely had to be careful and watch your step so as not to slip on the newly formed ice. Then the higher and higher we got the more the wind picked up and the more it began to snow. It wasn’t accumulating significantly, but it was definitely snowing. The trees up towards the top were already coated pretty well.
Making our way across a wooden board walk. The board walks in NH and ME cannot be fully trusted though! They are known to sink deep into the mud at times.
The last section of the climb was definitely more steep and rocky. And the trees began to give away a bit, so the wind picked up a lot. Then when we got up to the top, the sky was completely whited out, and the wind was whipping pretty hard. We certainly did not stay up there for very long. Just prior to getting to the top of both of us put a couple more layers on. It just seems like a good move because we would be descending pretty soon. Though the trail did have to climb again to go up the next Kinsman. There are two Kinsman mountains within a mile of one another, the south and the north.
I was definitely glad that I put my layers on though. At first, I was a little worried that I would overheat, but that definitely wasn’t the case. Even though there weren’t exactly any views on top of Kinsman, it was still really beautiful. And just felt like a unique way of seeing the segment of trail. It was nothing like it had been when I experienced it last.
Because of the weather we got up and over very quickly. Then descended for maybe a half mile or so before we began a short climb up to the next peak. The second peak didn’t really go above a tree line very much at all. So the wind was a lot better in that area. And once we finally began descending to the next road, the weather shifted drastically again. It was absolutely crazy that after only descending maybe 500–1000 feet, the wind completely stopped and it wasn’t snowing anymore. Weather on top of these high peaks is absolutely wild.
Heading down from the Kinsman.
Coming down off the top was pretty slow going because of all of the rocks. Some sections were really steep and you had to use your hands again. I just wanted to take my time so that I wouldn’t risk slipping or anything like that. I did find time to eat a couple snacks on my way down. When I was at Kennedy Meadows south a Trail Angel named Jay Go gave me a ton of stuff for my resupply. He had a ton of Walkin Tamales, which are such a ridiculously good trail food. They’re basically just tamales that are prepackaged individually. Each one weighs a pretty good amount and it’s only about 250 calories. They just taste so much more real than any other snack you eat on trail. I think that’s what I like so much about them. Sometimes I do think that they are a little dry on their own, but I would eat them all day every day as long as I have some kind of sauce to go with them. Jay also gave me a bunch of the Arby’s horsey sauce. The combination of the two it’s probably one of my favorite things I’ve eaten on trail as long as I can remember. I crushed a couple of those yesterday and then had a couple more of those today as I made my way downhill.
The further we went, the more the trail eventually leveled down. We were making our way toward the lonesome Lake hut, which I was not completely sure it was open. I’ve heard mixed things about the huts and if they are open yet for the season. I’m hoping some of them are open at least. It would just be nice to know that there is a fully enclosed warm building along my route most days. Even if I don’t plan on stopping or staying there, it might be nice to get out of the wind or rain if it’s particularly bad up on either Franconia or when I’m closer to the Presidentials.
Lonesome Lake!
The lonesome lake hut was open! Apparently is actually open year round too. No one was there when we went inside. But there was a sign indicating that the individual who is operating the hut was out for a hike. We hung out in there for a few minutes and took a short break. And right before we left, the guy arrived who was watching over the hut. He was really nice and I was able to ask him some questions about the other huts. I was just curious which ones are actually open. And apparently there is one open along the route across Franconia. And one open when I will be doing the Presidentials. I do wish that the Madison hut was the one which is open, just because of its location. Or maybe the hut right before Mount Washington. But those two are not open yet for the year.
This lake is so dang beautiful. It would be a dream to stay at the hut right by the lake.
After talking to that guy for a little bit, we continued on. I was eager to get to town and grab some food. I also wanted to get service so I could make a definitive choice about whether or not I will be zeroing tomorrow. When we left the hut, there was only maybe another 3 miles to go for the day. We did have to rock over a couple rivers. But other than that, the terrain was really nice and easy for the rest of the day.
It was really nice to go slower today and just enjoy the miles hiking with Boosted. Usually, I’m just cranking and basically going as fast as possible. So it was nice to let him set the pace and go a little bit slower. Honestly, there really was no rush.
Wrapping around the lake, only a few miles from the trailhead.
We got out to the road right around 4 PM. Which is definitely later than I had expected to arrive. But we were not going 3 miles an hour for most of the day. We were really just taking our time. Right as we got out to the road it started to rain lightly. But Boosted’s girlfriend Ashley was there to pick us up. Then she drove us into Lincoln where we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. And I was finally able to check mountain weather and make a decision about tomorrow.
The forest was so incredibly lush and green!
Right now it’s looking like the weather is going to be really bad tonight and not great tomorrow. Though, it looks like there’s light snow in the forecast on Saturday as well. But, the weather for Sunday looks pretty good. It’s not supposed to rain or snow and the wind isn’t too high. So my thought is that I will zero tomorrow and go up and over Franconia on Saturday. The conditions won’t be amazing, but they will hopefully not be too bad. Then I’ll be able to go up and over the Presidentials on Sunday when conditions are significantly better. It would certainly be ideal to do Mount Washington on a day when there’s not rain or snow.
Making it to the Liberty Springs Trailhead. This spur trail was way longer than I remembered.
Then there is a chance of light rain showers on Monday. But currently there is a reroute on the trail around the wildcats. There’s a bridge which is out and it’s recommended to do the detour because fording the river can be dangerous. Especially if it has rained recently. So obviously with all of the rain in the last week, there’s not a chance I’m going to do a river ford. The reroute will save me a little bit of time and energy, which would be great. And also means there’s a good chance I’ll be able to spend the night in Gorham that night. My plan is to carry four days of food, but hopefully do this section in three days. I just wouldn’t want to risk not having enough because of the questionable condition.
After figuring all that out, I contacted the Notch Hostel and renewed my room for another night. Then stopped at the grocery store and got a couple more items before going back to the hostel. Just to be sure that I had enough food for four days instead of three. The mileage little have to do over the next few days is absolutely nothing huge. Under any other circumstances, there wouldn’t be a doubt in my mind that I could do this mileage easily. I just want to play it safe with unpredictable weather. I would imagine though that I’ll still be able to attain my mileage goals each day.
After dinner, I said goodbye to Boosted and got dropped back off at the hostel. When I got back I got to meet Tricia, who I was in contact with when I first came back to New Hampshire. She was giving me a bunch of good advice about the trail conditions and making good choices. I also got to see Bluebird again, which was great. And I even got to see Sugar! A hiker who I think I’ve actually only met once before, on the Appalachian Trail in 2023. She hooked me up with a delicious salad when I got some Neels Gap. But over the years, we’ve been in touch on social media. She also works at the hostel sometimes and is such a bad ass hiker.
Mexican food for dinner with Boosted and Ashley!
It was such a blast to chat with all of these amazing hikers. And also run my new plan by them for the next few days. It’s always a relief when other experienced hikers who know the area think that you’re making smart decisions. We also made plans to go “grab a drink” later on tonight. I’m not actually drinking on this thru hike, but it would be nice to just go hang out and talk. Sometimes I feel like the phrase “grab a drink” doesn’t have to be as a literal as people think. It’ll just be nice to go out to a bar or restaurant and hang out with some awesome humans.
After that, I got my stuff situated and took an amazing shower. Then I finally did laundry for the first time in seven days. Once I got all that done I got some writing in video work done. I even talked to my mom on the phone for a while, which was nice. Then later on Tricia and Sugar picked me up and we all headed to a bar and restaurant in Woodstock together. It was so nice to hang out and talk about trail and all kinds of things like that. Sugar is attempting a self supported FKT of the Appalachian Trail this summer. I had so many questions for her about the attempt and things like that. It was really cool to talk about that. She’s also done so many other crazy and interesting hikes in the past. There’s nothing that I love more than shooting the shit with a bunch of hikers and people who love these trails.
We hung out at the bar for a while before going back to the hostel. I just drink a soda while I was there and also ate a fried banana sundae, which was ridiculously good. I felt like such a little kid. A group of guys asked if they could buy us a round of shots, which was absolutely hilarious. Nothing screams “not drinking” like eating a banana sundae at a bar. It was a nice offer though!
I was so glad that we all went out together and had such a great time. This year I haven’t had nearly enough time hanging out with other hikers. So every chance I get is really precious. When I got back to the hostel, I wound up eating some more food. And basically just hanging out and getting more writing and video work done for the rest of the night. It’s really nice to know that I get to sleep in tomorrow because I’m taking a zero day! What a treat. Then hopefully my plan works out perfectly and by the time I get back out into the higher mountains, the weather will be more tolerable. Though I’m definitely going to be walking through some fresh snow! Truly nothing I haven’t done before.
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