Three of us, Jonah, Fred, and Benny, accepted Steve's invitation for a Boxing Day hike. Although Squam Range was put forward, Cannon Mt won due to a scolding from Charlie Abert that required reaching 4000'. It was Benny's first peak. Less wind and more clouds than expected. A gorgeous new snow of up to ~6". It was a short hike (for Benny's sake) and we arrived home before dark.
With an early start, we set out from the windy parking lot at Cannon Mt at 7:50am. I had my new boots and microspikes. We donned crampons on the way up; they were very helpful. Snow gradually got deeper, but there was no need for snowshoes. Light snow kept falling until near noon. The trail is fairly steep right away, 20% grade on average over the 2 miles to the Rim Trail junction near the summit.
Fred's equipment issues: one broken Black Diamond pole, new boots a little loose but should be fine over time, two crampon gashes in pants and gaiters (repaired at home).
Summary: 5 miles, 4.5 hours, 2100' elevation gain.
--Fred (aka tarpman)
|
|
|
Fred's Home | 6 images |
The Tramway exit is the trailhead for Kinsman Ridge Trail---an early start with opaque conditions. |
Jonah brought eager, 7-month-old Benny, laden with his own food. |
The overnight snow was a few inches at the bottom. We donned crampons a little way up and kept them on until the end. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I had two shirts until the final ascent, where the wind picked up and we all layered on. |
Breezy and 4-6" of new snow---a gorgeous day, even without the sun. |
Still cloudy. A fine, short hike. Benny was glad to be back. Notice the usual pose from Steve. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
