Jim and I took on Cannon Mtn New Hampshire today (4,100 ft).  Not having done a 4000 footer since before the birth of our now 1 year old son Liam, I was very excited to be taking on another White Mountain adventure.

Jim picked me up and we were on our way a little after 7am.  As it is ski season and Cannon Mtn has an active ski slope, we opted for a southern route to avoid the ski area as much as possible.  Parking at the Lafayette Campground in Franconia Notch we headed up the closed campground road to the Lonesome Lake Trail at about 9:15am with blue skies and 35+ degree temps.  Lonesome Lake Trail was well packed and a very moderate traverse / ascent for the first 4/10th of a mile so we adorned micro spikes for the first part of our journey.  At this point we took a right onto the Hi-Cannon Trail which immediately takes an aggressive turn uphill.  It was clear right away the recent 3-6 inches of snow had been freshly packed this morning on top of a well packed base so we continued on with our micro spikes.  After a few minutes of climbing we began to hear voices uphill from our location and I immediately began thinking, "I hope that's not the group packing the trail".  Sure enough a few minutes later we catch up to them and they were packing the trail.  Being pretty sure we would be packing the trail on our own shortly we switched to snowshoes.  After a few more minutes we caught the group again and a few more we were in the lead and pulling away.  Just the two of us now and a long but relatively easy packing job ahead (if you don't factor the climb).  Jim and I switched on and off leading the rest of the way to the Kinsman Ridge Trail.  We some how missed the featured called "Cliff House" but did not miss the steep ladder which is reported to be near it nor the amazing views.  There was more like 6-9 inches of fresh snow plus drifts near the top and along the way the really steep parts challenged traction as the crust on top allowed your snowshoes to slip on the fluffy dry snow underneath and the ice under that.  Hi-Cannon proved to be everything we were hoping for: great views, a challenging climb, a technical frozen ladder, blue skies and lots of time in the woods by ourselves, and none of the things I feared: lots of blue ice, and a dangerous cliff traverse.

Reaching the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) it wasn't far now with less then 4/10th of a mile left to the summit, and a MUCH welcomed packed trail ahead.  With every step closer the clouds began to roll in.  The KRT from Hi-Cannon is a really easy hike to the summit.  Having not closely examined the map near the summit I assumed there would be the traditional up tick just before the summit which there was not so reaching the communications tower at the summit without a hard push to the top was a bit anti-climatic but none the less an achievement.  We ascended the tower to the viewing platform, for perhaps no other reason but it is the highest point on the summit and it just felt right.  You could just get a taste of the forecasted 100 mph winds above 5000 feet from the 4100 foot summit.  Elsewhere the route was well protected from the wind.  We stopped a multitude of times on the ascent for a break, to take pictures, and just to enjoy the views and features.  A few minutes on the summit and we were turning downhill for the trip back at about 12:30pm.

Zipping down the 4/10th back to the Hi-Cannon turn-off we snacked along the way rather then stopping for a food break.  Then, deciding it would be nice to see what the other route had to offer, we skipped the Hi-Cannon turn off and descended another 4/10th's on the KRT.  This section started with a fairly steep downhill and some fun butt sliding before moderating.  Then we turned left onto the Lonesome Lake Trail (LLT) which was clearly the prefered route for most as we saw a few groups on the KRT and a LOT of people on the LLT especially below Lonesome Lake.  Descending the LLT was definately the right choice as it is much more moderate then the Hi-Cannon trail with only a medium length steeper section and ending in a flat traverse over to Lonesome Lake.  We headed out on the lake to see the views and snap some pictures before continuing the journey downhill.  The trail below Lonesome Lake was even more moderate and well packed so we switched out the snowshoes for micro spikes to finish out the day the way we started.  We returned to the car just after 2pm making our return trip in under half the time of our ascent over a longer distance of 3.1 miles versus the 2.8 mile ascent.

The words really don't do to the journey justice... the great companionship, the warming sun on our face, the jubilation of being in the woods, the excitement coursing through our veins, the fantastic views, the interesting features, the snow covered trees with dripping icicles, post hike at the Woodstock Inn & Brewery... what a great day to be alive, and an even better way to live it.

The Stats: 2,350 vertical feet of climbing, 1,400 vertical feet breaking trail, 5.9 miles round trip, several amazing blue sky views, all in about 4 hours 45 minutes.

Jason Ensher & I took on Flume Mtn New Hampshire today (4,328 ft). Jason & Kathy's Fall Foliage visit provided a nice backdrop for sliding in another White Mountains adventure and of course a 4000 footer.

Knowing it was just Jason the "Colorado Power Lungs" and me who has been running more than typical this year we got a casual 10:30 am start from Newport.  We arrived at Lincoln Woods trail head a little after noon time.  After the ritual potty break, gearing up, and dubbing around with the trail fee we were off at about 12:45 pm.  We walked across the suspension bridge and were off jogging on Lincoln Woods trail.  Kept it going on Osseo trail as long as felt comfortable (~1 mile) and then walked and jogged on and off till we hit the steeps.  Like all the other 4000 footers I have hiked it is not a question of will it get steep, it is more how steep and for how long is this one going to be.  After teasing us for a while with grades just steep enough not to want to run, the trail turned uphill in earnest after about 3.5 miles in.  From here there was lots of steeps and sections of wooden stairs climbing over a 1000 vertical ft in less than 2/3 of a mile.  Near the top of this effort is your reward, a beautiful view into the Pemigewasset Wilderness to the northeast.  Trail moderates significantly shortly after the view and is near flat in places until the last ascent to the summit.  Not long after the trail turns uphill again is the junction with the Flume Slide Trail and the Franconia Ridge Trail and a short 15 minutes or so after we popped out on the lower flanks of the summit ledges.  What an amazing day to be here... blue skys, near flat wind, 75 degree temperatures, amazing views, great companionship... at this moment if you don't get that feeling of "this is what it is all about", then you truly are doing something wrong, quit hiking and take up needle point.

After soaking it in for a minute, it became clear there was an excellent photo op waiting to happen so Jason scurried up the last push to the true summit as I snapped a few and then joined him.  We picked a warm cozy spot on the rocks below the summit and commenced lunch.  After lunch we got another hiker to snap out picture.  He framed us oddly, I was thinking at the time, as this was not the shot we were thinking of.  Little did we know he was taking a great shot of his wife's butt for our future enjoyment!  Fortunately we talked him into the shot we were looking for afterward.

The descent was pretty uneventful going down the steeps, then we started to jog the less steep stuff.  As we jogged it started to seem MUCH longer going down then coming up with the running.  We must have jogged nearly a mile further on Osseo trail then we had coming up.  We were at least 10 minutes faster before 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile from Lincoln Woods Trail when I tripped over a root and jammed my left hand with full body weight HARD into some roots.  You know when you have that feeling, "do I really want to look at that", surely it's not going to be good.  Well after the endorphins kicked in, it was straight, and I could bend it, so you know it couldn't be too bad, right?  Ok Jason, we are not getting out of here by me wining about it so let's go.  Onward we jogged back to the suspension bridge for another photo op.  We skipped the traditional post hike Woodstock Brewery and headed straight home for dinner with Christina & Liam and ice for me finger. A week later I am pretty sure I cracked a bone in there somewhere as it is still very sensitive to any kind of pressure but it is getting a little stronger every day and if that is all I did then the day was SO worth it!

The Stats: 3,150 vertical feet of climbing, 11.2 miles round trip, ~6.25 miles jogging, amazing blue sky views, near zero wind, crazy 75 degree weather (for nearly Oct.), all in about 4 hours 15 minutes,... 1 fantastic day!