Ascent of Cannon Mountain on 2007-12-30| Others in Party: | solo
| | Date: | Sunday, December 30, 2007 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Cannon Mountain | | Location: | USA-New Hampshire | | Elevation: | 4080 ft / 1243 m |
Ascent Trip ReportHad breakfast at Peg's before heading to the very crowded Lafayette Campground parking lot. Started out on the Lonesome Lake tr which was well-traveled but not crowded. Some parts were moderately steep but not daunting. I had initially debated heading west on the Kinsman Ridge tr toward the NE Cannonball as a 2nd peak but at the trail jct found that the route toward the Cannonballs was unbroken and looked very steep for a hiker without poles. Unfortunate, as the map seemed to indicate that my goal was less than a half mile away.
I found the K. R. tr east to Cannon to be much more troublesome than the Lonesome Lake tr; pulling myself up by digging into the snow with my gloves was a common theme and a thorough exercise in humility. The Hi-Cannon tr was an option for descent, but a review of the WMG and a trio of bare-booters who came up that way convinced me otherwise.
I reached the summit lookout tower after averaging *1 mph* for the ascent. My bruised ego was renewed somewhat by comments from folks at the tower/summit ski lodge who had taken the lift or tramway up. I stayed at the lodge for a full hour (hot cocoa, pretzel) fully warming up before heading out again.
The constant foot traffic had turned the Kinsman Ridge tr into a virtual luge, making my butt-sliding (the only option) descent a bit more guided and sparing me from flying over a drop on a few occasions. Fun, despite the quantity of snow shoved up the back of my shirt.
I took a detour to the Lonesome Lake hut but found it to be crowded and somewhat cold, so I signed in on the register and headed back to the car. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 2310 ft / 704 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 2310 ft / 704 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 6.8 mi / 10.9 km | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail, Snow on Ground, Snow Climb | | Gear Used: | Snowshoes | | Weather: | Pleasant, Calm, Partly Cloudy | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 2310 ft / 704 m | | Distance: | 3.1 mi / 5 km | | Route: | Lonesome lake tr to Kinsman Ridge tr | | Start Trailhead: | Lafayette Place Campground 1770 ft / 539 m | | Time: | 2 Hours 30 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Loss on way out: | 2310 ft / 704 m | | Distance: | 3.7 mi / 5.9 km | | Route: | Kinsman Ridge tr to Lonesome Lake tr to Around Lon | | End Trailhead: | Lafayette Place Campground 1770 ft / 539 m | | Time: | 1 Hours 35 Minutes |
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