Wednesday, September 2, 2015

67 in 67, Hike #14: North and South Kinsman, Lincoln, New Hampshire (summits #23-24)

Hike #25: North and South Kinsman
Elevation: 4,293 (North Kinsman); 4,358 (South Kinsman);         
Date: August 10, 2015
Location: Lincoln, NH
Distance: 10.0 miles
Time: 8:34 (51:24/mile)

We had a long-planned vacation week in mid-August, but no plans until the last minute. As part of filling out the week’s itinerary, we booked one of the final available rooms at the Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery, in North Woodstock, New Hampshire. We stayed here a couple years earlier, after an unexpected Memorial Weekend snowstorm and flooding left us cold and tired from hikes we tackled when our original plans were cancelled. We also experienced a recent teaser when we stopped here in late June for delicious pulled pork nachos after hiking nearby Mount Moosilauke. This place is great for accommodations, food, and award-winning craft beers, and is near several hikes on the list of New England 4,000-footers. So, somewhat spontaneously, we booked and headed up on a Sunday evening.

The night before our first hike, we settled in with camaraderie and good cheer at the bar. I resisted the desire to stuff my face with great food, reasoning that I could do so the next day and chalk it up as “refueling” after a tough hike. But the next morning, with the full breakfast included, it was easy to chow down before heading off.
Last time I was here was half a lifetime ago, with friends and
family. Now I'm back with someone who's both.
The hike up the Kinsmans started out easy, walking through a campground. I camped there many times as a kid, stayed a couple times in college with friends, and found it weird to walk through twenty years later. Memories resurfaced, and allowed a little sharing with Sara about scattered bits of my childhood, and a couple of memorable trips late in high school and college. Even the most recent trip was over half of a lifetime ago, but still feels as if it were only a year ago. But those thoughts were pushed aside because the first mile toward Lonesome Lake was the hardest in terms of incline and cardio effort, leaving me sweating like a stuck pig by the time we glimpsed the lake through the trees. We bypassed the AMC hut beyond the lake, not needing to resupply water this early in the hike.  
The stillness of Lonesome Lake served as a mirror to a picturesque sky.
On the other side, the trail devolved into a rougher, rockier, less worn trail, with some steps bolted into the rocks, until we emerged on the summit of North Kinsman. It’s wooded, so we weren’t sure we were even there at first. But with a short spur out to a rocky ledge, we found some incredible views. It was a great stop for some food and rest, and hard to leave. The walk up involved ongoing conversation, meandering between topics, but the view was breathtaking and we were silent for much of the break.
Stunning views on a secluded granite ledge provided a perfect spot for a lunch date.
Heading onward to South Kinsman, we resumed conversation until we reached the summit. We’ve both been so busy with work, so the opportunity to drift among topics also offered the chance to reconnect and share the less important stories and thoughts that didn’t get airtime before but allowed us to bond more fully. A cairn marked the high point, and was formed in the shape of a throne, allowing you to sit and take in a 360-degree view of the mountains over the intermittent scrub pines dotting the mountaintop. We would have lingered longer, had the flies not driven us off.
This is a picture of Sara sitting on "the throne".
What? Why are you giggling?
The rest of the hike involved retracing our steps. As we passed through the North Kinsman summit and began an ongoing descent, I realized my chronically hurting feet were holding up well. But my knee, occasionally gimpy, was beginning to flare up. I ignored it, as I had no choice. But as we continued dropping elevation, it continued worsening. This sort of straight ahead stepping down is the worst thing when it acts up, and eight miles into the hike I began having trouble walking.

The AMC "croo" improve these trails through backbreaking
labor... while wearing a vest and tie!
We passed an Appalachian Mountain Club “croo” who were breaking rocks, cutting logs, and creating some amazing trail improvements. The amount of effort these guys put into that work, and the energy it takes to improve each successive foot of the trail, is nuts. These guys clearly love what they do, and smiled appreciatively as we hiked by and expressed our appreciation for their work. I was limping before we ran across them but then felt obligated to do the man thing where I walk normally as pass them, not acknowledging the pain. But once out of sight I resumed my worsening limp, and by the time we hit the AMC hut I was out of water and struggling heavily.

Why do my kids think they're so cool when they
strike this pose, but Sara and Ted aren't?
I refilled my water bladder and rested as Sara tended to her broken blister. She and I reluctantly set out one last time to finish the hike out. We stopped chatting and bonding, as I began using my poles more as crutches, limping badly but persevering since no other option existed. For all the beauty, the conversations, and the adventure that bonded us over a challenging day, I ended the hike lost in my own bad space.

I recovered a little bit over a refreshing raspberry wheat beer and an unusual and deliciously salty Cubano sandwich. But I was nervous; my feet failed me for a year, were still affecting my choice of hikes for a second year, and now having the knee screaming in pain after our first day of hiking wasn’t good. Sara has been an avid hiker for years, and I chose to immerse myself in it a few years back partly as a way to bond with her and learn from her, not to become the anchor dragging down her ability to enjoy this activity. Frankly, this sucks. The big question for me was how I would rebound after some much-needed sleep. But I guess without a challenge, it wouldn’t be much of an adventure.


See you on the trail,
Jay Bell, AKA Rock Hopper

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