KINSMAN NOTCH

AT Day 125: Thursday,  August 10, 2023

SOBO Mile 1825 – 1808.8

Interstate  93 – Kinsman Notch

Distance Hiked – 16.2 miles/26.1 km

Total Distance Hiked: 2034.6 miles/3274 km 

Heavy rain fell through the night. I woke early and prayed that the rain had stopped. Heavy fog hung low over the town as we were packing to leave. Jen from the Ski Club dropped us off dropped us off at the Flume visitor center car park where a one mile long side trail connects to the AT.  We were back on trail at 6:30. The morning was warm and sunny. No rain is predicted till later in the day. 

The trail passed under the freeway and ascended gradually with nothing too steep or rocky in the early sections.  On the way to Lonesome Lake we crossed Cascade Brook three times. We kept our feet dry on the first crossing and on the second Hammer tried to do a dry foot crossing but it was so precarious I couldn’t bear to watch. I crossed in wet feet so the new shoes have been christened in a tanin rich mountain stream. Hammer nailed the landing on the rocks and crossed in dry feet. 

Lonesome Lake looked amazing in the morning sunshine. The trail passed on a beautifully constructed boardwalk right by the lake. It looked absolutely glorious, what a wonderful spot for the guest of the nearby AMC Lonesome Lake Hut. From Lonesome Lake  to Kinsman Pond was a very steep rocky ascent. I had a bit of an accident when my left leg slipped through a crack between two rocks – scraping the front of my left leg and I’ve got a massive haematoma on my shinbone. I was  very lucky not to break a bone. 

We ascended two 4K peaks of the Kinsman mountain.  The summit of South Kinsman Mountain had great views although today the distant vistas were shrouded in a white haze.  A two mile  descent from South Peak Kinsman was very slow going with rocky ledges and steep bouldering. 

We had hoped to make the 4.30 shuttle to The Notch. But as the afternoon progresses it became obvious that we would be late. So we organized for a shuttle driver to pick us up. 

In the afternoon we were passed by a runner @kristianultra who was aiming to set the SOBO FKT on the AT. We wished him well and took note of his name so we can follow his run. He was on Day 10 and will be done with New Hampshire tomorrow.

Before reaching the road the light in the woods ominously darkened. I knew what this meant, rain. A huge downpour soon followed. Thankfully it  lasted about 30 minutes.

We made it to Beaver Brook Trailhead on Rt 112 after 5pm and waited 20  minutes for the shuttle driver to arrive. Hammer was disappointed with the time it took to hike this section despite our efforts today. Almost everyone we saw today was slackpacking this section.

We were pleased that our booking at the Notch didn’t go to waste. It was a very cozy, clean and welcoming space. We didn’t arrive in time to go town to get some dinner so we ended up buying a frozen pizza and ice cream from the Notch store. With hunger almost satisfied we went to sleep in a warm and luxuriously comfortable  bed.