Day 146 – Kinsman Notch to Kinsman Pond Shelter 

“Who’s tripping down the streets of the city

Smilin’ at everybody she sees

Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment

Everyone knows it’s Windy “ – The Association 

Up at 6:00. Had coffee and donuts, then packed and headed to the trail at 7:00 via a shuttle from the hostel. On trail at 7:25.

I got a new pair of convertible hiking pants in PA in July (thanks, Dana). I dropped the size from 36 to 30. They fit great….until recently. They are falling off me now, so I improvised a belt with a length of paracord I found in the hiker box at the hostel. Works great!

Clouds and light drizzle turning partly sunny, 51 going up to mid-60s.

So much for the sunny and warm forecast. I’m wearing rain gloves and a rain coat. Hope this clears up. The rain will make the rocks very slippery. Welcome to the Whites:(

Steep 1-mile climb with almost a 1000-foot per mile grade to start the morning. First summit of the day will be Mount Wolf at 4.6 miles. Curious to see how long it takes to do that section.

Stopped for a break at 10:35 and 5 miles in. Very rugged trail. Getting technical in places. From what others told me, this gets worse later today when I ascend South Kinsman Mountain. Rain and fog cleared off about 10:00. Breezy and cool, but mostly blue sky. 

Got 2.5 miles to Eliza Brook Shelter where I’ll take a break. Then 6.6 miles to Kinsman Pond Shelter. I’m guessing 4-5:00. I’ll be curious to see what pace I can average today.

Reached the Eliza Brook campsite at 12:20. Stopped for a snack. I have the big 2.5-mile ascent up South Kinsman Mountain (833ft/mile), then 1.6 more miles to Kinsman Pond Shelter.  My pace so far averages 1.5 miles per hour. Back on the trail at 12:35.

Hiked along a series of small waterfalls for a mile.

Crossed a stretch of bog boards next to a bog. 

Then I got a view of what I have to climb next. Gulp!

The last 1.5 miles up South Kinsman was brutal. Steep and more rock climbing than hiking. I’m talking about using both feet to lever your way up between rock faces, wedging hands and feet into cracks between rocks, and pulling yourself up. I made under 1 mile per hour in that stretch. This is part of why a lot of days in the Whites mileage is in the single digits. I gotta say, I’m in really good shape now, carrying 35 pounds less weight, and I am a lot more flexible than I was 5 months ago. All that helps tremendously. Also, very happy that I have brand-new shoes and new tips on my trekking poles for this!

Summited South Kinsman (4333 feet) at 2:40.

YouTube video from South Kinsman 

That is on tap for early next week.

Summited North Kinsman (4268 feet) at 3:40.

Arrived at Kinsman Pond campsite at 4:10 and set up a tent on a shared tent platform. Just as I was finishing, a couple showed up and used the other half of the platform. It’s a fall weekend, and there are a LOT of weekend campers here. 

I paid for my 10-day AMC temporary membership with the camp caretaker for $10. All tent sites only cost me $5 after this, and I can get a members discount for 10 days. That’s a big deal given that I do plan to use AMC huts at least twice. Also, it gets me some free snacks at AMC huts.

Had an early dinner at 5:45, then settled into my quilt to keep warm. Thank god I got my 20-degree quilt back! It’s cold and windy at these elevations.

Overall, a good day. Second hardest climb of the AT so far, next to Lehigh Gap, and I did it fairly easily. Amazing views from both 4000-footers. And another day of good weather at altitude in the Whites. 

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts: 560
• Oreos: 160
• Zero-sugar sausage: 240
• Oreos: 160
• Snickers: 250
• Tuna: 190
• Ramen: 370
• Mini donuts: 280
• Pepperoni: 150
• Fritos: 600
• Water: 1.7
• Miles: 11.6
• Time: 8
• Elevation gain: 4554
• Calories consumed: 3200
• Calories burned: 6500