Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch, slack or pack?

[illabelle]

A while back I was advised to slack the 16.3 mile section from Kinsman to Franconia because of some very steep climbs up S Kinsman. For us, 16 miles is a long day even on an easy trail. To manage 16 miles on a steep rocky beastly trail will require some preparation/conditioning. I expect we'll be doing this hike in August/Sept of 2020, so we have time to work on it, but that's still going to be a long long day.

There is the Eliza Brook Shelter about halfway in this section. If we backpack, we could stay there and break it up into two 8-mile days. But of course, we'd have to carry our full packs up that steep rocky beastly trail.

Seems like either way is going to be tough. Is one option clearly better?

[FreeGoldRush]

Slackpacking helps a bunch in NH and ME. It’s not just that it’s steep, but the rocks and boulders require deep knee bends. Going light sure is nice. I slackpacked that section.

If that’s a long section for you then just make a long day out of it. Start early. An hour or two before sunrise with a headlamp works well. Bring food. Take however many breaks you need. You’ll be passing hidden pond hut (I think that’s the name), so stop by and get soup and bread with some lemonade.

[Slo-go'en]

You’ll be passing hidden pond hut (I think that’s the name), so stop by and get soup and bread with some lemonade.

I believe you mean Lonesome Lake

[illabelle]

Slackpacking helps a bunch in NH and ME. It’s not just that it’s steep, but the rocks and boulders require deep knee bends. Going light sure is nice. I slackpacked that section.

If that’s a long section for you then just make a long day out of it. Start early. An hour or two before sunrise with a headlamp works well. Bring food. Take however many breaks you need. You’ll be passing hidden pond hut (I think that’s the name), so stop by and get soup and bread with some lemonade.

This really is tempting!

[Slo-go'en]

It's sort of a toss up. Do you want to do a 8 hour day or a 16 hour day? Chances are your not going to be moving much faster then 1 MPH on average and there are a lot of places to stop and take in the view.

If you did this in August, you can still go reasonably light for an overnight hike, probably not much more then a well prepared day hiker should carry (but often doesn't).

We start to see a significant reduction in daylight hours by early September although the hiking weather is typically better and there is less of a crowd. The middle of August can get real busy as everyone suddenly realizes summer is almost over and the kids go back to school soon.

[illabelle]

It's sort of a toss up. Do you want to do a 8 hour day or a 16 hour day? Chances are your not going to be moving much faster then 1 MPH on average and there are a lot of places to stop and take in the view.

If you did this in August, you can still go reasonably light for an overnight hike, probably not much more then a well prepared day hiker should carry (but often doesn't).

We start to see a significant reduction in daylight hours by early September although the hiking weather is typically better and there is less of a crowd. The middle of August can get real busy as everyone suddenly realizes summer is almost over and the kids go back to school soon.

Good point. If we slack, we'll still need to carry a lot of our gear, except tent and sleeping bags. We'd still need food and rain gear and warm clothes.

[peakbagger]

The issue with that section is not just South Kinsman its the cumulative effort. Lot of not so insignificant PUDS between the notch and Eliza Brook. Many thruhikers are accustomed to far longer daily mileage prior to Glencliff and Moosiluakee tends to get them in panic when they dont make the expected miles. They then think they can make it up on the stretch between Kinsman Notch and Franconia Notch and are sadly surprised. Unless you have a typical section hiker trying to get in 10 days of hiking in 7 days, split it up into 2 days with a stop at Eliza Brook. The problem with doing a long 16 miler one day is the next day its up Liberty and over Lafayette ridge another long day unless you spring for a stay at Greenleaf Hut. Otherwise its all the way to Garfield hut.

[illabelle]

The issue with that section is not just South Kinsman its the cumulative effort. Lot of not so insignificant PUDS between the notch and Eliza Brook. Many thruhikers are accustomed to far longer daily mileage prior to Glencliff and Moosiluakee tends to get them in panic when they dont make the expected miles. They then think they can make it up on the stretch between Kinsman Notch and Franconia Notch and are sadly surprised. Unless you have a typical section hiker trying to get in 10 days of hiking in 7 days, split it up into 2 days with a stop at Eliza Brook. The problem with doing a long 16 miler one day is the next day its up Liberty and over Lafayette ridge another long day unless you spring for a stay at Greenleaf Hut. Otherwise its all the way to Garfield hut.

In our case, we've already done the Whites (hut to hut). This trip is about filling in the gaps. It will start with the Wildcats (3 days) because we'll have a reservation at Carter Notch. With a rental car we'll have flexibility to do the Kinsmans (pack or slack) and 2 other slacks (1. Moosilauke 2. Mt W to Madison - taking the cog up to Mt W) in whatever order best responds to weather/weariness. So for example, we might do a 16-mile Kinsman slack and follow it up with the relatively easy slack from Mt W to Madison (and then down Valley Way).

[Slumgum]

We covered this section SOBO this past August on our thru hike, but camped in different locations than you are planning for. In my journal I remarked that after looking at our elevation maps, "The hard sections were more difficult than expected and the "easy" sections were WAY more difficult." Lots of mud and bogs as well as tough climbs/descents. We were carrying full packs. I can't imagine covering this ground in one day slacking or otherwise. We had rain and lots of fog, though. Weather can make a big difference.

[Decibel]

I've done that section camping out at Eliza Brook Shelter. It's a fairly new shelter and was a real nice spot to camp. South Kinsman is steep but I didn't find it that difficult. YMMV.

[Slo-go'en]

Washington to Madison and down the Valley way isn't an easy day either. Just hope your not fighting the wind, that can really wear you down.

Instead of the Cog, take the auto road hiker shuttle at 9 AM. It's only $20 as opposed to $75 for the Cog.

[Crushed Grapes]

Washington to Madison and down the Valley way isn't an easy day either. Just hope your not fighting the wind, that can really wear you down.

Lakes of the Clouds Hut to Osgood tentsite was without a doubt one of my hardest days on trail this trip. Mt. Madison is a cruel beast. To say I was humbled is an understatement...

[illabelle]

Lakes of the Clouds Hut to Osgood tentsite was without a doubt one of my hardest days on trail this trip. Mt. Madison is a cruel beast. To say I was humbled is an understatement...

The day we climbed Madison (SOBO) the winds were fierce! The croo at Madison Hut advised in the strongest terms that we NOT proceed to Lakes the next day because the forecast was no better, winds at 75 mph or more. So we slid down Valley Way, took a cab, and hauled our butts up Ammonusuc Ravine. Wow that thing was steep! And that, folks, is why we need to fill in the tiny little section between Lakes and Madison. Nice thing about this trip is that we have the flexibility to adjust the schedule a bit if weather is threatening. All I wanna do is finish the AT, I don't wanna die!

[Deacon]

Lakes of the Clouds Hut to Osgood tentsite was without a doubt one of my hardest days on trail this trip. Mt. Madison is a cruel beast. To say I was humbled is an understatement...

And once you get over Madison there’s that long stretch of walking over rock edges, kinda like walking on open floor joists. If not careful you can miss the top of the rock and catch your leg/foot.

Several of the people I hiked with really got banged up in that section. Bruised ribs, sprained ankles....


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[ldsailor]

I did that section last year. That climb out of Kinsman Notch is a little misleading. When I got to the Eliza Brook shelter, I said to myself, "That wasn't bad. I think I'll go for the next shelter." The next four miles going up a steep rocky climb took me almost six hours. Yes, I'm a slow, deliberate hiker and anyone out there can go faster than me, but that doesn't take away the fact that it's a tough climb. If I were you, I'd get the section past the Eliza Brook shelter out of the way and then stay at the Kinsman Pond shelter overnight. The next morning sleep in and get to the Lonesome Lake Hut just after their breakfast and have some free breakfast. I never stopped at a hut in the Whites where there wasn't leftovers from breakfast.

[Gambit McCrae]

A while back I was advised to slack the 16.3 mile section from Kinsman to Franconia because of some very steep climbs up S Kinsman. For us, 16 miles is a long day even on an easy trail. To manage 16 miles on a steep rocky beastly trail will require some preparation/conditioning. I expect we'll be doing this hike in August/Sept of 2020, so we have time to work on it, but that's still going to be a long long day.

There is the Eliza Brook Shelter about halfway in this section. If we backpack, we could stay there and break it up into two 8-mile days. But of course, we'd have to carry our full packs up that steep rocky beastly trail.

Seems like either way is going to be tough. Is one option clearly better?

I Did Hanover to Franconia starting sept 1st. I have to say I didnt really head the warnings i was givin and NH really broke me down. I am used to doing 20's no problem and up in NH I ate my humble pie at a hard 9 miles a day, every day. 6 days we did 54 miles. The last 2 days we did slack packing starting just south of Moosilauke all the way to Franconia and I will say, slack pack it. Even if you have to start before daylight to get up and over wolf early, it is worth it. I would rather do a long 16 mile day slacking rather then 2 8's with full pack.

The hiker hostel in north woodstock will shuttle you for free if you stay at their place, right off i93. But if you wanna start early, you would have to arrange the taxi in town to take you up there.

FYI We took the hiker hostel shuttle at around 7 i think. And we missed the free pickup by 10 minutes and we pushed hard all day to get there in time for the pickup. We started at 7:15am and ended in the pickup parking lot (1 mile off trail on flat bicycle path) at 6:55pm.

[Crushed Grapes]

I Did Hanover to Franconia starting sept 1st.

I passed you at some point then. I left Franconia Notch SOBO Sept 1st to head towards HF to finish my flip flop thru.

Going Southbound over the Kinsmans and Moosilauke if you have a full pack is the way to do it, IMO.

[Gambit McCrae]

I passed you at some point then. I left Franconia Notch SOBO Sept 1st to head towards HF to finish my flip flop thru.

Going Southbound over the Kinsmans and Moosilauke if you have a full pack is the way to do it, IMO.

I came down the north side of moos in a thunderstorm, not one of my smartest moves going over moos on a thunderstorm day...

[illabelle]

I came down the north side of moos in a thunderstorm, not one of my smartest moves going over moos on a thunderstorm day...

Glad you made it in one piece! We going SOBO over that beast, hit the steep stuff early in the day, then breathe a sigh of relief.

[steve_zavocki]

Last July, I slackpacked the Kinsmans. I was one of my best days ever on the trail. It took me 10 hours and I had to rush a bit at the end to meet my ride. You will need to factor in a 3/4 mile walk on the bike path back to the parking lot, this cannot be avoided without missing some of the AT.

I would say that if you aren't comfortable doing a 16 miler in easy terrain then you should definitely plan on not slacking, and staying at Eliza Brook. IMO, that is an gorgeous location and makes a good point to break up the trip. You can keep the weight down and just bring what you need for one night. The views from the Kinsmans are top notch. Don't miss the short side trail to a view off of North Kinsman. Be super careful if the rocks are wet heading down North Kinsman. You should determine your direction based on the weather if possible. For example, if the rain chance is higher on your second day, then head southbound.