Thursday, October 2, 2014



KINSMAN NOTCH FOLIAGE: 9/29/14

On one of several gorgeous sunny mornings with near-peak foliage on display, I spent a couple of hours taking in the colors in hardwood-rich Kinsman Notch. First I made a short, steep bushwhack to a cliff on a low spur of Mt. Waternomee that I had spotted earlier this year from Route 112. Most of the whack was through a colorful hardwood and birch forest.


This boulder has a healthy fern cap.


After a bit of searching I found the wild cliffs I was looking for.


They offered a nice view down the Lost River valley.


Looking down on Route 112.



Distant views included the Hancocks...


...and Middle & South Tripyramids and West Sleeper through Thornton Gap.


Looking down the face of the cliff - or is it an old slide?


There was also a neat view across the valley to the Monkey Cliffs on a spur of Kinsman Ridge.




John "1HappyHiker" Compton and I spent some time atop that big slab a few weeks ago.


A hint of a profile.


From an opening in the spruces behind the cliffs I could peer into the heart of Kinsman Notch.


All of the several brookbeds I crossed on this bushwhack were bone-dry.


Afterwards I drove up to Beaver Pond to enjoy the marvelous colors.



The impressive buttress where early 1900s logging boss Jakey McGraw had the logs lowered by cable down the steep slopes. I've been wondering if it would be possible to get out to the edge of the uppermost cliff for a down-look...


4 comments:

  1. Nice little hike Steve. So are there any ledges left in Kinsman Notch you haven't visited yet? ;-) When I'm up north during foliage, a drive through Kinsman Notch is always a must. It's seems to be pretty reliable for great color. Especially around Beaver Pond.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Joe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joe - this ledge stands out when you drive up 112 at the base of the big climb to Lost River. I agree, this is one of the best areas for foliage with all the hardwoods.

      Steve

      Delete
  2. Another good adventure and nice pictures, Steve. I was in this area this week too. I did a Kinsman Ridge hike, but first I stopped at Beaver Pond to take some pictures because the colors were so beautiful. I think Kinsman Notch had the best foliage of the areas that I saw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, BC. Hope you had a good hike on Kinsman Ridge. Beaver Pond really was beautiful last week.

      Steve

      Delete