With a late morning start, I chose a shorter trip to a small slide I had not been to before, hidden on the SE slope of the Middle Cannon Ball, a half-mile NW of Lonesome Lake. The bushwhack was a mixed bag - the woods were wonderfully open, but in the wake of the recent heavy rain the snow conditions were rather abysmal. The reward for finding the slide was an excellent view of snowy, sunlit Franconia Ridge.
The Lonesome Lake Trail had an inch or so of fresh powder atop a hard icy base, calling for 'spikes. I'm always glad to put the grinding switchback climb behind me and reach the high plateau that cradles Lonesome Lake.
The classic view of the Kinsmans from the east shore. After the rain, hikers were wisely refraining from crossing the ice on the lake.
View of the Northeast Cannon Ball (R) and the Middle Cannon Ball (L). The slide is tucked into the broad basin between them.
From the bridge over the pond's outlet, a view of Coppermine Col between the Northeast Cannon Ball and the bulky south ridge of Cannon Mountain.
Looking from the SW shore, below the AMC's Lonesome Lake Hut, I could see that the peaks of Franconia Ridge were enshrouded.
I launched my bushwhack from the Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail to the north of the hut. I quickly discovered that the previous week's delightful powder snow had been transformed into a crusty, mealy mass that made for awkward, tiring snowshoeing.
But the woods! A bushwhacker's dream of open "salt and pepper" forest.
Every recent bushwhack has included crossing tracks with a bear, in this case a postholing bruin.
Could the woods really stay this open?
Yup!
The sun peeks through the coniferous canopy.
Still open as I approach the slide.
Winding up a steeper slope.
Breaking out onto the lower of two remaining open patches on this partly revegetated slide, I was greeted by this.
The snow was deep here, with a number of spruce traps lying in wait.
One of four stunted white pines I found on this small, low-angle slide, which fell sometime between 1964 (not visible in an aerial photo) and 1986 (prominently seen in an aerial photo). As always, I wondered how these lower elevation outsiders arrived in a sea of spruce and fir at 3100 ft. This one looked rather forlorn.
Heading up along a mounded, spruce-grown section of the slide.
A little wider view here, with the summit of Mount Lafayette peeking out on the left. There was a noisy flock of robins in the area, presumably feeding on mountain ash berries.
This looked too miserable ahead, so I ducked back into the forest.
Still pretty open on this steep slope.
Emerging on the upper open patch.
Following old tracks from a bear or moose, I made an angling ascent of this patch.
Top of the slide.
Wow!
Wider view. On the far right I had a glimpse of the top of the slide I had visited the previous week in a valley between Little Haystack and Mount Liberty.
Franconia Ridge in its afternoon glory.
Following my tracks back down from the slide - a benefit of winter whacking.
Golden hour at Lonesome Lake.
No comments:
Post a Comment