Mountain Wandering: Harrington Pond (Kinsman): 5/27/25

I'll introduce this lengthy report with a quote from my Ponds & Lakes of the White Mountains: "A mile south of South Kinsman Mountain the tangled ridgecrest parts to reveal a tiny pond wrapped in a boggy mat of shrubs and sedges. Karl P. Harrington, AMC trail trail-builder extraordinaire of the early 1900s, came upon his namesake pond while laying out the rugged Kinsman Ridge Trail in 1917. Now, as then, this little lakelet enjoys a picturesque setting amidst ragged ledges and twisted firs."

I hadn't been to remote and beautiful Harrington Pond since 2016, and with short relocations planned in the next year or so by the WMNF on the Reel Brook Trail and on the Kinsman Ridge Trail at the pond, it was time for a re-visit. Additional attractions for the hike would be enjoying the many cascades on Eliza Brook with a good flow of water, and seeking a unique view over the pond from the well-guarded cliffs on its north side.

The "official" parking area for Reel Brook Trail along the narrow, gravel Reel Brook Road is quite rough and rocky. A recent report that it had been greatly improved was not accurate. As usual, I parked in a smooth, level pulloff on the right, 0.2 mile back down the road (0.4 mile in from NH 116).

The lower two miles of Reel Brook Trail is mostly mellow and pleasant walking, with a few brook crossings mixed in. The volunteer adopter keeps this trail in tip-top shape.

At 1.4 miles the trail makes a powerline crossing where the footing is soggy. The grass was low this early in the season, but ticks are always a concern in these brushy places.

Beyond the powerline, there's a lovely trailside pool and cascade on Reel Brook.

There's an inviting broad ledge at the top of the cascade.

The planned relocation will bypass the first two of three closely-spaced crossings of Reel Brook. This is the third crossing.

As the trail climbs steadily away from the brook, there are several long sections with wet and rocky footing. In the past this old road was apparently bulldozed periodically to provide vehicle access to the powerline, and it has never recovered.

The upper section of Reel Brook Trail has easier grades along the broad ridgecrest. Here I saw perhaps the last Trout Lilies of the season.

On to the Kinsman Ridge Trail/Appalachian Trail.

The next half-mile is a series of meandering ups and downs through mossy conifer forest.

The trail re-crosses the powerline in the col between Mount Wolf and South Kinsman - the "original" Kinsman Notch. It's believed that Nathan Kinsman, the first settler in the town of Easton, may have come through this notch on the way to establishing his family homestead in 1782.

Cliffs on the north side of the notch.

Though compromised by the powerline, there are views to the SE here towards Mount Osceola, Scar Ridge, Loon Mountain, Sandwich Dome and Bog Pond. Eversource, the power company, is proposing to rebuild this transmission line in the near future, replacing the wooden poles with steel poles that will be 15 feet taller. This will require significant construction activity, including this spot on the AT. There will be much helicopter action. Project details are here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/whitemountain/projects/67011. This project has been granted a "categorical exclusion" by the USFS, which means no Environmental Assessment is required, and thus no public comment. According to the document, work is slated to begin this September.

Zoom on the west half of Bog Pond. Before the powerline was built in the 1950s, this high, remote plateau must have been one of the wildest areas in the Whites.

Beyond the powerline, the Kinsman Ridge Trail descends moderately into the Eliza Brook drainage.

There's a real sense of remoteness out here.

Eliza Brook Shelter, rebuilt by AMC in 2010, is in fine shape in its wonderfully secluded location.

There are four tent pads in addition to the shelter.

The trail crosses Eliza Brook by the shelter.

For 0.3 mile beyond the crossing, the trail follows an old logging road at a nice grade.

Then the trail drops down to follow the brook with occasional deviations away from it. It soon passes the first of multiple attractive cascades. My last trip through here was during a dry August with meager flow. The cascades were on full display on this day.

There are a few short rugged stretches along this section.

The cascade and pool theme is repeated often.

Were it closer to the road, this section of trail would be quite popular. Being 4 1/2 miles in, the cascades are less often visited except by thru-hikers, other backpackers, and peakbaggers doing the south to north traverse of the Kinsmans.

They keep on coming.

A strong flow here.

Nearly a sheer drop on this one.

Looking down at a flume-like formation.

Farther up the valley, the brook and trail level off, and the trail then crosses the stream to ascend steeply to Harrington Pond.

Recent bridging installed by the AMC trail crew.

The ascent to the pond is quite steep and rugged for a spell.

Mossy fir woods on the approach to the pond.

A hogback ledge.

A rocky portal at the top of the climb.

After tramping through the woods for 5 1/2 miles, it's exhilarating to break into the open atop this plateau at 3,390 ft., on a sunny day with puffy cumulus clouds.

The small open water area of the pond is surrounded by an extensive mat of bog vegetation. Many pitcher plants bloom out there in the summer. In his 1926 book, Walks & Climbs in the White Mountains, trail-builder Karl P. Harrington wrote, "It was to this little Harrington Pond that a frog piping his nightly serenade guided the writer through the dense darkness, when first a trail was roughly blazed along this hitherto inaccessible ridge."

Plank walkways protect the fragile vegetation and keep hikers' feet dry. However, at times the walkways are partly underwater, and the WMNF plans to re-route the trail through the woods to the east of the pond. Seen here is the high, scrubby, ledge-dotted ridge of South Kinsman rising towards the summit. The mile-long climb from here is very steep and rocky, noted as one of the most rugged sections of the AT in the Whites. There are fine views from ledges in the upper part.

One of my potential objectives for the day was to try and access a view over the pond from one of the cliffs along its north side. I knew the whacking would be thick and gnarly, and if I heard any calls or songs from a Bicknell's Thrush - an elusive and rare species that specializes in these dense subalpine forests - I would forego the mission so as not to disturb nesting activity.

All was quiet around the pond, so I headed into the thick of it.

This part was not going well.

I think I need to get up there.

It looks like there's a cliff down there.

There is, but there's no safe way to get out on it.

But with a bit of thrashing through the cripplebrush (an Adirondack term), I was able to obtain a standing view over the pond. It was worth the effort! Mount Wolf rises behind the next hump on the ridge, and Mount Moosilauke is seen to the right.

A nice distant view to the SE.

I took a half-hour break at a comfortable spot with a screened view through the trees. Thankfully, the bugs were on hiatus this day.

It was late in the afternoon, and I had a long hike out, but I wanted to see if I could get to the top of the larger cliffs just to the west. From my resting spot, I climbed steeply....