On Saturday August 17, 2024 I completed another double traverse project. The Kinsman Ridge Trail YoYo. Empowered by my effort at the Carter Moriah Range last month, I had to give this one a shot. Once again I have never seen a report of anyone doing this traverse twice in one day as an out & back.
I did this solo and unsupported, carrying all the day's food in my running vest (5 RX Bars, 2 bags of beef jerky, a bag of banana chips, and a bag of salted mixed nuts). I started with 2 liters of water in my camelbak bladder and a 700ml bottle filled with coconut water. I refilled my water at Eliza Brook both times that I passed it (once at mile 8 and again around mile 23). I also took some gross water from a small stream on the Cannonballs just in case I ran out, but thankfully didn't have to drink it.
My day started at the Beaver Brook Trail parking lot, across the street from the Kinsman Ridge trailhead. I crossed Route 112 and started my watch at 4:26am. Headlamp on, I hiked for over an hour in the dark, surrounded by dense fog. Hoping that there would be some daylight left by the time I was done.
I made it to Mt Wolf at 1h51m and kept moving onwards, the sky was getting brighter and my spirits were lifting. The temperature was perfect and remained that way throughout the day, the air was wet and humid with occasional bursts of rain. The whole length of the trail was wet and slippery and definitely slowed me down a bit.
At 3h15m I filled my water back to full capacity from the final crossing of Eliza Brook. I still had plenty of water but I knew I would need to take as much as I could, as there would be few opportunities to refill for the next 15 miles until returning to the same spot on Eliza Brook. Still feeling fresh, I began the ascent toward South Kinsman.
I reached the summit of South Kinsman at 4h4m and went over to North Kinsman, getting there at 4h22m. Being briefly up above treeline energized me even though I was entirely in the clouds. From there I descended to Kinsman Junction, diverging from the Appalachian Trail and moving toward the Cannonballs. Despite it having a somewhat bad reputation, I really enjoyed this section of trail. I reached the Northeast Cannonball at 5h21m, descended to Coppermine Col, and started the ascent to Cannon.
Reaching the Cannon summit tower at 5h50m, the vibes were different here. I had barely seen anyone all day and now the trails were full of tourists and more casual hikers. I descended Kinsman Ridge Trail to the Cannon Mountain hiker parking area, completing my first traverse in 6h31m. I was somewhat frustrated at my timing, considering the FKT for a single traverse is under 4 hours. But I had done good at conserving my energy. This was only my half way point. 15.7 miles in. 15.7 miles to go.
I took my shirt off at this point to avoid overheating on the ascent and kept it tied to my vest for the rest of the day. Handling the steep climb surprisingly well and amusing a few people as I passed them a second time, I summited Cannon again at 7h38m. Over to Northeast Cannonball at 8h5m. North Kinsman at 9h17m. South Kinsman at 9h38m. I was very zoned out during these sections, embracing the ups and downs and trying to move a bit faster when I could.
I was telling myself that after South Kinsman, the last 10ish miles would be easy. I was wrong. After a strong steep descent, I crossed Eliza Brook at 10h35m and filled up my water, which was pretty much gone at that point. Then began the most difficult part of my day. The area surrounding Mt Wolf (summitted at exactly 12h) really wore away at me. So many ups and downs both on the trail and in my head. My mindset kept flowing between having fun, embracing the suck, and being utterly hopeless, feeling like I was making no progress and it would never end. Music from my phone was the only thing keeping me sane at this point. The relentless trail did eventually end and I found myself back at Route 112 at 6:13pm. My total time was 13 hours 46 minutes.
Overall I felt satisfied with my effort. At one point I thought I could make it sub-13 hour, but sub-14 is good enough. These double traverses make for a great and challenging adventure. I love the unique absurdity of it all. More on the way.