Cannon

I couldn’t find a human hiking partner for today so I decided to do something nearby and short, and brought Foster the mountain dog with me up Cannon Mountain. I parked at the Cannon Mountain Ski Area and hiked up the Kinsman Ridge Trail for two miles to the summit at 4100′. I wore spikes the whole time as the trail was packed down well. It was a very gray day and there were no views at all. It was steep going up right from the beginning, so I hoped to be able to glissade down quite a bit of the mountain, but on the way down I ended up only doing a few small sections as the parts steep enough for sliding were relatively short.

It started snowing halfway up the trail and when we got above treeline, there was some sleet mixed in too. The wind was strong enough, maybe 40 mph, that I had to add a few layers, including my face mask, because that sleet stung. It also whipped a pack strap into my eye which made me slightly blind for a few minutes. Goggles would have been great to wear today, and I’ve ordered some, but unfortunately, they have not arrived yet. Hopefully I’ll get them this week.

There were only a few really exposed stretches of trail. Foster loved the wildness of the wind and got even more excited up there. We explored the observation tower at the top for a few minutes before heading back down. He’s a great trail dog.

The trailhead

Snow dog

Getting closer to treeline

Look at that view

“If you love someone tell them
Most importantly, stay close to your friends
Let it make a difference in your day and theirs” – Jerry Warlop

One of the more exposed areas

Observation tower at the top

Summit photo

Just a little windy

Heading back down

One tired puppy