Cannon is really special to me because I grew up skiing here every weekend for about ten years. The one family activity that we did on a regular basis growing up was skiing. Every Friday night we would pack up the car and go up to Cannon for the weekend. Some of my fondest childhood memories are on this mountain, and I consider it my home away from home!

Yesterday started off smoothly with Lucy and me out of the house and meeting friends early to start the hike. We geared up in the parking lot with Lucy’s backpack and cooling vest to prepare for the warm weather midday before starting up the mountain. The trail was a steady incline from the start and the weather was okay with the temperature around 65 and cloudy. Kinsman Ridge Trail was moderate with no real flat spots, but not too steep in the lower section.

The trail had many switchbacks across Kinsman glade, a steep and difficult backwoods trail adjacent to the path the tram takes to the top of the mountain. I was a little ambivalent looking at the trail with no snow, but I knew soon enough there will be more than enough fresh powder to ski on! I love summer, but the coming heat wave is making me miss the winter chill just a little bit. We kept pushing on without a break until we got to the first viewpoint. We stopped for a few moments just to give the dogs water and take a few photos, but we were still in the morning cloudcover so we kept moving.

Hoping that the clouds would blow over to reveal the beautiful view from the summit, we took a long break at the lodge. It was nice to sit for a little bit after the somewhat steep climb. We decided after about 45 minutes to go up to the summit, but it was still very cloudy up there. At this point we had to move on because the steep descent was sure to be bit tricky since Lucy isn’t the most agile dog.

As we started the descent, the fog blew over and the sun came out yielding beautiful views! Another long break was in order at the viewpoint because it was so nice out! The dogs took a quick nap which was much needed before continuing on. The descent was long and difficult especially for Lucy. Her nails are always very short because we walk on pavement so much, and the granite boulders filed them down until they bled making it necessary for me to put boots on her. She’s also very timid on rocky paths going downhill, so getting her down was a bit of a struggle. It was getting much warmer now that the sun was out, so that added another level of difficulty for the pups.

When we got back to the parking lot I think we were all relieved that the downhill part was over. I had forgotten my trekking poles so it made everything a little bit more difficult, and Lucy was fed up with the rocky descent. Overall this hike was a bit more challenging than the other ones we’ve done, but it was really great to be back at Cannon. The trail was pretty quiet and the views on the way down were amazing! It was a great day and a nice hike for both of us.

Cannon Mountain (4,080 ft) via. Kinsman Ridge Trail.