rocksnrolls
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After turning back on my first attempt at summiting Owl's Head back in October due to surprisingly icy conditions that we weren't geared up for
[trip report: http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?p=162627]
and having to cancel a 2nd attempt on the Saturday before Xmas due to a forcast of cold rain all day, I was finally able to gather up a group and return to this summit that hikers seem to either love or hate.
Starting from the Lincoln Woods trailhead (after a lovely visit to the warm restrooms
) at about 8am was myself, Magic and Ghostdog, Mad Townie and Dougeh. Shortly after passing the Osseo Tr junction we were joined by the energetic EarlyBird who I wasn't sure would be joining us.
The snow the night before had blanketed the land with a nice thick coating of white fluff and the hike out to Black Pond was leisurly and very easy. Dougeh took the lead on the bushwhack to get some compass practice in and I took up a position near the back with my own compass out to double check. The walk throught the open woods was sweet but a little slow. EarlyBird had her snowshoes on from the beginning but the rest of us were barebooting without trouble.
After a while we hit the edge of a frozen brook and followed it about 100 feet to where we came to the Lincoln Brook Tr. Good job Dougeh! This big crossing was well frozen over and we could see fresh tracks across it. We would later meet the three hikers that made those tracks who I read on trail conditions were Todd, Jen and their traildog Denali (great name for a traildog!). A short while after heading down the trail we were passed by a pair of guys who had followed behind us, enjoying our trail breaking through the bushwhack
As we hiked along the Lincoln Brook Tr it was obvious the Magic wasn't doing so hot. He was complaining of his foot problems and the pain was really holding him back. At the last brook crossing Magic decided he better turn back and Dougeh decided to return with him, not wanting him to have to hike out on his own.
The three remaining hikers made short work of the remaining hike to the slide. Let me just say how wonderful it was for the crossings to all be frozen over!
We broke for lunch at the base of the slide. It was then that EarlyBird realized she had dropped her thermos somewhere along the way. We looked for it on the way out but never spotted it. I'll let her chime in with a description of it in case someone might happen upon it later. I felt ready to go after enjoying my warm soup and cocoa that I had packed. It was my first time using my new thermoses and I think they made a big difference to my climb.
EarlyBird hadn't thought she would need her crampons so had left them behind. Well, the slide was very icy, and while the pair of guys who had followed us on the whack managed the climb with bare boots, EB was convinced to trade her Tubbs for Mad Townie's MSRs for the better traction they would provide her.
We carefully made our way up the slide, me in the lead, EB in the middle, and MT taking up the sweep position. Carefully was the key word on this climb! The snow here seemed about a foot deep with good ice floes under it. Anyone who's climbed this knows how very steep it is as well! We used alot of the nearby trees for hand grips. I was VERY glad to have someone elses tracks to follow at this point. At points as I looked ahead I was sure I would have had trouble choosing a route without them.
We enjoyed the views of the east side of the Franconia Ridge whenever we paused to rest (which was often!) and the gorgeous deep blue sky was a wonder to behold!
We had a brief chat with Todd and Jen at about the halfway point up the slide and they informed us of their trouble locating the new summit. The three of us had agreed we really wanted to get off the slide before sundown and seeing as how it had taken us 6 hours to get this far, we didn't have alot of time for hunting around. At our turnaround time we were just getting off the top of the slide, so we hurried along following the tracks to the old summit, snapped a few quick pictures, and turned around.
The two guys who barebooted had passed us near the top of the slide and I soon noticed that they had glisaded most of the way down. It's a good thing that we followed in our crampons and were able to churn up the snow in their wake so that it won't freeze into a luge run .
Again we took great care as we made our way down the slope. EarlyBird followed one set of tracks off to the right, into the trees, to avoid some of the worst of the ice. Very smart idea! I had badly needed a biobreak since about halfway up the slide, so once the descent eased, I hurried ahead to find a quiet spot further north and off the trail to relieve myself. Feeling better, I returned to the base of the slide were we all removed our traction and proceeded to bareboot back to the car.
It was quite dark by the time we got back to the bushwhack and the moon hadn't yet risen, so we had all put on our headlamps. The whack was a sinch in the dark thanks to the clear tracks we had layed on the way in. Turns out Magic, Dougeh, Todd, Jen and Denali had headed out that way as well, so it was as clear as any trail would have been.
By now we were all pretty tired so we took our time walking throught the woods. I had been leading the way for awhile when EarlyBird offered to take the lead. Soon after, I stepped in a deep mudhole, nearly losing a boot in the process . Icy cold water rushed into the boot and that foot was quite unhappy for the rest of the hike.
MT and I were really slowing down by the time we started the long boring slog out the Wilderness Tr. I was in autodrive mostly, feeling pretty out of it. EB still seemed to have quite a bit of energy left and her conversation was very helpful in keeping me going. I had been nervous about her joining us on this hike since she is new to VFTT, but I am very glad she came as she is a very strong hiker and alot of fun as well! I'm sure she will become a popular member on the site quickly.
As we struggled into the parking lot around 9:30pm we found that Dougeh had come back to check on us. Thanks Doug! It was good to get his report on Magic's condition as well. Also met Onestep and his two friends as they returned from the Bonds.
Well, I've gotta say this is the 2nd most tired I've been after a hike - only the Pound the Presis hike back in June was more draining. But with such cool people to hike with I will look back on the event with great fondness. All right, #47 is in the bag and now I just need to get to Carrigain for my patch!
By the way, the next day I stopped by the Mountain Wanderer to chat with Steve Smith and he says the old summit will be good enough in the eyes of the 4000 Footer Commitee until the herd path to the new summit becomes more clear. They don't want to require anyone to bushwhack to finish the 48. Good enough for me, too. Anyways, I hope to return to Owl's Head later this year on a multi-day backpack (via the Twins, Galehead, 13 Falls) and will try to hit the new summit then.
[trip report: http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?p=162627]
and having to cancel a 2nd attempt on the Saturday before Xmas due to a forcast of cold rain all day, I was finally able to gather up a group and return to this summit that hikers seem to either love or hate.
Starting from the Lincoln Woods trailhead (after a lovely visit to the warm restrooms
) at about 8am was myself, Magic and Ghostdog, Mad Townie and Dougeh. Shortly after passing the Osseo Tr junction we were joined by the energetic EarlyBird who I wasn't sure would be joining us.The snow the night before had blanketed the land with a nice thick coating of white fluff and the hike out to Black Pond was leisurly and very easy. Dougeh took the lead on the bushwhack to get some compass practice in and I took up a position near the back with my own compass out to double check. The walk throught the open woods was sweet but a little slow. EarlyBird had her snowshoes on from the beginning but the rest of us were barebooting without trouble.
After a while we hit the edge of a frozen brook and followed it about 100 feet to where we came to the Lincoln Brook Tr. Good job Dougeh! This big crossing was well frozen over and we could see fresh tracks across it. We would later meet the three hikers that made those tracks who I read on trail conditions were Todd, Jen and their traildog Denali (great name for a traildog!). A short while after heading down the trail we were passed by a pair of guys who had followed behind us, enjoying our trail breaking through the bushwhack
As we hiked along the Lincoln Brook Tr it was obvious the Magic wasn't doing so hot. He was complaining of his foot problems and the pain was really holding him back. At the last brook crossing Magic decided he better turn back and Dougeh decided to return with him, not wanting him to have to hike out on his own.
The three remaining hikers made short work of the remaining hike to the slide. Let me just say how wonderful it was for the crossings to all be frozen over!
We broke for lunch at the base of the slide. It was then that EarlyBird realized she had dropped her thermos somewhere along the way. We looked for it on the way out but never spotted it. I'll let her chime in with a description of it in case someone might happen upon it later. I felt ready to go after enjoying my warm soup and cocoa that I had packed. It was my first time using my new thermoses and I think they made a big difference to my climb.
EarlyBird hadn't thought she would need her crampons so had left them behind. Well, the slide was very icy, and while the pair of guys who had followed us on the whack managed the climb with bare boots, EB was convinced to trade her Tubbs for Mad Townie's MSRs for the better traction they would provide her.
We carefully made our way up the slide, me in the lead, EB in the middle, and MT taking up the sweep position. Carefully was the key word on this climb! The snow here seemed about a foot deep with good ice floes under it. Anyone who's climbed this knows how very steep it is as well! We used alot of the nearby trees for hand grips. I was VERY glad to have someone elses tracks to follow at this point. At points as I looked ahead I was sure I would have had trouble choosing a route without them.
We enjoyed the views of the east side of the Franconia Ridge whenever we paused to rest (which was often!) and the gorgeous deep blue sky was a wonder to behold!
We had a brief chat with Todd and Jen at about the halfway point up the slide and they informed us of their trouble locating the new summit. The three of us had agreed we really wanted to get off the slide before sundown and seeing as how it had taken us 6 hours to get this far, we didn't have alot of time for hunting around. At our turnaround time we were just getting off the top of the slide, so we hurried along following the tracks to the old summit, snapped a few quick pictures, and turned around.
The two guys who barebooted had passed us near the top of the slide and I soon noticed that they had glisaded most of the way down. It's a good thing that we followed in our crampons and were able to churn up the snow in their wake so that it won't freeze into a luge run
.Again we took great care as we made our way down the slope. EarlyBird followed one set of tracks off to the right, into the trees, to avoid some of the worst of the ice. Very smart idea! I had badly needed a biobreak since about halfway up the slide, so once the descent eased, I hurried ahead to find a quiet spot further north and off the trail to relieve myself. Feeling better, I returned to the base of the slide were we all removed our traction and proceeded to bareboot back to the car.
It was quite dark by the time we got back to the bushwhack and the moon hadn't yet risen, so we had all put on our headlamps. The whack was a sinch in the dark thanks to the clear tracks we had layed on the way in. Turns out Magic, Dougeh, Todd, Jen and Denali had headed out that way as well, so it was as clear as any trail would have been.
By now we were all pretty tired so we took our time walking throught the woods. I had been leading the way for awhile when EarlyBird offered to take the lead. Soon after, I stepped in a deep mudhole, nearly losing a boot in the process
. Icy cold water rushed into the boot and that foot was quite unhappy for the rest of the hike.MT and I were really slowing down by the time we started the long boring slog out the Wilderness Tr. I was in autodrive mostly, feeling pretty out of it. EB still seemed to have quite a bit of energy left and her conversation was very helpful in keeping me going. I had been nervous about her joining us on this hike since she is new to VFTT, but I am very glad she came as she is a very strong hiker and alot of fun as well! I'm sure she will become a popular member on the site quickly.
As we struggled into the parking lot around 9:30pm we found that Dougeh had come back to check on us. Thanks Doug! It was good to get his report on Magic's condition as well. Also met Onestep and his two friends as they returned from the Bonds.
Well, I've gotta say this is the 2nd most tired I've been after a hike - only the Pound the Presis hike back in June was more draining. But with such cool people to hike with I will look back on the event with great fondness. All right, #47 is in the bag and now I just need to get to Carrigain for my patch!
By the way, the next day I stopped by the Mountain Wanderer to chat with Steve Smith and he says the old summit will be good enough in the eyes of the 4000 Footer Commitee until the herd path to the new summit becomes more clear. They don't want to require anyone to bushwhack to finish the 48. Good enough for me, too. Anyways, I hope to return to Owl's Head later this year on a multi-day backpack (via the Twins, Galehead, 13 Falls) and will try to hit the new summit then.
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