Mark
Member
Made it
I finally got around to bagging Owls Head a couple weekends back. It really isn't all that bad as long as you are mentally prepared for the long exit hike. I had all the bushwhack info ready to go, but since I was solo and making really good time on the established trails, I skipped the bushwhacks on the way in. I made it to the base of the slide in a little under 3 hours. Climbing the slide after a brisk 8-mile hike in was slower than expected, but soon I was at the "new" summit. I was hoping to change things up a little and return to the valley via the Brutus Bushwhack, but was not very confident on finding the route. On the summit, I came across a small group of hikers eating lunch. After a little discussion, I discovered one of the group was none other than Kevin Rooney, co-author of the infamous Brutus Bushwhack. They had ascended via the BB and were planning to return the same way. The group was kind enough to let me tag along. Good thing. I don't think I would have done as well without them.
I needed to filter water at Lincoln Brook, so their group took off to return via the Black Pond bushwhack. I stuck to the trails again on my way out. Just as I was coming to the intersection of the Black Pond and the Lincoln Woods trails, they popped out of the woods proving definitively that the bushwhack cuts down your mileage, but not your hiking time.
The exit hike was made a little more challenging due to the fact that it poured for about 2.5 hours from the base of the BB to Black Pond. The flat trails left us with lots of deep standing water to slog through. Weird, though - the parking lot was barely damp. There was no rain at all on the Kanc or in Lincoln. Oh well.
Thanks for all the tips and waypoints. I'm sure they will come in handy when I hit this trail in the winter. And thanks to Kevin Rooney et al for the bushwhack guidance and keeping me company for a chunk of the hike!
I finally got around to bagging Owls Head a couple weekends back. It really isn't all that bad as long as you are mentally prepared for the long exit hike. I had all the bushwhack info ready to go, but since I was solo and making really good time on the established trails, I skipped the bushwhacks on the way in. I made it to the base of the slide in a little under 3 hours. Climbing the slide after a brisk 8-mile hike in was slower than expected, but soon I was at the "new" summit. I was hoping to change things up a little and return to the valley via the Brutus Bushwhack, but was not very confident on finding the route. On the summit, I came across a small group of hikers eating lunch. After a little discussion, I discovered one of the group was none other than Kevin Rooney, co-author of the infamous Brutus Bushwhack. They had ascended via the BB and were planning to return the same way. The group was kind enough to let me tag along. Good thing. I don't think I would have done as well without them.
I needed to filter water at Lincoln Brook, so their group took off to return via the Black Pond bushwhack. I stuck to the trails again on my way out. Just as I was coming to the intersection of the Black Pond and the Lincoln Woods trails, they popped out of the woods proving definitively that the bushwhack cuts down your mileage, but not your hiking time.
The exit hike was made a little more challenging due to the fact that it poured for about 2.5 hours from the base of the BB to Black Pond. The flat trails left us with lots of deep standing water to slog through. Weird, though - the parking lot was barely damp. There was no rain at all on the Kanc or in Lincoln. Oh well.
Thanks for all the tips and waypoints. I'm sure they will come in handy when I hit this trail in the winter. And thanks to Kevin Rooney et al for the bushwhack guidance and keeping me company for a chunk of the hike!
