RoySwkr
New member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2003
- Messages
- 4,467
- Reaction score
- 285
As I grudgingly put my fee in the trailhead canister, I rationalized that this is one trailhead where the Forest Service has spent a lot of money (anyone else remember the tiny lot across the bridge?) and that on a hourly basis the parking fee today was a bargain. There was a thin coat of ice on the suspension bridge "Bridge freezes before road surface." About an hour up the trail I met an older gent who had already been to the Franconia Brook bridge and was headed out. He had lived in Lincoln 60 years and never taken the train into Lincoln Woods but some of his friends had. Surprisingly, that was the only hiker I met all day.
I turned onto Black Pond Trail and soon reached my first objective: a view of the S end of Owls Head. Once again, it appeared to me that this name better fit the rounded cliffy bump at the S end of the ridge than the pointy bump higher up. The only place to see the cliffy bump is right where the trail first reaches the narrow end of the pond - at the main pond it is hidden by trees which have all grown back since the peak was named.
I continued on the old road past the pond with one set of previous tracks in the mud, eventually the herd path petered out and I was bushwhacking. There were plenty of damp spots but nothing very thick. I hit Lincoln Brook maybe .2 miles E of the trail crossing and followed the herd path along the bank up to it - maybe next time I'll get my compass out of my pack instead of just walking in that general direction.
I stopped for a rest somewhere after crossing the brook coming down from Mt Flume, and when I got up I realized I had found the second item I was looking for. The route now followed by the Lincoln Brook Trail is too steep for trains, so to log the W side of Owls Head and the E side of Liberty they built a long spur line starting near Redrock Brook and ascending along the E & S sides of Owls Head to wrap around to the W - really impressive on a logging railroad map. It crossed Lincoln Brook on a long-gone high trestle and then split, with one branch heading toward Mt Liberty and another turning up Lincoln Brook. The Lincoln Brook Trail now follows the old railroad line from here, which is wider and less steep than the previous trail and even has some old ties. After the crossing of Lincoln Brook, the trail climbs steeply away from the RR to avoid a wet spot and I wasn't sure whether it eventually returned to the RR or just a haul road. Further investigation would have to wait for an historian who didn't have a peak to climb.
The bottom of the slide was not as obvious as I remembered but there were 2 cairns to mark it as well as 2 arrows carved into trees - the Forest Service campaign to hide this trail simply isn't working. More cairns marked routes up the slide. The path from the top of the slide is growing in with a few deadfalls but still is in better condition than many maintained trails. Someone had said they found bolts in a birch tree from the sign marking the original summit of Owls Head in the 1950's, but all the trees remaining on the bump I climbed were softwoods and I didn't find any bolt holes. At the traditional Underhill summit there was a cairn built on a fireplace and 3 bolts sticking out of a tree.
Several herd paths led on from this point and by following a combination of them I reached the higher 4025 summit with cairn and sign. Unfortunately I didn't find the good view of the Franconia Range I remembered from winter although it could be seen through the trees. I continued N to another distinct bump just in case the summit moves again, then headed E down the long slope toward Franconia Brook. This route is much more pleasant in winter when many of the rocks are buried and you can slide most of the way. There is a wide flattish area before crossing the brook and reaching the Franconia Brook Trail, and somewhere I must have crossed the other end of the long RR spur but didn't recognize it among other old roads and dry riverbeds.
I made my best time of the day from Hellgate Brook to the Pemi down the old railroad grade, and scrambled across the East Branch just at dusk. The campsite was deserted, and walking out on the road was so easy that I never bothered to get out a light.
I turned onto Black Pond Trail and soon reached my first objective: a view of the S end of Owls Head. Once again, it appeared to me that this name better fit the rounded cliffy bump at the S end of the ridge than the pointy bump higher up. The only place to see the cliffy bump is right where the trail first reaches the narrow end of the pond - at the main pond it is hidden by trees which have all grown back since the peak was named.
I continued on the old road past the pond with one set of previous tracks in the mud, eventually the herd path petered out and I was bushwhacking. There were plenty of damp spots but nothing very thick. I hit Lincoln Brook maybe .2 miles E of the trail crossing and followed the herd path along the bank up to it - maybe next time I'll get my compass out of my pack instead of just walking in that general direction.
I stopped for a rest somewhere after crossing the brook coming down from Mt Flume, and when I got up I realized I had found the second item I was looking for. The route now followed by the Lincoln Brook Trail is too steep for trains, so to log the W side of Owls Head and the E side of Liberty they built a long spur line starting near Redrock Brook and ascending along the E & S sides of Owls Head to wrap around to the W - really impressive on a logging railroad map. It crossed Lincoln Brook on a long-gone high trestle and then split, with one branch heading toward Mt Liberty and another turning up Lincoln Brook. The Lincoln Brook Trail now follows the old railroad line from here, which is wider and less steep than the previous trail and even has some old ties. After the crossing of Lincoln Brook, the trail climbs steeply away from the RR to avoid a wet spot and I wasn't sure whether it eventually returned to the RR or just a haul road. Further investigation would have to wait for an historian who didn't have a peak to climb.
The bottom of the slide was not as obvious as I remembered but there were 2 cairns to mark it as well as 2 arrows carved into trees - the Forest Service campaign to hide this trail simply isn't working. More cairns marked routes up the slide. The path from the top of the slide is growing in with a few deadfalls but still is in better condition than many maintained trails. Someone had said they found bolts in a birch tree from the sign marking the original summit of Owls Head in the 1950's, but all the trees remaining on the bump I climbed were softwoods and I didn't find any bolt holes. At the traditional Underhill summit there was a cairn built on a fireplace and 3 bolts sticking out of a tree.
Several herd paths led on from this point and by following a combination of them I reached the higher 4025 summit with cairn and sign. Unfortunately I didn't find the good view of the Franconia Range I remembered from winter although it could be seen through the trees. I continued N to another distinct bump just in case the summit moves again, then headed E down the long slope toward Franconia Brook. This route is much more pleasant in winter when many of the rocks are buried and you can slide most of the way. There is a wide flattish area before crossing the brook and reaching the Franconia Brook Trail, and somewhere I must have crossed the other end of the long RR spur but didn't recognize it among other old roads and dry riverbeds.
I made my best time of the day from Hellgate Brook to the Pemi down the old railroad grade, and scrambled across the East Branch just at dusk. The campsite was deserted, and walking out on the road was so easy that I never bothered to get out a light.
It would be a good idea for GPS owners to have this info which can be scaled off the Topozone.com map if it can't be obtained online, then you would worry less about missing the turn.
