Not going to happen anytime to soon as most of this Herd path lies within a Wilderness Area and would take an act of Congress to change it,
Since hiking became so popular within the past 20 years or so, at one time the Black Pond bushwhack and the Brutus bushwhack were more routes than anything. In time, and with enough repetitive use, paths became trails. But, the original reference stuck.
I agree, as I only like ascending and descending the Brutus Rooney route when the slide is covered with snow and/or ice.
True dat. But I do not think that Owls Head Path via the slide is an official trail either.
It's been a long time since I've used CalTopo, so I spent a few minutes with it looking at Owls Head. The Black Pond, and Brutus Bushwhack are clearly shown. The slide route is called Owls Head Path, and the slide itself is blue, and above the slide is red. Beyond the ridge it forks down to the Lincoln Brook Trail.
I don't think the slide trail is official, but it's actually on my AMC map now while the other common "bushwhacks" associated with Owl's Head are not.
Yes, the AMC has included Owls Head Path on its Franconia topo map since the 1969 edition of the guidebook, but the USFS has refused to recognize it, hence their great efforts to remove any markers at the base (cairns, etc) and the top (cairns, signs, etc). One year the USFS had a seasonal employee who spent hundreds of hours in the cairn removal effort, as their interpretation of the 1964 Wilderness Act is that cairns are non-conforming structures.
Ah yes, the Cairn Wars! That was a silly time. I think my brother-in-law made at least one replacement summit sign.
Descending into a view is one of the great joys of walking in the mountains. I make a lot of route decisions on Mt Desert Island knowing what descending views are available.
Yes I think many people confuse a "herd path" with a "bushwhack". To me a bushwhack involves a compass and use of terrain features, not following a worn tread. And nowadays, most herd paths have essentially become un-blazed trails.
So then who is responsible for naming the Brutus a “Bushwack” rather than a herd path? Maybe The Whites should take on The Daks verbiage and call them “Trailess Peaks” and avoid all The Who-ha!
Originally it was a bushwhack. It evolved as it became popular and the name stuck.
I had no idea
Maybe they should have just done it and not worried about naming it. Now we have a situation that could need an affirmation by government agencies with the powers to appropriately align these enigmas.This.
The naming is well described on this forum from when Brutus first led the route. The name has not changed even though the route is established. When do we change a name to reflect the change in reality? As a side note, when did the fishermans bushwhack fall out of favor? I looked for it at each possible end after hiking Owls Head, and did not see evidence.
If Brutus were alive and could talk, he probably would tell you that his namesake route on Owls Head was never intended to be a herd path or a trail, but was just an end to his means for being the first canine to complete the NH4s in winter. Brutus was the quintessential “hike your own hike” kind of dog. Brutus also knew when to back off, which I experienced with him, his human KRooney, and Cath Goodwin on one occasion during an attempt to summit Mount Tom in deep unconsolidated snow.
You're correct, Tom - it was a means to an end. I needed a route to keep him as safe as possible, and doing the slide in winter was simply not safe. And I remember the time I was with you, Cath and Brutus and we turned back on Tom. My records show it was March 10, 2005. I had just completed single-season round of the 4's in winter, and my legs were like rubber!
