Owl's Head 6.8.11

[Pete Hogan]

A hoot of a hike! Nothing foul about Owl's Head!

With only four more 4000' mountains to climb in New Hampshire, a hiking friend and I decided to take on the longest hike first - sort of like eating your vegetables before anything else.

Owl's Head is a high mileage day hike (18 miles) with some "lung dusting" vertical (2850') – a good deal of it in the last mile up a steep, unstable, loose-rock slide. We also added a compass bushwhack "shortcut" to shorten the distance a bit that worked well inbound, but (by choice) not outbound.

We started at 7 AM and finished just before 7 PM, but our actual hiking time was a respectable 10 hours. Food, water and rest breaks were abbreviated when our motionless position was detected by swarming mosquitoes while black flies (airborne stealth mini-sharks) decided to take their pound of flesh while we were on the open slide and finding our way across the summit ridge. Pesky deer flies showed up to annoy us on our return, but by and large, were a minor nuisance. The June scourge of the mountains was manageable with full coverage clothing, an ample coating of repellent and a quicker-than-normal pace.

Other than the arduous overall distance and elevation gain, we thoroughly enjoyed the day that called us deep into the interior of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The rugged route and remote summit was enhanced by spectacular scenery; four major water crossings that turned out easy and nearly drip-less due to low water levels; a challenging slide climb and descent with great views; a beautiful botanical discovery of a White Lady Slipper; an interesting bushwhack and best of all, a wonderful day spent with a treasured hiking friend.

Our tired, sore feet, itchy bug bites, aching muscles and Deet-drenched clothing were no match for the feeling of accomplishment and elation of this day.

Here is a link to some of the photos of June 8, 2011.
As always, click on slideshow, then pause, and F11 if you want full screen viewing and the opportunity to appreciate the photos and captions at your own pace.

https://picasaweb.google.com/runswi...authkey=Gv1sRgCLDHm7D8uIiw_QE&feat=directlink

 

[nartreb]

"White mocassin" usually refers to Cypripedium candidum, a species not known to grow in New England. What you've photographed is a pale variation of Cypripedium acaule, the "pink" lady's slipper. The pale variation is pretty common in the Whites.

 

[TrishandAlex]

Lovely pictures. I'd forgotten how beautiful Black Pond can be; thanks for sharing.

 

[Pete Hogan]

Mistaken Identity

nartreb,

I stand corrected although it wasn't our determination on the identity of the White Lady Slipper. We took our description and photo to a staff member at the Pinkham Notch visitor center where he referred to it as a White Moccasin Plant.

Regardless, the flower was quite beautiful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I've always known then as Lady Slippers as well. Have seen a pink variety in the Pemi, too. Did a hike several years ago with erug, and up high, along a ridge, there were lots of yellow ones, which I'd never seen before - or since. What also surprised me with the yellow ones was that they seemed to live in a very thin soil, whereas in the Pemi they're found in deep & moist soils, rich in organic matter.

 

[nartreb]

Kevin, the yellow ones (C. parviflorum) are rare. Send me a PM about where you saw them (and what time of year), I'd love to find some.

 

[audrey]

The yellow ones are found on the thin sandy soils of places like Cape Cod. My parents once had a cottage in Plymouth and the property had several dozen plants.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Kevin, the yellow ones (C. parviflorum) are rare. Send me a PM about where you saw them (and what time of year), I'd love to find some.

Would be happy to, but would suggest you PM erugs instead. As I recall, the ridge is one of her favorite places, but I've only done it once. It was a hike we did as part of an AMC activity, and was the only time I've been there.

Am quite sure there were at least 3 or 4 places we saw them, and my recollection was they were mostly shortly after after we gained the ridge, in sunny areas, which jives with Audrey's description. They seemed to favor the opposite conditions where the white and pink varieties thrive.