BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 29, 2010: Owl’s Head
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Black Pond Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl’s Head Herd Path, Franconia Brook Trail
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Today we returned to the scene of the crime from last week to finish what we started at that time. Last week’s hike ran late and we skipped hiking Owl’s Head not wanting to descend the slide after darkness. Hiking Owl’s Head is an expensive proposition in terms of distance and elevation. This week’s hike will roughly equal the distance and elevation of last week’s but with only one summit.
We set off a little later than planned on the Wilderness Trail. The planned route was Wilderness Trail to Black Pond Trail to its end, then it’s roughly a one-mile bushwhack to Lincoln Brook Trail, and then the normal route to Owl’s Head via the Owl’s Head slide. Everything went generally as planned. We had terrific conditions for the day and found ourselves taking a leisurely approach to the hike to enjoy the day as much as we could.
On this hike through the Black Pond bushwhack we used a more westerly bearing of 335 degrees from the end of Black Pond Trail. This was a very nice improvement. From the end of the trail we climbed the slope to the west only enough to get above the muddy areas near the pond and then set off on 335 degrees. This course kept us a little higher and away from the wet areas. The wooded sections we passed through were open hardwoods and very pleasant. We cleared the final ridge and started down to Lincoln Brook Trail further west than on other hikes. We descended to the trail and found we were well over a half mile from the main crossing of Lincoln Brook. This very pleasant one-mile bushwhack saved approximately 1.5 miles on trails and two big stream crossings.
Once we hit Lincoln Brook Trail is a pleasant walk to the base of Owl’s Head slide. Along the way we found a few mud pits that were easy to get past and stay clean and dry. We reached the bottom of the slide, stopped for a quick refreshment, and started the climb. Evidently, there are quite a few people that have trouble locating the entry to the Owl’s Slide and herd path to the summit. At the Lincoln Brook Trail junction there are a couple cairns and logs arranged to clearly mark both sides of the herd path, this is in addition to the multiple trees that have been scarred with large arrows pointing the way.
We started into the climb and noticed the bottom half of the slide seemed to be much looser than it has been in the past. Probably this is only our imagination but the footing was poor on the initial part of the climb. As we gained elevation the views opened to Franconia Ridge. We had nearly no clouds at all and a light breeze. Toward the top of the slide our leisurely approach to the hike continued when we found a couple soft rocks where we could relax for a while and enjoy the day. Eventually we needed to get moving. The day was already too late to support the exit bushwhack to Franconia Falls. We completed the climb to the ridge and followed the herd path to the summit. I’m happy to see the herd path extension is becoming very well defined. There should be no problems finding the “new” summit. The herd path continues past the summit location to the viewpoint further north. We got our usual summit pictures, made the u-turn, and headed for Lincoln Woods via trails all the way.
Once we cleared Owl’s Head Slide and hit Lincoln Brook Trail we made a quick stop to filter some water for the hike out, plus I made a quart of Gatorade. From there we had a relatively quick hike on Lincoln Brook Trail (past both crossings with dry feet), Franconia Brook Trail, and Wilderness Trail. A little later than originally planned we reached Lincoln Woods, quickly packed, changed into some less-aromatic clothing, and hit the highway south.
We managed to find our way back to the truck which made it a successful hike. That one peak sure is expensive!
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Black Pond Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl’s Head Herd Path, Franconia Brook Trail
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Today we returned to the scene of the crime from last week to finish what we started at that time. Last week’s hike ran late and we skipped hiking Owl’s Head not wanting to descend the slide after darkness. Hiking Owl’s Head is an expensive proposition in terms of distance and elevation. This week’s hike will roughly equal the distance and elevation of last week’s but with only one summit.
We set off a little later than planned on the Wilderness Trail. The planned route was Wilderness Trail to Black Pond Trail to its end, then it’s roughly a one-mile bushwhack to Lincoln Brook Trail, and then the normal route to Owl’s Head via the Owl’s Head slide. Everything went generally as planned. We had terrific conditions for the day and found ourselves taking a leisurely approach to the hike to enjoy the day as much as we could.
On this hike through the Black Pond bushwhack we used a more westerly bearing of 335 degrees from the end of Black Pond Trail. This was a very nice improvement. From the end of the trail we climbed the slope to the west only enough to get above the muddy areas near the pond and then set off on 335 degrees. This course kept us a little higher and away from the wet areas. The wooded sections we passed through were open hardwoods and very pleasant. We cleared the final ridge and started down to Lincoln Brook Trail further west than on other hikes. We descended to the trail and found we were well over a half mile from the main crossing of Lincoln Brook. This very pleasant one-mile bushwhack saved approximately 1.5 miles on trails and two big stream crossings.
Once we hit Lincoln Brook Trail is a pleasant walk to the base of Owl’s Head slide. Along the way we found a few mud pits that were easy to get past and stay clean and dry. We reached the bottom of the slide, stopped for a quick refreshment, and started the climb. Evidently, there are quite a few people that have trouble locating the entry to the Owl’s Slide and herd path to the summit. At the Lincoln Brook Trail junction there are a couple cairns and logs arranged to clearly mark both sides of the herd path, this is in addition to the multiple trees that have been scarred with large arrows pointing the way.
We started into the climb and noticed the bottom half of the slide seemed to be much looser than it has been in the past. Probably this is only our imagination but the footing was poor on the initial part of the climb. As we gained elevation the views opened to Franconia Ridge. We had nearly no clouds at all and a light breeze. Toward the top of the slide our leisurely approach to the hike continued when we found a couple soft rocks where we could relax for a while and enjoy the day. Eventually we needed to get moving. The day was already too late to support the exit bushwhack to Franconia Falls. We completed the climb to the ridge and followed the herd path to the summit. I’m happy to see the herd path extension is becoming very well defined. There should be no problems finding the “new” summit. The herd path continues past the summit location to the viewpoint further north. We got our usual summit pictures, made the u-turn, and headed for Lincoln Woods via trails all the way.
Once we cleared Owl’s Head Slide and hit Lincoln Brook Trail we made a quick stop to filter some water for the hike out, plus I made a quart of Gatorade. From there we had a relatively quick hike on Lincoln Brook Trail (past both crossings with dry feet), Franconia Brook Trail, and Wilderness Trail. A little later than originally planned we reached Lincoln Woods, quickly packed, changed into some less-aromatic clothing, and hit the highway south.
We managed to find our way back to the truck which made it a successful hike. That one peak sure is expensive!
Pictures will follow.
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