BIGEarl
Well-known member
March 30, 2012: Owl’s Head
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Black Pond Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Brutus Bushwhack, Owl’s Head Herd Path
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Sandy Price, Steve Moore, Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
We all met at Lincoln Woods with a fresh layer of overnight snow. At the trailhead we found a little over one inch but it increased to possibly a little over two inches in the course of the hike.
Our planned approach to the hike was the usual Black Pond Bushwhack and Owl’s Head Slide going in and the Brutus Bushwhack and Franconia Falls Bushwhack on the way back out. The main reason for heading to Franconia Falls was to enjoy the high-water show, but to our surprise the water wasn’t high.
We headed out Wilderness Trail for a mild warm-up on the way to Black Pond Trail. The sky was still completely overcast but clearing was predicted early. By the time we reached Black Pond the sky was generally cleared and we started to enjoy a bright but cool day, a little windy too. A short distance before the end of Black Pond Trail we left the trail and climbed the slope away from the pond, swamp, and mud to start our first bushwhack for the day.
This time through we set off on a 340 degree magnetic bearing. This should bring us to the large sweeping turn on Lincoln Brook Trail. With the clear sky we used the sun as a navigation aid. Making a note of our shadows and the relationship of our course to them we headed for Lincoln Brook Trail never checking the compass again. Soon after starting, Sue took the lead on the way through the beautiful open hardwoods along the route. At various times we found ourselves following sections of broken branches and small treetops indicating other bushwhack routes also passed through the area. Eventually we hiked back into the conifers, and then started to descend to Lincoln Brook Trail, and finally we were on the trail. We actually held the higher elevation a little longer than originally planned but that only brought us to the Lincoln Brook Trail a little further along toward Owl’s Head than planned.
On trail we stopped for a quick break and then set off for the next obstacles along the way; stream crossings. Everything had a complete cover of snow which made soft mud pits a little difficult to see. I think we all were familiar with the route and generally knew where the bad places were hiding. Before long we came to the first of three crossings a short distance before reaching the Owl’s Head Slide.
The first crossing was a very easy rock-hop and required no thought at all. The second was a little more difficult. Steve and Sandy found their way across near the actual trail crossing location. Sue and I went a short distance upstream to a place that looked easier. We all made it across with dry feet. Finally, we came to the third crossing and found very weak ice in some areas but plenty of high rocks to use. The tricky part was finding solid places to step. Slowly we all made our way across in the general area of the trail crossing location. We brought sandals and a towel just in case but were able to rock-hop the crossings.
We reached the bottom of Owl’s Head Slide and stopped for a quick break. Once we were again ready to dig into the hike, Sandy led the way up the slide. We had a complete snow cover from the overnight weather that passed through. I think we all knew there were probably some icy areas on the slide hiding under the snow, and we all knew to be careful with every step. We managed to bare boot most of the climb. In the upper part of the slide we all pulled out our MicroSpikes, conditions were getting difficult.
We reached the top of the slide and headed into the conifers where we really ran into the ice. The section of trail below the large rock that marks the starting point for the exit bushwhack was one ice bulge after another. There were plenty of handholds along the way and we all made it through this section with no problems. Above the big rock the grade moderated a little and hiking was easier. Soon we were on the ridge leading to the summit and headed north.
The route to the “old” summit and on to the “new” summit was easy to work through. There are no new blowdowns or other obstacles along the way. In a short period of time we were standing at the summit cairn enjoying some refreshments. The day was fairly cool and breezy so we didn’t stick around for long. After the snacks were done we set off on our exit hike.
We left the summit area, descended to the big rock, and started the bushwhack down to Lincoln Brook Trail. I’m pretty sure none of us was interested in descending the slide. We left the herd path heading south/southwest trying to stay in relatively open growth. I also wanted to hold elevation with an aim to hit the old skidder road very high. We came to an area where the growth started to change and there was a higher content of birches in the mix. We started a short steep descent and landed very high on the skidder road at the top of the gulley where it turns southeast. We made a right and followed the course of the skidder road around the terrain and down through the generally open hardwoods. As it entered the conifers down low we started looking for a good route to descend to the Lincoln Brook Trail. We found one, turned downhill, and landed on Lincoln Brook Trail roughly 150 paces from the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook.
From there we headed back to the three rock-hops and managed to get through them again with dry boots. The original plan was to bushwhack to Franconia Falls on the exit for the high-water. We didn’t have a high-water show to enjoy and decided to simply bushwhack back to Black Pond following our earlier route. We reached Black Pond, got back on-trail and re-traced our way back out to Lincoln woods.
There were no surprises on the final walk of Black Pond and Wilderness trails. In a little over an hour we were back at our waiting vehicles packing to leave.
What a nice day in the mountains. Thanks to Sandy and Steve for joining the hike. Hopefully we’ll get together again soon.
Thanks Sue, our March list is getting real short.
Gridiot check marks for everybody!
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Black Pond Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Brutus Bushwhack, Owl’s Head Herd Path
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Sandy Price, Steve Moore, Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
We all met at Lincoln Woods with a fresh layer of overnight snow. At the trailhead we found a little over one inch but it increased to possibly a little over two inches in the course of the hike.
Our planned approach to the hike was the usual Black Pond Bushwhack and Owl’s Head Slide going in and the Brutus Bushwhack and Franconia Falls Bushwhack on the way back out. The main reason for heading to Franconia Falls was to enjoy the high-water show, but to our surprise the water wasn’t high.
We headed out Wilderness Trail for a mild warm-up on the way to Black Pond Trail. The sky was still completely overcast but clearing was predicted early. By the time we reached Black Pond the sky was generally cleared and we started to enjoy a bright but cool day, a little windy too. A short distance before the end of Black Pond Trail we left the trail and climbed the slope away from the pond, swamp, and mud to start our first bushwhack for the day.
This time through we set off on a 340 degree magnetic bearing. This should bring us to the large sweeping turn on Lincoln Brook Trail. With the clear sky we used the sun as a navigation aid. Making a note of our shadows and the relationship of our course to them we headed for Lincoln Brook Trail never checking the compass again. Soon after starting, Sue took the lead on the way through the beautiful open hardwoods along the route. At various times we found ourselves following sections of broken branches and small treetops indicating other bushwhack routes also passed through the area. Eventually we hiked back into the conifers, and then started to descend to Lincoln Brook Trail, and finally we were on the trail. We actually held the higher elevation a little longer than originally planned but that only brought us to the Lincoln Brook Trail a little further along toward Owl’s Head than planned.
On trail we stopped for a quick break and then set off for the next obstacles along the way; stream crossings. Everything had a complete cover of snow which made soft mud pits a little difficult to see. I think we all were familiar with the route and generally knew where the bad places were hiding. Before long we came to the first of three crossings a short distance before reaching the Owl’s Head Slide.
The first crossing was a very easy rock-hop and required no thought at all. The second was a little more difficult. Steve and Sandy found their way across near the actual trail crossing location. Sue and I went a short distance upstream to a place that looked easier. We all made it across with dry feet. Finally, we came to the third crossing and found very weak ice in some areas but plenty of high rocks to use. The tricky part was finding solid places to step. Slowly we all made our way across in the general area of the trail crossing location. We brought sandals and a towel just in case but were able to rock-hop the crossings.
We reached the bottom of Owl’s Head Slide and stopped for a quick break. Once we were again ready to dig into the hike, Sandy led the way up the slide. We had a complete snow cover from the overnight weather that passed through. I think we all knew there were probably some icy areas on the slide hiding under the snow, and we all knew to be careful with every step. We managed to bare boot most of the climb. In the upper part of the slide we all pulled out our MicroSpikes, conditions were getting difficult.
We reached the top of the slide and headed into the conifers where we really ran into the ice. The section of trail below the large rock that marks the starting point for the exit bushwhack was one ice bulge after another. There were plenty of handholds along the way and we all made it through this section with no problems. Above the big rock the grade moderated a little and hiking was easier. Soon we were on the ridge leading to the summit and headed north.
The route to the “old” summit and on to the “new” summit was easy to work through. There are no new blowdowns or other obstacles along the way. In a short period of time we were standing at the summit cairn enjoying some refreshments. The day was fairly cool and breezy so we didn’t stick around for long. After the snacks were done we set off on our exit hike.
We left the summit area, descended to the big rock, and started the bushwhack down to Lincoln Brook Trail. I’m pretty sure none of us was interested in descending the slide. We left the herd path heading south/southwest trying to stay in relatively open growth. I also wanted to hold elevation with an aim to hit the old skidder road very high. We came to an area where the growth started to change and there was a higher content of birches in the mix. We started a short steep descent and landed very high on the skidder road at the top of the gulley where it turns southeast. We made a right and followed the course of the skidder road around the terrain and down through the generally open hardwoods. As it entered the conifers down low we started looking for a good route to descend to the Lincoln Brook Trail. We found one, turned downhill, and landed on Lincoln Brook Trail roughly 150 paces from the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook.
From there we headed back to the three rock-hops and managed to get through them again with dry boots. The original plan was to bushwhack to Franconia Falls on the exit for the high-water. We didn’t have a high-water show to enjoy and decided to simply bushwhack back to Black Pond following our earlier route. We reached Black Pond, got back on-trail and re-traced our way back out to Lincoln woods.
There were no surprises on the final walk of Black Pond and Wilderness trails. In a little over an hour we were back at our waiting vehicles packing to leave.
What a nice day in the mountains. Thanks to Sandy and Steve for joining the hike. Hopefully we’ll get together again soon.
Thanks Sue, our March list is getting real short.
Gridiot check marks for everybody!
Pictures will follow.
