hikersinger
Member
Headed out for a day trip to Owl's Head with the Random Group of Hikers up to Owl's Head, via the standard Black Pond bushwhack, and a modified Brutus bushwhack.
8:15am Start from Lincoln Woods Visitor Center, up Lincoln Woods trail
9:25am Black Pond trail junction, continued to Black Pond
9:55am Black Pond, continued along Black Pond bushwhack
10:40am Franconia Brook trail, continued north along trail
11:50am Base of Brutus bushwhack, just past second major brook crossing, continued up bushwhack
12:45pm Gully around area of birch glades, crossed gully and continued up to ridge
~2:50pm Ridge, south of summit, continued north along ridge
3:10pm Owl's Head summit
5:10pm Back at Franconia Brook trail, base of Brutus bushwhack
8:05pm End at Lincoln Woods Visitor Center
Conditions:
Nine of us headed out for the day. We took the standard Black Pond bushwhack (340-degree magnetic compass bearing to the Franconia Brook trail), and used the first part of the Brutus bushwhack, i.e. up to the birch glades/gully. At the gully, instead continuing along it, we cross the gully and continued pretty much straight up (a little to the left) to the ridge between the old and new Owl's Head summits.
This part of the trail beyond the gully wasn't broken out at all so going was tougher. We took this route to avoid the dense trees the group encountered on their previous hike a year or so earlier.
Two of my friends, Jeff and Shane, each separately on their first hikes to Owl's Head, joined us on the way up. From the ridge we continued north to the true summit, then returned the same way. Jeff returned the same way, and Shane took the slide down; each of them made it out by about 7pm. We made it out a few minutes after 8pm. We did take a shortcut down off the ridge to save a bit of time, but otherwise followed our tracks back.
Overall a great hike, great weather, and great friends. One in the group found out at the Lincoln Woods/Black Pond trail junction that one of his snowshoes was broken (odd "tear" in the metal base that connected the boot base to the frame; it was a Tubbs brand); he took up the rear so it wasn't so bad, with eight of us packing the trail down pretty well. That same person encountered more bad luck at the second brook crossing -- he fell through the ice into ankle-deep water. Thankfully he was wearing expedition-quality boots and did not get his feet wet at all (just some ice issues with the crampons he was wearing, nothing terrible).
Interactive GPS track with photos: http://trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip...tLinkKey=4ca7ce0b-392d-4b83-b284-b1096c7c5577
8:15am Start from Lincoln Woods Visitor Center, up Lincoln Woods trail
9:25am Black Pond trail junction, continued to Black Pond
9:55am Black Pond, continued along Black Pond bushwhack
10:40am Franconia Brook trail, continued north along trail
11:50am Base of Brutus bushwhack, just past second major brook crossing, continued up bushwhack
12:45pm Gully around area of birch glades, crossed gully and continued up to ridge
~2:50pm Ridge, south of summit, continued north along ridge
3:10pm Owl's Head summit
5:10pm Back at Franconia Brook trail, base of Brutus bushwhack
8:05pm End at Lincoln Woods Visitor Center
Conditions:
- Mostly sunny, highs low 20s at base
- Lincoln Woods trail pretty well packed, microspikes ok, could use showshoes
- Black Pond to summit, snowshoes required, mix of barely broken out to not broken out at all with recent snow
Nine of us headed out for the day. We took the standard Black Pond bushwhack (340-degree magnetic compass bearing to the Franconia Brook trail), and used the first part of the Brutus bushwhack, i.e. up to the birch glades/gully. At the gully, instead continuing along it, we cross the gully and continued pretty much straight up (a little to the left) to the ridge between the old and new Owl's Head summits.
This part of the trail beyond the gully wasn't broken out at all so going was tougher. We took this route to avoid the dense trees the group encountered on their previous hike a year or so earlier.
Two of my friends, Jeff and Shane, each separately on their first hikes to Owl's Head, joined us on the way up. From the ridge we continued north to the true summit, then returned the same way. Jeff returned the same way, and Shane took the slide down; each of them made it out by about 7pm. We made it out a few minutes after 8pm. We did take a shortcut down off the ridge to save a bit of time, but otherwise followed our tracks back.
Overall a great hike, great weather, and great friends. One in the group found out at the Lincoln Woods/Black Pond trail junction that one of his snowshoes was broken (odd "tear" in the metal base that connected the boot base to the frame; it was a Tubbs brand); he took up the rear so it wasn't so bad, with eight of us packing the trail down pretty well. That same person encountered more bad luck at the second brook crossing -- he fell through the ice into ankle-deep water. Thankfully he was wearing expedition-quality boots and did not get his feet wet at all (just some ice issues with the crampons he was wearing, nothing terrible).
Interactive GPS track with photos: http://trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip...tLinkKey=4ca7ce0b-392d-4b83-b284-b1096c7c5577
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