Owls Head Nov 17

[ImYourHuckleberry]

Went into Owls Head today from Lincoln Woods, taking both the Black Pond and Brutus "bushwhacks". First time on both for me, but they were easy to find and follow. I went up Brutus and down the slide, then banged a right and went out past 13 Falls for a full day. It was much harder following the Lincoln Brook Trail between the slide and 13 Falls than either bushwhack. I also forgot how rugged that section was. But overall it was a pretty nice day. No snow until over 3k feet and then only a dusting at that. Some water ice here and there but I never needed to put spikes on.

 

[KRooney]

I've only been on that section going over to 13 Falls once, and that was many years ago. Lots of minor ups and downs and nearly overgrown even then.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

I've only been on that section going over to 13 Falls once, and that was many years ago. Lots of minor ups and downs and nearly overgrown even then.

Where I had trouble following the trail it's sort of like a boulder field in a bog, so there is really no worn footpath to follow. And lots of fallen leaves obscuring where you might be able to discern traffic. Also one time I missed a stream crossing. Took me a moment to realize I was off trail but I got that worked out quick enough.

 

[helmethiker]

I have read about bushwhacking north off Owls Head to the 13 Falls area. It was part of a proposed or actual route for a Pemi peak loop, as opposed to the normal Pemi trail loop.

 

[KRooney]

I have read about bushwhacking north off Owls Head to the 13 Falls area. It was part of a proposed or actual route for a Pemi peak loop, as opposed to the normal Pemi trail loop.

The first time I did Owls Head was in June, 1997. A large group of us needed either Owls Head, the Bonds or both. The plan was for everyone to meet at Galehead Hut for the evening. I needed both, so I headed with a group of about 6 or 7 or 7 for Owls Head. None of us knew of any shortcuts, so we followed the trail and made 3 rather difficult brook crossings, and then went up the slide. At the time, most of my friends held maps and compasses in disdain so at the top we used the cliffs of Bondcliff as a marker, and headed for them, knowing that eventually we'd hit the river and a trail on the other side leading to 13 Falls. As I recall, it was very steep and we did alot of "hangin" on to small spruces on the way down. We crossed a few old skidder trails, and eventually came to the river. We crossed it, found the trail, made a left to 13 Falls, and then made the steep pull up to Galehead. In the morning a group of about 6 or 8 of us climbed S. Twin and then the Bonds, eventually making it to Lincoln Woods. We were quite tired, but we had a lot of fun!

 

[DayTrip]

I have read about bushwhacking north off Owls Head to the 13 Falls area. It was part of a proposed or actual route for a Pemi peak loop, as opposed to the normal Pemi trail loop.

I contemplated a hike in this area with the ridge that I was calling a Pemi Donut. Once I took into account how little I enjoy the bowl of the Pemi area and the mileage that got scrapped.

 

[hikeritz]

I did an overnight loop around Owlshead with a friend 35 years ago, almost on this date. Went in on the Franconia Brook trail, camped near 13 Falls, and came out on the Lincoln Brook trail. My old report mentions being unable to cross Lincoln Brook at the last crossing and taking a well-used bushwhack pack, which must have been the Black Pond bushwhack. The report says Lincoln Brook wasn't particularly difficult, but it may have changed since then. I plan to head back next summer to finish my 48 on Owlshead (40 years after my first 4K!) and then take the Franconia Brook trail up to the ridge to finish my Pemi red-lining.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

I did an overnight loop around Owlshead with a friend 35 years ago, almost on this date. Went in on the Franconia Brook trail, camped near 13 Falls, and came out on the Lincoln Brook trail. My old report mentions being unable to cross Lincoln Brook at the last crossing and taking a well-used bushwhack pack, which must have been the Black Pond bushwhack. The report says Lincoln Brook wasn't particularly difficult, but it may have changed since then. I plan to head back next summer to finish my 48 on Owlshead (40 years after my first 4K!) and then take the Franconia Brook trail up to the ridge to finish my Pemi red-lining.

If you followed along the the brook you probably came out at Franconia Falls. I think they call that one the Fisherman's trail.

 

[hikeritz]

If you followed along the the brook you probably came out at Franconia Falls. I think they call that one the Fisherman's trail.

Entirely possible. My report says we followed along the west bank of the brook, following some marks on the trees (hatchet blazes?) until the route turned into a "real" trail. A Fisherman's trail to the falls seems about right, since my report doesn't mention a pond.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

I plan to head back next summer to finish my 48 on Owlshead (40 years after my first 4K!)

I missed the bolded earlier when I replied. I have you beat! I finished the 48 this summer, 46 years after my first.

 

[hikeritz]

I missed the bolded earlier when I replied. I have you beat! I finished the 48 this summer, 46 years after my first.

Damn! I figured I was setting a record for slowest 48! I got my first peaks in 1985 when I did the Pemi Loop on my first vacation from my first real job. I wasn't thinking of the NH48 so I didn't do the side hikes to West Bond or Galehead (I went back and got those years later)...it just looked like a neat loop hike. Part of the reason I'm planning to head up to the ridge after Owlshead is to redo the end of that 1985 hike.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

Damn! I figured I was setting a record for slowest 48! I got my first peaks in 1985 when I did the Pemi Loop on my first vacation from my first real job. I wasn't thinking of the NH48 so I didn't do the side hikes to West Bond or Galehead (I went back and got those years later)...it just looked like a neat loop hike. Part of the reason I'm planning to head up to the ridge after Owlshead is to redo the end of that 1985 hike.

For whatever reason I was never really chasing the list and had done some summits multiple dozens of times and others never. But eventually a few years back a friend asked how many of the 48 I hadn't done, and I went through the list and there were about 12 left, so I decided what the hell I might as well.

I'm actually fairly close to the NE 100 highest too, just because a friend was after them when I was younger and he dragged me all around with him as he worked on them.

 

[hikeritz]

For whatever reason I was never really chasing the list and had done some summits multiple dozens of times and others never. But eventually a few years back a friend asked how many of the 48 I hadn't done, and I went through the list and there were about 12 left, so I decided what the hell I might as well.

I'm actually fairly close to the NE 100 highest too, just because a friend was after them when I was younger and he dragged me all around with him as he worked on them.

Same for me. I didn't keep track of the summits until years after the Pemi Loop. I got additional peaks off & on over the years, but didn't really go after the list until I retired 6 years ago. Seven left (Moriah, the 3 Carters, the 2 Wildcats, and Owlshead). I'm tempted to do the first 6 of those on a 2-3 day traverse, but I'll probably break it into three day trips, then Owlshead and the ridge as a multi-day hike.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

Same for me. I didn't keep track of the summits until years after the Pemi Loop. I got additional peaks off & on over the years, but didn't really go after the list until I retired 6 years ago. Seven left (Moriah, the 3 Carters, the 2 Wildcats, and Owlshead). I'm tempted to do the first 6 of those on a 2-3 day traverse, but I'll probably break it into three day trips, then Owlshead and the ridge as a multi-day hike.

Sweet. The Wildcats and Carters were also near the end for me too. I did them all in a 4 day trip this year. I parked at Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead and started my hike from Pinkham Notch. I stayed at Carter Hut night 1, dumped off the ridge at Carter Dome into the Wild River Valley and stayed at a stealth site on Moriah Brook Trail night 2. Then I climbed back up to the ridge and went immediately to Imp Campsite to grab a tent platform -- was afraid of getting a spot with it being a Saturday and also prime thru hiker season -- then backtracked to tag Moriah. And finally finished off the Carters on day 4 and headed back down to my car.

 

[helmethiker]

Damn! I figured I was setting a record for slowest 48! I got my first peaks in 1985 when I did the Pemi Loop on my first vacation from my first real job. I wasn't thinking of the NH48 so I didn't do the side hikes to West Bond or Galehead (I went back and got those years later)...it just looked like a neat loop hike. Part of the reason I'm planning to head up to the ridge after Owlshead is to redo the end of that 1985 hike.

I hiked my first of the 48 (back then only 46) in 1970, and hiked Cannon, the last one needed for the list, in June or July 2023. I thought I had finished in October 2022 on North Twin, but a review afterwards showed me that I had not hiked Galehead because it was not on the list in 1971 so I hiked that a week later, and a day hike to Cannon in 2023 showed me that I almost certainly had not hiked Cannon on the day around 1991 when a friend and I hiked North Kinsman. I intend to go back to the Wildcats because my memory of that hike around 1977 does not match the information I see on the maps, and similarly my memory of getting to the true summit of Whiteface with the same friend may not be correct, so Whiteface is planned to be part of a hike to East Sleeper and South Tripyramid

 

[helmethiker]

Sweet. The Wildcats and Carters were also near the end for me too. I did them all in a 4 day trip this year. I parked at Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead and started my hike from Pinkham Notch. I stayed at Carter Hut night 1, dumped off the ridge at Carter Dome into the Wild River Valley and stayed at a stealth site on Moriah Brook Trail night 2. Then I climbed back up to the ridge and went immediately to Imp Campsite to grab a tent platform -- was afraid of getting a spot with it being a Saturday and also prime thru hiker season -- then backtracked to tag Moriah. And finally finished off the Carters on day 4 and headed back down to my car.

I stashed a folding bicycle at the 19 mile brook trailhead, and started up Moriah at 6 AM the next day, going to Carter Dome. The ride back was mostly downhill and still daylight.

 

[Salty]

It took me a mere 30 years for me (1983?-2013), and Wildcat D was my finish (Wildcat E didn't count anymore, and my notes didn't mention going up to D). On the bright side, it was also my finish of the NHHH and NH3k lists, so a triple-patcher, and with the gondola my wife could join me for the final steps. Probably the only NH3k'er to finish on a 48.

Owl's Head was a bear for me. Winter, and although the Brutus was well tracked out, it was a case of 100' of gain, stop, rest, restart, which eventually turned to every 50' until we hit the ridge. At least we finished the Lincoln Woods Deathmarch without needing headlamps.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I intend to go back to the Wildcats because my memory of that hike around 1977 does not match the information I see on the maps, and similarly my memory of getting to the true summit of Whiteface with the same friend may not be correct, so Whiteface is planned to be part of a hike to East Sleeper and South Tripyramid

In 1998, Wildcat E peak was replaced by D peak