Owl's Head

[DougPaul]

Agreed, that would slog if you had to break trail. You could hide in the parking lot and wait for a large group to head out first Or hike it on Sunday providing it doesn't snow Saturday night.

Particularly if you have to break trail, it might make a nice XC ski.

I have skied the trail up past the base of the slide and have skied to Black Pond and out via Franconia Falls, so either route in should be skiable, snow permitting...

Doug

 

[Jim lombard]

Particularly if you have to break trail, it might make a nice XC ski.

I have skied the trail up past the base of the slide and have skied to Black Pond and out via Franconia Falls, so either route in should be skiable, snow permitting...

Doug

I'm not a skiier but with the rolling terrain around Black Pond, I bet it's great for that, especially going towards OH. Just watch out for branches. As I understand it, most XC'ers take the Wilderness trail out from Lincoln/Franc Brook because it's a nice flat-downhill ski.

 

[RoySwkr]

You could hide in the parking lot and wait for a large group to head out first

One time we bushwhacked up the E side in winter, coming out at Franconia view near the "new" summit and then heading S to the sign. A woman who followed our tracks got to the summit in 4 hours, and likely back to the road in 2 as she was cruising on skis. She was rushing home for a date, hope it was hot-tubbing not dancing

I think that Owls Head has a negative reputation because it is the longest single NH 4k hike and people either plod it out beyond the point of fun or go on their first and only backpack. (Bonds are not that hard if you stay at huts and are fine peaks by anyone's standards.) It also has a reputation of no views although in the '70s you could see Mt Washington from the "old" summit and the "new" summit has a Franconias view which is better in winter. The hassle over trail maintenance with the Forest Service last year generated negative vibes but was probably too recent to affect reputations.

Mike Dickerman is definitely very negative on Owls Head and even wrote in an article that he had only been there twice and would never go again unless somebody else proves the "new" summit is higher. I have heard that Larry Garland recently used a survey grade GPS and found the new summit to be a few feet higher so Littleton residents will no doubt get to read about it again.

 

[Jim lombard]

The hassle over trail maintenance with the Forest Service last year generated negative vibes but was probably too recent to affect reputations.

Mike Dickerman is definitely very negative on Owls Head and even wrote in an article that he had only been there twice and would never go again unless somebody else proves the "new" summit is higher. I have heard that Larry Garland recently used a survey grade GPS and found the new summit to be a few feet higher so Littleton residents will no doubt get to read about it again.

I found the new herd path more distinct this time, the Mt Beaver brigade has been in there cutting away blowdowns making it a little easier. I still think it's easier in the winter all the way around. So far, 2 or 3 GPS's I know of agree that the new summit is higher.