Owl's Head

[donna]

March 19th, Friday.....last day of Winter: Anyone want to hike Owl's Head?

I'd really like to get this one in this winter but I need some experienced hikers to hike it with me.

Any takers?

 

[sli74]

Funny you bring this up Donna because I was actually going to do Owl's Head as an overnighter March 18-19. I was going to hike to 13 Falls and camp March 18th and then hike to Owl's Head on the 19th and either hike back out from 13 Falls or stay one more night and then hike out (if I do plan to camp the 2nd night I will start on the 17th so I can be back to my car before the end of official winter). I don't know if I can do it as a daytrip but would be willing to consider it. Keep me posted.

sli74

 

[donna]

Official winter end

Seema, do you know when winter is officially over? I was hoping to hike Owl's Head on the 19th and consider it an official winter hike.

I hope you can join me.

 

[sli74]

It ends early in the am on March 20th, I think 1:20am or something close to that.

I will send you an email as the date gets closer and we can figure it out.

sli74

 

[JohnL]

Vernal Equinox 2004 March 20 1:49AM EST

JohnL

 

[Jonatha]

winter is officially over at 1:45am on March 20 - got that off the amc 4k ftr site. and apparently they have someone posted on each peak to make sure you summit by 1:44!! so i guess your climb would need to be that friday or before.

 

[stopher]

Gee wiz, JohnL says 1:49am, Jonatha says 1:45am -- we gotta clear this up. Those four minutes could be crucial!

donna, I'd like to do Owlshead some day, but I can't keep up with cantdog.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Gee wiz, JohnL says 1:49am, Jonatha says 1:45am -- we gotta clear this up. Those four minutes could be crucial!

According to the United States Naval Observatory site the Spring Equinox is at 06:49 UTC, or 1:49 AM EST.

Let us just hope that the Owlshead trip does not become an epic with the participants racing to reach their cars before 1:49 to be sure it "counts" as a winter peak!

 

[audrey]

Mohamed, I understand the concept of finishing the hike before the equinox, but what if you're camping nearby that night and not returning to your car? What, if anything, might qualify as a parking lot surrogate? The bottom of the slide? Your tent?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

What, if anything, might qualify as a parking lot surrogate?

There is no parking lot surrogate. In Give me the Hills Miriam Underhill writes:

In 1960, for instance, winter began at 3:27 PM on Wednesday, December 21, too late to get up to Crag Camp by daylight.

Since you must leave the parking lot after the solstice, you must reach it before the equinox.

It seems to me that this is a basic part of the FTFC definition of a trip. The trip starts and ends at the car. The whole trip must be done in calendar winter to count. Using your proposed logic, why not drive out on a snowmobile now that you have reached your tent?

Disclaimer: As I have repeatedly said, I am not a member of the FTFC, which alone can authoritatively interpret the rules.

Originally posted by Jonatha
winter is officially over at 1:45am on March 20 - got that off the amc 4k ftr site. and apparently they have someone posted on each peak to make sure you summit by 1:44!!

Not at the summit, Jonatha, but at the parking lots! Also, I find it interesting that the FTFC site has the wrong time (not too far off, but off!).

 

[donna]

Winter hike

Okay, my intent to hike Owl's Head on Friday, March 19th was to finish the winter hiking with a good, stong hike.

I plan on heading up no later then 7:00 AM on the 19th.

I've heard this hike can be challenging, but unless I'm really missing something here, I plan to be back at my car well before 1:45 AM on March 20th.

I'm just trying to get a little group hike going to finish up the winter hiking.

I'm looking forward to a fun trip.

 

[donna]

Bushwhack past Black Pond sounds like a great strategy.

Thanks Arm.

 

[Ann]

Seema....
Just wanted to give you a heads up on the trip from 13 Falls to Owl's Head via the back part of the loop. Route finding can be quite challenging from 13 Falls to the height of land and a bit beyond. I don't think it gets much use and the blazing is sparce at best.
Have fun...it will be an adventure for sure!!!!
Regards,
Ann

 

[ghassert]

Owl's Head via the back part of the loop

Sli74,

I agree with Ann.

I climbed Owl's Head this past October via the back part of the loop from Falls 13 campsite. It was very poorly blazed and it looked like it was almost never used. It's also deceivably harder than it looks. By the time I got to Owl's head, I barely had the energy to summit. (Granted it was a very hot and sunny day).

On the plus side though, you avoid most of the major water crossings.

BTW, we didn't camp at Falls 13, we found a really good site right before the crossing at Twin Brook.

Glenn

 

[sli74]

Well, it looks like I might join the group and go in from the Lincoln Woods side . . .

I was wondering if anyone comes in from the 13 Falls side . . . doesn't sound like a trip I should attempt solo in any case
Thanks for the info Ann and ghassert

sli74

 

[Joanzie]

Owlshead

I hiked Owls Head doing the traditional route in the winter. Would love to try it via the Black Pond Routel weather permitting: March 19th)

 

[donna]

I'll send another message out once we get closer to March 19th. We can capture email addresses at that time for the details. This hike is looking good. I'm glad I'm getting interests.

 

[freesteamin]

If this trip is still a possibility, I'd like to sign up as well. I've tried Owls Head twice now, once in fall and once in winter and been thwarted both times, once after camping at 13 Falls, by torrential rain, and the other in winter by the stream crossings. Hoping third time might be the charm. Anyway, I'm interested in doing this in winter and I'd vote for the Black Pond bushwhack as well.

 

[donna]

need to cancel this trip

Freesteamin (and others who signed up to hike Owl's Head),

I need to cancel this trip.

Instead of hiking via Franconia Brook Trail, my plan was to bushwhack past Black Pond with the option to bushwhack around the slide.

I'm not an experience winter hiker and need lots more practice with the skill of finding my way via a bushwhack method.

There has been some interest in this trip, however, I can't find someone with lots of winter experience to tag along.

We'll have to opt for another hiking adventure to close out the last day of winter.

Thanks to everyone for your interest. See you on the trails.

 

[Brian]

Don't worry about the bushwhack. It is very easy open forest and it's very hard to go wrong. You will probably find the trail well packed out since no serious snow has fallen in a while. I did the hike a few weeks ago (twice, in fact, second time with cantdog to try and find my lost crampons). If you don't have to break trail, the day trip shouldn't be a problem. It's mostly a long walk.

Brian