Owl's head?

[Dave Bear]

I'm guessing there is a route to Jackson (or Pierce even) involving Davis Path all the way to, around and down the east side of Washington and back around the west side of the Presidentials, down to Dry River, Saco, Webster Cliff and back up. I'm sure we can include some road walks, without actual crossings.

This is the Traveling Salesman Problem which is of course NP-Complete.

Tim

Makes me think of the crazy notion I had one time of doing a Presi Figure Eight involving Davis and Great Gulf. Mine would have to be a backpack but I am sure that there are folks on this forum that could do it in a day!

 

[DougPaul]

Dr D's problem statement does not disallow loops. Thus the distance could be arbitrarily large. Infinite if you wish.

Example: I could start at Lincoln Woods and go around Owls Head as many times as I wish before climbing the slide to the summit. (Had to make it relevant to the OP's topic. And, for the purposes of this comment, let's assume that the standard slide route up Owls Head is a trail.)

Doug

 

[David Metsky]

Moderator Note
That might make a good thread on its own. Let's stick to the topic here.

 

[sierra]

There is no trail to Owl's head.

Tim

really there was when i hiked it.

 

[Raven]

Just out of curiosity, anyone remember any particularly strange things left at the top of Owls Head? I know for years people have marked the summit with a variety of odd trinkets. I hiked it for the first time almost 10 years ago to the day (2 days back actually) and remember a rather large (2'x3') rectangular metal sign (like road sign metal) with a made up price list of various fake AMC services. It was pretty clearly a stab at AMC's charging but whoever did it was very detailed and spent alot of time on it. Odd. I have a picture somewhere?? If I'm not mistaken I signed a trail register in a PVC tube at one of the summits as well. This past winter there was a foot long, thumb thick sign with "Owls Head" vertically on it. Carved wooden stick.

 

[Neil]

I was just there yesterday and I can reassure you that this is a very straightforward hike with no ambiguity along the way at all. From Lincoln Woods to the top (via the Black Pond "bushwhack") took us a total of 3.5 hours.

After the turn at the obvious cairn from the Linclon Brook Trail there is a very well-defined, maintained trail all the way to the summit.

 

[MichaelJ]

It was pretty clearly a stab at AMC's charging but whoever did it was very detailed and spent alot of time on it. Odd. I have a picture somewhere??

I know the sign you're talking about. I've only seen it in a photo, wish I knew where to find the photo online (or the sign in person).

 

[Willoughby]

I know the sign you're talking about. I've only seen it in a photo, wish I knew where to find the photo online (or the sign in person).

Perhaps this photo (Papa Bear's, if I read the websign correctly)?

Referred from this link, search for "Click for photo".

 

[Neil]

The only sign I saw on OH was the one I carried up there myself but that one in the picture is pretty damn funny.

My sign

 

[una_dogger]

Some enterprising Granite Stater must have thought there'd be more thru-traffic...good to know the status quo is still free.

Very nice additon, Willoughby.

 

[MichaelJ]

Thanks, that's exactly the one I was thinking of!

 

[Raven]

Thanks Willoughby! That's the sign. I remember it was there in June of 2000. I wonder how long it stayed...and if there's a story behind it.

Raven

 

[ColdRiverRun]

The only sign I saw on OH was the one I carried up there myself but that one in the picture is pretty damn funny.

My sign

Haha, how many beers did you have back at the campground? There was a sign on the "old summit".