Question about getting to Owls Head

[jniehof]

I guess that sums up my question. If it is lacking the necessary detail, one could easily bypass the part where the group is bushwacking in a Wilderness Zone 'A'.

I think if one lists "Destination: Owl's Head (peakbagger summit); Trails: Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, Lincoln Brook Trail" it's fairly obvious what's going on, but I also don't know how closely the FS reads each individual report.

I would find it very surprising if they didn't know what's happening. "I'm shocked, shocked to find that group bushwhacking is going on in Zone A!"

 

[Snowflea]

Ain't nobody gonna break out a new route when a good one already exists.

Well... some of us might.

After summitting OH on a January day a few years back, three of us were lamenting how ridiculously easy and fast the broken-out route was on that day. (We did not know ahead of time that the route was broken.)

We decided to bushwhack down the east slopes and ended up passing through some of the most beautiful forest I've seen in the Pemi. At the bottom of the valley, the river was frozen over enough so we could safely cross. It was one of my favorite OH excursions.

 

[peakbagger]

The east approach from the Hellgate brook area is a great way to climb the mountain as long as the brook is frozen over, its mostly open hardwoods with lots of sun. The only challenge is to resist going up into the spruce fir on top of the ridge too early. That used to be a challenge but with GPS, it probably isnt any more.

 

[John H Swanson]

The east approach from the Hellgate brook area is a great way to climb the mountain as long as the brook is frozen over, its mostly open hardwoods with lots of sun. The only challenge is to resist going up into the spruce fir on top of the ridge too early. That used to be a challenge but with GPS, it probably isnt any more.

I concur. This is how I did the mtn the fist time I climbed it in winter. It was late season and hard packed snow and very, very steep. Almost wished I had an ice ax. The forest was most enjoyable.

 

[RoySwkr]

I'm not sure whether to say this discussion missed my point or proved it

What I was trying to say is that most people don't know what is in the Forest Plan, wouldn't like it if they did, and the Forest Service is getting stricter on enforcing it all the time.

I seem to be definitely correct on the first point as nobody but MJ knew about the no-guides rule, am probably correct on the second as most people think club hikes to Owls Head are reasonable, and for the third I'll just say that 20 years ago the FS wasn't busy removing cairns, blazes, and signs (not to mention bridges) as fast as they are now.

I know all Boston Chapter trips are required to file a trip report with the WMNF listing destination, trails used, and # of participants for all trips in the National Forest.

Just because you aren't arrested for going over 65 mph on I-93 doesn't make it legal or mean the police don't know you are doing it. They can suddenly decide to enforce the law for environmental or financial reasons any time.

The new Pemi district ranger chose to remove a bridge that her predecessors thought was fine, and made it happen immediately so there would be no time to respond. She can similarly crack down quite a lot within existing Wilderness rules with no public comment period.

So what do I need to do to get a link to the Forest Plan posted as a sticky, so that people who care can read it, and we won't have to rehash everything whenever a newcomer enters the discussion?

 

[smitty77]

and for the third I'll just say that 20 years ago the FS wasn't busy removing cairns, blazes, and signs (not to mention bridges) as fast as they are now.

Back then they closed the trestle over Black Brook because of safety concerns and built a new bridge alongside of it. (Anyone know when the steel girder by-pass was constructed? It looked fairly new in the mid 80s when I went over it, and my dad remembers the trail used the trestle itself in the 70s)

What really concerns me is when they decide the western side of the Pemi is so overused they'll institute a permit system like Baxter State Park. I see the bridge removal as big step in concentrating the use to this area, and also why they turn a blind eye to guided hikes and "oversized" groups using the Black Pond bushwhack, to later justify making the Wilderness enjoyable by permit only. But that just my humble opinion.