BIGEarl
Well-known member
May 21, 2011: Owl’s Head
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl’s Head Path, Black Pond Bushwhack, Brutus Bushwhack, Franconia Falls Bushwhack
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Peakbagger (Dennis), MadRiver (Rick), Lava Lamp (Tom), and me
Hiking Owl’s Head right now is a test mainly due to all of the melting snow and rain. The streams are high and there are several to cross on the way. Along with the high water are the usual mud pits. Our plan included bushwhacks intended to avoid the largest of the stream crossings but we still had plenty of opportunity to get wet and dirty. We bare booted the full hike with no need for even light traction.
Our warm-up for the day was a fairly quick hike to Black Pond via Wilderness Trail and Black Pond Trail. Wilderness Trail is mostly dry, flat, and boring except for the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River is very high and putting on quite a show. Black Pond Trail is clear and muddy in the usual places. There were no surprises on the hike to Black Pond. We reached the pond, had a quick break, and then set off on our first bushwhack for the day.
‘Whack #1:
The Black Pond Bushwhack approach we used was what I call “the high road”. At the end of Black Pond Trail we started by climbing the slope to the west to get well above the mud close to the pond. After gaining some elevation, we set off on a bearing intended to place us on Lincoln Brook Trail on the large sweeping curve where the trail swings around to the north. The bushwhack route is mostly through hardwoods, except for the very beginning and end, and generally dry. There were small areas of mud associated with runoff but we were able to skirt around these places. The route crested at ~2200 feet before dropping down to Lincoln Brook Trail. As planned, we hit Lincoln Brook Trail on the large sweeping turn. The bushwhack probably doesn’t save any time, but it does save roughly 1.5 miles in distance and avoids the countless mud pits on Franconia Brook Trail and the large crossings of Franconia Brook and Lincoln Brook. As it turned out, we reached Lincoln Brook Trail right on “book time”, which probably isn’t bad considering the route included a ~one-mile bushwhack.
We continued on Lincoln Brook Trail. Lincoln Brook is running very high but between the place where we picked up the trail and the upper crossing there are several feeder streams that we’ll pass and with each one, Lincoln Brook will get a little smaller – but never small. In addition to the smaller stream crossings along Lincoln Brook Trail are many areas of mud. In all cases we were able to work with high spots or skirt the edges and stay out of the mess. The walk to the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook was generally non-stop and we were quickly surveying the final two crossings, which were the largest of the crossings for the day.
At the first crossing, actually a feeder stream coming in from the west to Lincoln Brook, we were able to make it across generally in the area of the trail. The second crossing was a different story. The water was much higher and there were no good choices at the trail crossing. Dennis went a short distance downstream and simply plowed across; he was wearing trail runners that dry quickly. The rest of us started upstream, which is also the direction we needed to go for the Owl’s Head Slide. After searching upstream between 150 and 200 yards we all decided the only choice was to wade across. Off came the boots and one-by-one we all made our way to the far side of the stream. We got our boots back on and continued the short walk to the slide.
At the area of the herd path that approaches the slide the usual collection of small cairns was missing. The general area was actually pretty clear. We made a quick stop for a snack and started toward the slide.
Slide:
Climbing the Owl’s Head Slide was pretty easy going. The conditions were completely clear of ice. The extreme bottom had some running water on the herd path, the middle section was clear and dry, and the upper third was wet but the footing was good. We made our way up the slide and into the conifers above the top of the slide. The trail from the top of the slide through the steep climb was essentially a running brook but the footing remained good and I don’t recall any slips along the way. Past the area of the “Brutus Bushwhack” the trail had spotty ice but with a little care we all made it through to the ridge without having to pull out light traction. The upper section also has quite a collection of blowdowns.
The ridge is a mess! There are many new blowdowns since our last visit, which was only three months ago. Most likely some of these blowdowns were buried in snow on our earlier visit. Paths bypassing the blowdowns are starting to become established but more traffic is needed. We worked our way across to the “traditional” summit location and continued to the “new” summit. The herd path between the two summits is a little confusing with multiple splits along the way, instead of just one main route. At the “new” summit we stopped for pictures, refreshment, and a snowman. Soon we were on our exit walk.
'Whack #2:
We headed back out the way we hiked in but on the descent we changed our route to our second ‘whack for the day, the “Brutus Bushwhack”. After leaving the Owl’s Head Path we worked our way a short distance south before taking a bearing that would lead to the old wood road in the hardwoods. The descent was steep and thick with plenty of handholds to use for a little extra security. We stepped out of the conifers and landed on the old wood road a little lower than the usual route. From there we made the right turn and followed the corridor down toward the Lincoln Brook Trail. Eventually, we made the final turn and dropped down to the Lincoln Brook Trail a short distance from the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook. That went well.
At the crossings we used a different and much faster approach. We simply crossed. On the first crossing, Dennis set the example and simply charged across. There were actually some solid rocks just under the surface and we all managed to make it across without soaking our feet. The second crossing was easier. We all managed to hit a string of rocks that got us from one side to the other. Now, all we had before our next bushwhack was the multiple mud pits along Lincoln Brook Trail. We made it through the series of pits and sections of solid trail and were soon at the lower crossing of Lincoln Brook.
'Whack #3:
Our final bushwhack went from this crossing directly to Franconia Falls. The route normally referred to as the “Fisherman’s Bushwhack” follows the course of the river and passes through lots of wet and muddy areas. My preferred approach is to take a direct point A to Point B route which stays back from the stream, holds enough elevation to stay above all of the mud, and generally passes through open hardwoods, except for the final approach to the falls. Just like Black Pond Bushwhack, this is roughly a one-mile bushwhack. If everything goes well, the route leads to a bluff above Franconia Falls. From there it’s simply a matter of walking down to the trail at the falls and finish the exit. This final bushwhack also bypasses the two large stream crossings.
We made a quick stop at Franconia Falls to get some pictures and videos before heading out via Franconia Falls Trail and Wilderness Trail. As expected, the high water was very entertaining and quite a sight.
The final walk out is long, and flat, and boring. In a couple hours we reached the suspension bridge at Lincoln Woods, made the turn, and headed for our waiting vehicle.
The forecast for the day was pretty questionable. We had only a couple very brief periods of some sprinkles that didn’t amount to anything – certainly not the .5 to .75 inches of rain predicted by the National Weather Service. Much of our exit walk was under broken clouds and sunshine. It turned out to be a pretty nice day.
Thanks to everybody for a fun hike to Owl’s Head. Every trip out there seems to have something new and this one was no exception.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Wilderness Trail, Black Pond Trail, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl’s Head Path, Black Pond Bushwhack, Brutus Bushwhack, Franconia Falls Bushwhack
Summits: Owl’s Head
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Peakbagger (Dennis), MadRiver (Rick), Lava Lamp (Tom), and me
Hiking Owl’s Head right now is a test mainly due to all of the melting snow and rain. The streams are high and there are several to cross on the way. Along with the high water are the usual mud pits. Our plan included bushwhacks intended to avoid the largest of the stream crossings but we still had plenty of opportunity to get wet and dirty. We bare booted the full hike with no need for even light traction.
Our warm-up for the day was a fairly quick hike to Black Pond via Wilderness Trail and Black Pond Trail. Wilderness Trail is mostly dry, flat, and boring except for the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River is very high and putting on quite a show. Black Pond Trail is clear and muddy in the usual places. There were no surprises on the hike to Black Pond. We reached the pond, had a quick break, and then set off on our first bushwhack for the day.
‘Whack #1:
The Black Pond Bushwhack approach we used was what I call “the high road”. At the end of Black Pond Trail we started by climbing the slope to the west to get well above the mud close to the pond. After gaining some elevation, we set off on a bearing intended to place us on Lincoln Brook Trail on the large sweeping curve where the trail swings around to the north. The bushwhack route is mostly through hardwoods, except for the very beginning and end, and generally dry. There were small areas of mud associated with runoff but we were able to skirt around these places. The route crested at ~2200 feet before dropping down to Lincoln Brook Trail. As planned, we hit Lincoln Brook Trail on the large sweeping turn. The bushwhack probably doesn’t save any time, but it does save roughly 1.5 miles in distance and avoids the countless mud pits on Franconia Brook Trail and the large crossings of Franconia Brook and Lincoln Brook. As it turned out, we reached Lincoln Brook Trail right on “book time”, which probably isn’t bad considering the route included a ~one-mile bushwhack.
We continued on Lincoln Brook Trail. Lincoln Brook is running very high but between the place where we picked up the trail and the upper crossing there are several feeder streams that we’ll pass and with each one, Lincoln Brook will get a little smaller – but never small. In addition to the smaller stream crossings along Lincoln Brook Trail are many areas of mud. In all cases we were able to work with high spots or skirt the edges and stay out of the mess. The walk to the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook was generally non-stop and we were quickly surveying the final two crossings, which were the largest of the crossings for the day.
At the first crossing, actually a feeder stream coming in from the west to Lincoln Brook, we were able to make it across generally in the area of the trail. The second crossing was a different story. The water was much higher and there were no good choices at the trail crossing. Dennis went a short distance downstream and simply plowed across; he was wearing trail runners that dry quickly. The rest of us started upstream, which is also the direction we needed to go for the Owl’s Head Slide. After searching upstream between 150 and 200 yards we all decided the only choice was to wade across. Off came the boots and one-by-one we all made our way to the far side of the stream. We got our boots back on and continued the short walk to the slide.
At the area of the herd path that approaches the slide the usual collection of small cairns was missing. The general area was actually pretty clear. We made a quick stop for a snack and started toward the slide.
Slide:
Climbing the Owl’s Head Slide was pretty easy going. The conditions were completely clear of ice. The extreme bottom had some running water on the herd path, the middle section was clear and dry, and the upper third was wet but the footing was good. We made our way up the slide and into the conifers above the top of the slide. The trail from the top of the slide through the steep climb was essentially a running brook but the footing remained good and I don’t recall any slips along the way. Past the area of the “Brutus Bushwhack” the trail had spotty ice but with a little care we all made it through to the ridge without having to pull out light traction. The upper section also has quite a collection of blowdowns.
The ridge is a mess! There are many new blowdowns since our last visit, which was only three months ago. Most likely some of these blowdowns were buried in snow on our earlier visit. Paths bypassing the blowdowns are starting to become established but more traffic is needed. We worked our way across to the “traditional” summit location and continued to the “new” summit. The herd path between the two summits is a little confusing with multiple splits along the way, instead of just one main route. At the “new” summit we stopped for pictures, refreshment, and a snowman. Soon we were on our exit walk.
'Whack #2:
We headed back out the way we hiked in but on the descent we changed our route to our second ‘whack for the day, the “Brutus Bushwhack”. After leaving the Owl’s Head Path we worked our way a short distance south before taking a bearing that would lead to the old wood road in the hardwoods. The descent was steep and thick with plenty of handholds to use for a little extra security. We stepped out of the conifers and landed on the old wood road a little lower than the usual route. From there we made the right turn and followed the corridor down toward the Lincoln Brook Trail. Eventually, we made the final turn and dropped down to the Lincoln Brook Trail a short distance from the upper crossing of Lincoln Brook. That went well.
At the crossings we used a different and much faster approach. We simply crossed. On the first crossing, Dennis set the example and simply charged across. There were actually some solid rocks just under the surface and we all managed to make it across without soaking our feet. The second crossing was easier. We all managed to hit a string of rocks that got us from one side to the other. Now, all we had before our next bushwhack was the multiple mud pits along Lincoln Brook Trail. We made it through the series of pits and sections of solid trail and were soon at the lower crossing of Lincoln Brook.
'Whack #3:
Our final bushwhack went from this crossing directly to Franconia Falls. The route normally referred to as the “Fisherman’s Bushwhack” follows the course of the river and passes through lots of wet and muddy areas. My preferred approach is to take a direct point A to Point B route which stays back from the stream, holds enough elevation to stay above all of the mud, and generally passes through open hardwoods, except for the final approach to the falls. Just like Black Pond Bushwhack, this is roughly a one-mile bushwhack. If everything goes well, the route leads to a bluff above Franconia Falls. From there it’s simply a matter of walking down to the trail at the falls and finish the exit. This final bushwhack also bypasses the two large stream crossings.
We made a quick stop at Franconia Falls to get some pictures and videos before heading out via Franconia Falls Trail and Wilderness Trail. As expected, the high water was very entertaining and quite a sight.
The final walk out is long, and flat, and boring. In a couple hours we reached the suspension bridge at Lincoln Woods, made the turn, and headed for our waiting vehicle.
The forecast for the day was pretty questionable. We had only a couple very brief periods of some sprinkles that didn’t amount to anything – certainly not the .5 to .75 inches of rain predicted by the National Weather Service. Much of our exit walk was under broken clouds and sunshine. It turned out to be a pretty nice day.
Thanks to everybody for a fun hike to Owl’s Head. Every trip out there seems to have something new and this one was no exception.
Pictures will follow.
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