| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, bushwhack, Owl's Head Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 5, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Abundant parking on cold windy days. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Will be VERY dicey after today. First minor crossing on the Lincoln Brook Trail is rotten, but there's a log bypass upstream that requires 3-4 strides. Second minor crossing was also bypassed on an upstream ice dam, which felt iffy (water flowing swiftly underneath the ice). Crossing of Lincoln Brook was, oddly, the safest feeling: solid ice dam with water flowing swiftly underneath. Despite the frigid temps, the water seemed to be rising throughout the day, so I can't imagine the ice dams will last much longer. They may be gone by now. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Owl's Head Path had a few leaners but was otherwise in surprisingly good shape. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Take care around water crossings. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Owl's Head is shedding its winter coat fast, and that means one thing: sketchy water crossings on the Lincoln Brook Trail (see Water Crossing Notes and photo).
Lincoln Woods and Black Pond Trails are hard-packed and getting icy in spots.
Black Pond Bushwhack consists largely of rotten monorail, bare ground, and whipping willows. Lincoln Brook Trail has slightly more solid monorail.
The groups in front of us skipped the Brutus Bushwhack, so we followed their footsteps, which in hindsight was a mistake. At the base of the Owl's Head Path, we met several of them coming down. They had turned around after a few steps on the slide and told us: "Don't try the slide! Lots of ice underneath a thin layer of snow."
So, we returned to the start of the BB, which was fairly easy to follow. We found the ascent via BB pretty easy thanks to snowshoes with televators--it probably felt easier because the stressful water crossings were behind us too. There was a section of the BB that went right through a rocky overhang, which we avoided on the descent by resetting the bushwhack just above. We found snowshoes too dangerous for the steep pitch on the descent (lots of black ice, sticks, and rocks underneath), so we switched to spikes.
The Owl's Head Path was in surprisingly good shape. This was my first time on the "new" summit, and there were some decent-tho-partly-obstructed views of Franconia Ridge and the Bonds.
Four groups made the summit today. All very nice folks. Subsequent summit-seekers will need to be skilled pole vaulters or water walkers, as the water is rising!
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 | Name: |
icegulch |
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 | E-Mail: |
icegulch [at] gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-03-06 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.dropbox.com/sc/w0wb6o2qqaz7pwz/AAD9NBMS7QNrkx8XjhOEjRPEa |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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