| 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: |
Thursday, February 28, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot was wonderfully clean and clear. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I didn't notice at least two of them. The only one I did see was the big one right by the mountain. And it was wonderfully solid, with a fantastic path tamped out on top. A couple modest holes making pleasant gurgling noises, but nothing at all to impede rapid passage. Just about everything you could possibly want. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail was largely unaffected by the inch or so of fresh powder that fell over the past day or so. Very easy to follow end to end. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
On a lark, I looked at the trail conditions, and lo and behold, Owl's Head was reported by two to be in fine shape, and the weather was slated to be clement. I'll echo the message of those two: it's in fine shape. If you need this one for your list, now's a good time to act, because with the current conditions, it'll be hard not to make good time. (My trip was done, car to car, in under 9 hours. The mountain itself consumed about three of them.) Given how warm this winter has been, it's not likely to last very long.
The water crossings were no obstacle whatsoever -- the snow and ice on top is at least 2-3 feet thick. Brutus Bushwhack was easy to follow, though given the steepness and the powdery snow, it'll be a bit tough to climb, even with snowshoes. Going from end to end on the summit required pushing through a lot of branches, but it wasn't a huge issue. All the blow-downs but one could be easily ducked under without slowing down much, if at all. The outlier required crawling under on all fours. But it was just one.
Photos and a narrative are on my blog. Video will be up shortly. |
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 | Name: |
Protean Wanderer |
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 | E-Mail: |
hiker@proteanwanderer.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-02-28 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.proteanwanderer.com/2019/03/01/trip-report-owls-head-winter-nh48-edition/ |
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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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