| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhacks, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl's Head Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 26, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lincoln Woods lot off NH 112. This large lot is paved, plowed in winter. Bathrooms are normally heated and open, however, they are presently out of order as the solar powered water pump is not working. The bathrooms have no water. This did not stop people from voiding and defecating in the toilets… |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are two water crossings just before the Brutus bushwhack. One was no issue with exposed, ice free rocks. The second one necessitated spikes as nearly all rocks were slathered in solid ice. Ice bridges on this second crossing building up, held my weight (160LBS), but I negotiated carefully. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great trails for dogs. Nothing treacherous other than the second water crossing mentioned above. The ice bridges should hold them fine. Two doggies met, super cute and friendly. Personal recommendation: I would leash them on Lincoln Woods (I met the dogs on other trails) as it is quite popular with the masses. |
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 | Bugs: |
Heh, heh! Nope! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
One black glove left on tree branch on Lincoln Woods. One poor fella lost his Subaru car key through a hole in his pocket. Dude. That sucks. |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Lincoln Woods > Black Pond Trail > Black Pond bushwhack > Lincoln Brook Trail > Brutus bushwhack > back the way I came.
Lincoln Woods: flat, fast, popular, not blazed. This wide trail was covered in thin blue ice this morning. Little to none when I returned this afternoon. I did not wear spikes as I could negotiate the ice using the awesome lugs on my winter boots.
Black Pond: gently graded, well blazed in yellow, simple to follow the 0.8 miles to the pond. Trail surface was ice with a dusting of granular snow. Traction was not an issue in bare boots both morning and afternoon. Black Pond itself is starting to freeze over. Only one mud/muck section approximately 5 feet long that took a moment to negotiate.
Black Pond bushwhack: I have never had such an easy time following a herd path. I took a compass bearing just in case, but did not need it or Gaia’s map (disclaimer: this was my 4th trip using the bushwhack). The surface in the morning was icy with a thin granular snow cover. It was enough surface tension to use bare boots in the morning. By afternoon, the numerous boots made the surface much more slick. I had taken off my spikes earlier and stubbornly refused to put them back on in the afternoon. I did fine, but could have moved a bit faster with added traction. There is a small creek crossing on this trail that is open and running, but no ice. There are those pesky large mucky areas near the pond that threaten to suck your boots right off your feet if you step off the exposed rocks/roots.
Lincoln Brook: gentle grade, not blazed. Footbed simple to follow. In the morning I contemplated putting on my spikes as there were increasing sections of ice and snow, especially when the trail travels alongside the brook. But I elected to remain in bare boots and did fine with conscientious foot placement until the water crossing mentioned above. On the return, I did not remove my spikes until I was back at the Black Pond bushwhack jct. I was able to travel much faster with traction as I did not have to think about where my feet were going. In the afternoon much of the snow had melted leaving a jigsaw of ice, snow and open trail. Thank goodness my spikes were my rock spikes…
Brutus: this is the traditional winter route. It was completely broken out today and simple to follow. Snow levels minimal (less than 1 inch) on the lower slopes, increasing snow levels to almost snowshoe worthy depth once past the slide bushwhack junction. Some form of traction a must, though two young persons were wearing only trail runners. This ‘whack is unforgivingly steep. Not much ice today. The summit carin is still visible above the snow. There are a few blow downs to negotiate once up near the height of land.
Super fun to have met a fella who has hiked Owls 31 times. Yeah- you read that right. 31 times! Also awesome to have met Molly, Donna and Alex; along with their fun and lively crew, on this trek. Happy Birthday!!! I’m sure we’ll cross paths again.
Hopefully the young persons electing to take the slide bushwhack this afternoon did ok. The crew mentioned above tried their best to educate the youngsters on the best (read “safer”) winter route and forego the slide. But we all make choices. If it were me, I’d listen to those who’d gone before me… |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-11-26 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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