Owl's Head - July 30, 2005

[MichaelJ]

Date(s) Hiked:
July 30, 2005

Trails(s) Hiked:
Wilderness Trail, Franconia Brook Trail, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl's Head Path

Total Distance:
18.0 miles, 2850' elevation gain

Difficulty:
Very long and strenuous. The slide is very loose and requires great care. Do not attempt this hike in wet conditions.

Conditions:
Absolutely perfect. Dry, sunny, cool, breezy. Crossings were trivial rock-hops.

Special Required Equipment:
Poles or a walking stick useful on the slide. Plenty of extra water or a filter mandatory.

Trip Report:
Is the alarm clock snooze button really a good idea? Was the concept a gift from the gods, or just a modern-day apple with which to tempt humanity? Saturday morning I was already planning to start on the 9-mile-long trail to Owl's Head close to 2 hours behind HikerBob. The snooze button would make it a little harder.

Owl's Head sits in the center of the Pemigewasset Wilderness; it is an 8 mile hike with 1,350 feet of elevation gain just to get to the base of the unofficial "Owl's Head Path". This portion of the hike is relatively easy, following the routes of J.E. Henry's old logging railroads. It begins with the nearly-straight, nearly-flat Wilderness Trail, turns onto the Franconia Brook Trail, then onto the Lincoln Brook Trail, following Lincoln Brook the entire rest of the way.

From the cairn out on the Lincoln Brook Trail, the Owl's Head Path has a completely different character, heading directly up a slide on the west side of the mountain. This slide is very loose, made up primarily of rock around 4-8" across, interspersed with gravel patches, exposed loose dirt, and the occasional large chunk of unmoving rock. Portions of slab are exposed along one edge for a stretch. From the top of the slide, the trail moves into the trees, continuing to climb as steeply as before until the contours start to spread apart, where the trail then makes a few switchback-like turns before attaining the ridge and heading easily to the marked summit, 1,500 feet in only a mile from the cairn.

HikerBob's plan was to be on the trail at 6:00am with his coworker Lisa. Living a bit over 2 hours from the trailhead, that would have meant waking up far earlier than I ever intend to, so I had told him that I'd be on the trail at 8:00am, and would simply do my best to catch up to him. Bob's not a speedy hiker and stops a lot to take pictures, so I hoped that given the great distance involved in getting out to Owl's Head, I would be able to make up some time and hopefully catch them on the summit or not too far from it on their return.

Unfortunately, I was a victim of the snooze button that morning, was late getting on the road, and wasn't stepping onto the suspension bridge (after a short hello from a ranger named Fred who saw my VFTT shirt and commented that he had a sticker on his truck) at the start of the Wilderness Trail until 8:45am, 2:39 behind Bob and Lisa (they'd left on note on his car). This would mean the worst: hiking out 7 or 8 miles only to bump into them and then having to decide whether to summit and hike out alone or turn around with them. Remember, I was out only for fun; I've finished my 48 and outside of winter I didn't need to climb Owl's Head again. Since I didn't want a quandry, I put it into high gear and hauled myself down the trail as fast as I could.

I cruised by several groups of people on the Wilderness Trail, some just day hikers or tourists heading to Franconia Falls for the day, others with backpacks loaded up for the weekend. I was at the Pemi Wilderness boundary and the junction with the Franconia Brook Trail in only 45 minutes (2.9 mi). The weather was beautiful - clear blue skies, temps in the mid to upper 60's, and a light breeze. I continued to the crossing of Franconia Brook. Under wetter conditions, this can be a difficult crossing, and often hikers will bushwhack from Black Pond to avoid this crossing and the subsequent crossing of Lincoln Brook. Today, however, I was able to rock-hop both brooks without incident. I stopped for a brief snack on the bank before continuing on.

The Lincoln Brook Trail is a little more difficult to set a rhythm on. While there are sections that are smooth and well-packed, there are quite a few areas where the bank has collapsed and instead of an old railroad bed there are rocks and roots, wandering left and right and watching every step. Through the trees I could glimpse the southern slide (not normally, if ever, climbed) and the pointed feature actually known as the Owl's Head, a considerable distance from the summit.

Finally I arrived at the cairn marking the junction with the Owl's Head Path at the base of the slide. It's not the same cairn that was there last year, but is a fine one nonetheless; thanks to Sherpa John for rebuilding it! I was 8 miles from my starting point in only 2:45, and I could feel every footstep throughout my body. After talking briefly with two other hikers starting up the slide, I stashed my extra water bottle (it was still frozen and not drinkable, so why carry the two pounds), ate my sandwich, and started up.

The path is well-marked with cairns and blue blazes, and does not hesitate at all - it goes right up. The slide was loose as always, but dry, and not a problem at all to ascend. My steps were slow and careful; I didn't mind the slow! Soon, an amazing view opened up behind me. From Lincoln Brook rose a steep bank to a plateau-like crest. From there, the massive gothic line of Franconia Ridge towered, scarred by the great slide down the back of Mt. Lincoln. I had a clear view from Garfield all the way to Flume, a view not from above, but still from below, with a feeling of enormity.

After negotiating the slide, the trail enters the woods at a small, gurgling spring. I dipped my bandana, wiped my face, and entered the trees. The trail here was just as steep, climbing roughly over eroded rock and exposed roots. Over time and distance it would ease into a more moderate climb and turn away from the fall line, where the only challenges were a number of blowdowns. It was in that stretch that I discovered from another hiker that HikerBob was not far ahead of me, and still going up. Not much futher up I did catch him, and we walked together across the top of the ridge to the summit, where I jumped just ahead of him so that I could joke about starting so far behind and still beating him to the top. I made the 9 miles, 2850' elevation gain, in 4:15; book time is 5:55. Okay, I'll be honest ... I'm proud of that.

Lisa had already been sitting at the summit, and we all took pictures, celebrated Bob's 47th of the 48 NH 4000-footers, and enjoyed sitting and snacking. It's a wooded summit, but is open and picturesque in its own right, and the weather was beyond perfect with very few bugs.

We eventually had to accept the fact that there were still 9 miles back to the car, and to start down the trail. Descending the slide was not a problem - some people don't like loose slides, whereas I prefer them over open slabs. I just put myself into a snowshoeing mentality and expect the ground motion under my feet. We regrouped back down at the cairn, speaking to some other hikers on their way around to 13 Falls campsite. In all we probably saw 8 or 9 people heading up Owl's Head - it was a popular summit that day!

After a quick snack we started back. I was in need of water and had brought my filter, so we paused at the crossing of Liberty Brook for me to resupply. There we saw a couple of adults with kids who I think were scouts. They had huge packs and that late in the day I'm not sure where they were heading; these were in fact people I'd passed that morning on the Wilderness Trail. We exchanged pleasantries and moved on, making good time down the trail, reveling in the sunlight cast through the green forest and the gurgling of the brook to our side. All the crossings again went smoothly, and once on the Wilderness Trail, Lisa and I let our strides out and cruised ahead of Bob; it felt really good to take long steps and not have to manage our footing. We got to the suspension bridge at 6:40pm, and I immediately went down to the bank of the East Branch to soak my feet in the cold water while waiting for Bob. It felt good. Really, really good.

HikerBob arrived just before 7:00, and from there it was just a short struggle up the stairs by the ranger station and we were back at our cars. While I don't think I'll be reclimbing Owl's Head on a whim anytime soon, it was an excellent and enjoyable day with great company. I've now climbed Owl's Head both as an overnight and as a day hike, and the feeling of accomplishment is a good one.

I only took a few pictures on this trip, so I didn't create an entire album. Just click on any of the above thumbnails to go to the full-size (approx 1.7MB each), or look at my album from last year\'s 2-day trip, exactly 53 weeks prior to this one.

[ga2ski]

Nice post I'm hoping to do that one with summer or fall.

[cbcbd]

Very good report, MichaelJ, that was a fun read.
That must've been some gnarly accent up the loose stuff, but I could see having a good time coming down (with a day pack and trekking poles ). This sounds like a very nice day hike with challenges and rests. I will have to try it!

I immediately went down to the bank of the East Branch to soak my feet in the cold water while waiting for Bob. It felt good. Really, really good.

Yep, I know that spot, and hell yeah, it feels sooo good.

Doug

[MichaelJ]

I gotta say - 18 miles isn't bad when 16 of it is nearly flat, but my feet did ache that night and the next morning. I think if I'm going to do Owl's Head again (which I will, I'm sure) I will have trail runners / approach shoes / whatever they're called.

[thetrailboss]

Good, solid report. Thanks!

[MtnMagic]

Great t.r. MJ as usual and some fabulous pix to go along with it.

I gather you are not too fond of the Black Pond bushwhack since last summer.

Nice long hike to spend a day off on Saturday!

[MichaelJ]

I gather you are not too fond of the Black Pond bushwhack since last summer.

Oh, it wasn't horrible, but since all the crossings were trivial and the trail conditions excellent, I think it wouldn't have been worth it. I was able to go faster and make better time staying on the trail, and at worst i broke even, at best I was quicker than with the 'whack.

If I ever go back in Winter, well, that will definitely be via Black Pond.

[SkiDog]

sweet detailed report.....you move pretty quick too...im only SLIGHTLY slower than that....

I did 8.6 in about 5hrs with about 2300elv gain....i'm getting old though

nice report though...

M