Owl's Head: Living Up to It's Reputation

The start of a very long day...

I figured I'd put off this mountain long enough. With one more mountain to go for halfway through the New Hampshire 4000 Footers, it was time to knock Owl's Head off the list.

I set off early Sunday morning for the Lincoln Woods Trailhead off of the Kancamagus Highway. The lot was about 75% full when I arrived around 8 a.m., but I figured most of those people were overnighters or car spotters from Saturday. As I got deeper into my hike, I was reassured that very few were there for the same long out-and-back trek I had in store.

One of several nice viewpoints along the Lincoln Woods Trail

I started up the Lincoln Woods Trail for the first 3 miles of the 18.4 mi. mammoth round-trip hike to Owl's Head. It's wide, flat, easy grade made for a pleasant start on what was a bit of a chilly morning for late August. It felt like fall was getting an early start up in the mountains. The trail was completely dry and in fine shape. The viewpoints along the Pemigewasset River-East Branch were some nice first views to take in as I headed deeper into the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Into the wilderness I went, withe Franconia Brook Trailhead just up the trail to the left

 My first little bit of elevation gain came when I reached the boundary for the Wilderness area and subsequently the trailhead for the Franconia Brook Trail. It was a quick, moderate rise up to yet another long flat stretch of hiking deeper and deeper into the forest. Along this trail I got my first short stretches of "mud cake" trail. Nothing that couldn't be avoided along the edges, and still nothing damp either, which was what I was hoping for with it not having rained significantly in the area for over a week. There were a few stream crossing along this trail, but none very wide and all easily done by hopping across a couple rocks.

Deeper into the wilderness still

The Franconia Brook Trail went by quickly and then it was on to the more interesting parts of the hike as I started the stretch along the Lincoln Brook Trail. This trail started similarly to the Lincoln Brook Trail, with a easy, steady, moderate rise until about a half mile in, where I finally came to the first of the two big stream crossings so often referred to as "difficult in high water" when this trail is discussed. Having heard the stories of people wading up to there knees and such, I was hoping the lack of rain for a while would keep the streams running lower, and my hopes came true. This first stream crossing was best done by following a series of rocks from right where the trail entered the water almost straight across to the trail on the other side. It was almost as if they'd been moved to form a hopping path across by hikers before. I didn't mind at all!

The second crossing came shortly after, and was easier than the first. There was a large dry, rocky area in between a split in the flow of the stream, so I was able to tackle this one in two smaller sections. When I got to the other side, it looked as if the trail split in two directions, one to my left and one more straight ahead. The straight ahead route was the correct option as I was soon walking right alongside Lincoln Brook.

From here, the hike began to get much wetter and muddier. Several sections of the Lincoln Brook Trail were thick with mud, and on one step I totally submerged my foot in dark brown "gooey-ness." However, I also found this to be one of the most enjoyable sections of the trail (at least on the way in!) as it was right alongside the brook the whole time. The sound of the rushing water and views of the little cascades let me know I was deep in a beautifully untouched wilderness. Along certain sections of the trail, things did become a little hillier, with care needed not to slip off into the brook in certain spots, but nothing like the challenge to come when I arrived at the Owl's Head Path.

Things got a smidge steep

 When I arrived, two medium sized cairns, about 2-3 ft tall, marked either side of the Lincoln Brook Trail, letting me know I'd reached something. I looked to my right and saw a series of smaller cairns heading up the mountain, confirming I'd reached the Owl's Head Path. From here, things got as steep as I suspected. The trail quickly turned into a slide, with large rocks taking place of dirt and roots. On the way up, the rocks weren't too terribly loose and the footing felt surprisingly sturdy. Unlike the North Tripyramid Slide, which still haunts my hiking dreams, heading up the Owl's Head Path I was never completely laying on rock slabs pulling myself up. I was able to walk up, slowly of course, most of the way with just the aid of my trekking poles. There were also plenty of sturdier trees, roots, and larger rocks to grab onto when the poles wouldn't suffice. The best mountain views of the day were to be had here as well, with fine views of the Franconia Ridge and the deeper sections of the Pemigewasset Wildnerness to the north.

Franconia Ridge from the Owl's Head slide

Looking deep into the Pemigewasset Wilderness from the slide

After a long climb up the slide, the miles I had already logged began to take their mental toll and the ridge of Owl's Head felt like it took forever. Many sections along the ridge were thin and grown in, so plenty of scrub plants were smacking me all over. There was no cairn when I arrived at the flat open area of the "old summit", but there was a clear path straight ahead that continued on to the new summit. There were several blowdowns along the trail that made for some fun limbos. When I arrived at the new summit there was a cairn and few people sitting around to confirm I'd reached my destination.

Heading back, extra caution was needed going down the slide, as now the rocks were much looser with gravity trying to aid me down the path. I took each step slowly, knowing my feet would slide a little in the sandier sections of the slide. There were only a couple places where I fell on my rump, but my gradual pace made for a mostly smooth decent.

And the end to a very long day

Once back on the Lincoln Brook Trail, it was just a fight through exhaustion and pain to make it the long 8 miles back to my car. My feet and shoulders were incredibly sore by the end, and I can safely say that this mountain will be a one and done for me, haha!