| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owlshead, Mt. Martha, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Owl's Head Trail, Cherry Mountain Trail, Martha's Mile |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 19, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Both parking areas were pretty solid and completely open. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No big streams, but the mix of flowing water and mud in places on Owls Head Trail is a bit tricky. Poles were helpful. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The main issue to me was the apparent lack of any sign for Martha's Mile on Owls Head. I gave up looking for the trail assuming it was further back down. (I hadn't read the AMC Guide and it was so long ago that I was on this trail I couldn't remember it.) When I came over from Mt. Martha I found the sign but it was down the trail far enough it couldn't be seen unless one had already found the trail, and it isn't obvious the way it come up into the ledge winding around rock. Owls Head had some mud, slush and flowing water in its lower sections. Spring snow gradually increased with elevation but it wasn't deep and there is no real monorail, just a few places where one could bootprint a few inches. Its short but steep final section has some ice underneath so I put on my Evo Ascents. Microspikes would have been okay too but I figured the Ascents would be less slide prone going back down, and they were as long as there was snow. I didn't bring the snowshoes with me on the Cherry Mtn. trail hike and they weren't needed. I put on the microspikes after the clear cut area and kept them on until back. Martha's Mile crust held be up; but it looked like it had enough snow if it was soft snowshoes could be advantageous. There were one easily avoided blowdowns on the Cherry Mtn. trail early on, and a more significant one requiring a walk around on Martha's Mile. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pretty easy day for Pepper. There were moose and deer tracks, possibly coyote tracks and grouse to check out as mild curiosities. We saw 2 dogs with a couple on Owls Head heading up as we were going down. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The hike up Owls Head was Plan C, as the weather and the forecast were once again on different pages. Owls Head would have some nice views but it was in the clouds, and when I couldn't find Martha's Mile we just turned around. There was some wind and even a few pellets of snow; still winter like on top. We ran into the only other hikers we saw today part way down; they were barebooting. When I drove by the Cherry Mtn trailhead I stopped to debate where we should hike it, and Pepper started up the trail. So I grabbed the pack, sans snowshoes, and followed him. It made the day. The clouds lifted a little near the end, and we got some views from both Mt. Martha and Owls Head although the higher summits remained shrouded in clouds. The sun brightened things up and the easy hiking back from Owls Head was fun. In the end that good feeling is what I'm left with from the whole day. Pepper seemed pretty pleased too. It's hard to beat a day on the trails with such a good buddy. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-04-19 |
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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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