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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Owl's Head, NH
Trails
Trails: Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl's Head Path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 20, 2017
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes:  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable) 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: The three minor crossings were not very difficult and we did not get wet.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Black Pond Bushwhack was a bit difficult going south. Would be easier with GPS.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs: For 10 minutes we were swarmed near Black Pond, otherwise none to mention.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: We started at Lincoln Woods parking area and hiked Lincoln Woods Trail then up Black Pond Trail. Both Trails were flat and easy going. The Black Pond Bushwhack was fairly easy and we ended up exactly where Lincoln Brook Trail crosses Lincoln Brook. At times there was evidence of a herd path, but it was difficult to follow. We just used a compass and stayed going north. The Lincoln Brook Trail climbs slowly and is muddy in spot, but overall a nice trail. The 3 "minor" stream crossings were done quickly without a lot of thought (the gauge at Lincoln was around 700cfs). Just before the herd path up Owl's Head the trail was a bit difficult to follow, but we quickly found it again and soon found the two cairns marking the herd path up Owl's Head. The slide was very loose, but fun and offered great views on the way up. The trail continued steep above the slide to the summit ridge with a monorail in places, but could be straddled. We had traction, but did not use it. Once on the summit ridge we did not notice a sign at the old summit as seen in other pictures. The trail to the true summit was fairly easy to follow, but had several blow downs that needed to be bypassed. There was still snow in spots, but not much on the trail. We contemplated bushwhacking down Brutus, but ended up going back down the slide. Headed south on the Black Pond bushwhack we followed the herd path almost half of the way before losing it. Using a compass, we just missed Black Pond and ended up hitting Birch Island Brook at a beautiful waterfall. We walked down the brook a couple hundred yards, then saw the Black Pond Trail just above us, so hopped back on that and headed out. Round trip took just over 8 hours. It was a really nice and interesting hike to round out our 4000 footers.  
Name
Name: Dan 
E-Mail
E-Mail: danthetopdogg@hotmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2017-05-21 
Link
Link: https:// 
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