| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, February 13, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Lincoln Woods. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The two main crossings of note on this route, in particular the one over Lincoln Brook, are nicely ice-bridged, and water levels are reasonably low. (Of course, that may change with the forecast warmer temperatures later this week.) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing of note. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
With a perfect weather forecast, we opted to try Owl's Head today. From recent posts on this site, we weren't sure what to expect in terms of conditions/trailbreaking.
But, we thought, "what the heck"...
However, there was just too much trail breaking and bushwhack-route-finding for two people, and we ran out of time. We stopped (re-)breaking the Brutus Bushwhack about one mile from the summit.
All in all, a gorgeous day.
Particulars:
Lincoln Woods is packed firm -- bareboot or light traction works fine. From that point on, snowshoes only.
(FYI: the Osseo Trail appears to be tracked out, as well.)
From Black Pond Trail until the Lincoln Brook Trail, we encountered about a foot or more of new snow with a light crust on top, and while this is broken now, it is not consolidated. [Once past Black Pond, we could see no trace of any tracked route (the flat morning light did not help), and so we broke our own Black Pond Bushwhack, with occasional flailing and considerable waste of time. We found and re-broke the tracked route on our return trip, and erased evidence of our outward track, to avoid confusion -- yes, please do stay on the tracked route, and you'll be much happier. Step off of it, and you sink thigh-deep in snow.]
Lincoln Brook Trail, oddly enough, was completely broken -- no new snow on it -- but had not been tracked since before this weekend's rain, because the unconsolidated snowshoe track had frozen solid. Right now, it's consolidated a bit but still a bit hard in spots, but not firm enough to bareboot.
Brutus Bushwhack (or, at least, this season's flavor of it) is in good shape until about a mile from the summit.
Black Pond itself is beautiful right now, too.
We saw no one all day until just before getting back to the Lincoln Woods parking area, when there were droves of people out for an afternoon walk. |
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-02-13 |
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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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