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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, bushwhack, Owl's Head Path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, March 3, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Lincoln Woods wasn’t plowed when I got there around 6:30-6:45 from the snow the night before but it was plowed when I left around 4:30-5. Be careful of a HUGE pothole at the entrance that takes care I totally avoid. Probably less than a half dozen cars when I arrived surprisingly! The other 4-5 that were there all seemed to be parked there overnight anyway. I was surprised nobody doing the Bonds or Owlie hadn’t stated earlier! The parking lot was more full but still plenty f space upon our return at 4:30.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All crossings are well bridged and stable. Some open drainages between Black Pond and Brutus. Biggest issue was a tiny, little thought-to-be frozen mud pit that actually got my boot muddy!!  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: All the actual trails were in good shape although the only one that was blazed (fresh, yellow, and frequent:) was Black Pond Trail . Black Pond Bushwhack had you pushing through some brush but wasn’t bad at all. Brutus and Owls Head Path both had some blowdowns/leaners and a lot of brush you had to push through along with all the twigs and limbs trying to poke your eye out. I’ve had the same hard shell for years and it never ripped until yesterday...;( Everything was easy to follow as there is a well established path. Given how little snow the whites are predicted to get, I imagine they will still be very easy to follow even though you’ll be “breaking trail” over an inch or two of powder.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Saw 2 dogs that seemed fine doing Owlie and a couple more on the Lincoln Woods Trail on our exit.  
Bugs
Bugs: None 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None  
 
Comments
Comments: Great day to do Owlie :) Warm but the snow wasn’t wet or sticky and the snow bridges were still firm. Some beautiful snow falling during the day (absolutely gorgeous when it was falling a bit more heavily in the morning as we walked along Lincoln Woods Trail). Some sun, but also some cloud so that you weren’t mad that you weren’t doing something with better views. Well over a dozen people did Owls Head today... possibly a couple dozen.

Most people did not use snowshoes or just used them on Brutus. This made for a choppy and slightly postholed trail. You would posthole on the way up unless you stepped offf the monorail but if you were heavier and going fast enough on the way down you occasionally would. Not too bad though, mostly just a bit choppy with lots of boot traffic. So with the extra inch or two today snowshoes will be best for a bit. I used crampons up Brutus because I wanted practice with them and a few others did as well but microspikes were used by many and certainly suffice. Given all that and the fact that we’re not supposed to get a whole lot of snow this week, it is a really great time to do Owls Head!! Bring snowshoes but you may be able to spike it until the next big storm.

I did hear that the last 7 people to do Owlie yesterday had snowshoes so that should help smooth things out a bit. Also, I hear that Brutus is broken quite a bit differently than it normally is (avoids birch glades altogether and thus is steeper than usual) but some people broke out a slightly more normal track (see rocket21’s post). BP Bushwhack is a bit different than usual too.  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-03-04 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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