| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, herd path, Lincoln Brook Trail, Owl's Head Path, herd path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, September 13, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of space available at 7am and again at 5pm. It was on a Monday, after Labor Day, afterall. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
BP BW bypasses first two on Lincoln Brook. Others on LB manageable rock hops. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most/all of the long walk in is in decent shape. Black Pond BW is so very easy to follow these days that it's almost silly to call it a "bushwhack." We took the slide up Owls Head itself, and in many places there is considerable erosion from all the foot traffic on the lower, exposed portion where all that loose rock is and up back into the trees where the climb still is steep. Some of the small trees along that steep portion have been bent way over, a few almost to the point of having the roots let go, from their being used as handholds. We took the Brutus BW down, and it, too, is very easy to follow. While there were some places on the steepest part where the footing was poor (poles certainly help there), with wet mud slicks here and there, overall that "trail" wasn't as bad as I had thought from reading trip reports since my last trip up that BW. Given the erosion and tree damage on the slide route, I have to wonder which route is preferred, environmentally. Certainly the Brutus route could be addressed with a few well-placed water bars, but that would take some effort, in the middle of someone's very long day. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one, coming down the slide, friendly. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a dog watering bottle in the parking lot, left it atop a fence post for visibility. |
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 | Comments: |
Nice early fall day on the trail with friends. Saw seven others out there (three in pairs, one along, with that dog). |
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 | Name: |
Pappy |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-09-14 |
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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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