| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owlshead, Mt. Martha, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Owl’s Head Trail, Martha’s Mile |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 16, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of spots. There was only one other car there when we started and none when we finished. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only real crossing was easily rock hoppable. I honestly think my feet got more wet from the trail itself… |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail markers from the WMNF boundary to Owl’s Head could use a refresh. There’s one place where the group ahead of us went the wrong way because it wasn’t well-marked.
Couple of blowdowns and duck-unders. One big one on Martha’s Mile that came down in the middle of the trail. It was easy to get around in the snow, but might need some attention in a few months. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Bring a towel. |
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 | Bugs: |
One, singular mosquito. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The first mile or so of Owl’s Head was a muddy, mucky morass (a soupy swamp, a quagmire I tell you!). On the way up, there were patches of snow from the beginning but on the way down, the snow disappeared entirely below about 1500 feet. Around 2000 feet the snow fully covers the ground. It was only a few inches deep at first and we barebooted all the way to Owl’s Head. We broke out Martha’s Mile in snowshoes as it looked like no one had been that way since the last dump of snow. The snow, despite being several feet deep in spots, was pretty firm. We kept the snowshoes on all the way back to the snow line on our way down because the snow started to turn to mashed potatoes at lower elevations by the afternoon.
Views were good in most directions except the northern Presis were completely socked in. Pics and vids coming soon to Insta @quantum.moxie |
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 | Name: |
Ian D |
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 | E-Mail: |
iantdurham at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-16 |
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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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