| 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, herd path, Owl's Head Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, November 7, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lincoln Woods lot was lightly attended today, maybe 15 cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings were hoppable with care. The final crossing before Brutus, I crossed ~20' downriver from the trail and it went well. It helped that temps were above freezing so things that looked wet were just wet and not icy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
TLDR...river crossings passable with mostly dry feet, snowshoes not quite needed yet but you'll want to at least have microspikes with you...things are pretty wet and colder temps could make things icy in a hurry.
My plans for an early start were derailed by the dreaded words from my wife "Honey, I think the toilet is broken." at 6am. I soon realized the problem, should have left at 5:30am. 1 hour later, the necessary parts had been replaced and arrived at LW at 8:45am. Bare dirt to just past Black Pond (lots of recent beaver activity), where I could see there was 1 hiker ahead of me. Followed the tracks up Brutus Bushwhack, and my analysis was "Not this person's first time on this route." If the tracks are still visible after whatever precipitation we get, it is a good route. I chose to put on micros at the base of Brutus, but the other hiker stayed in bare boots and didn't seem to have issues. Not much ice, just sticky snow down low and powdery snow along the ridge. Just before the summit I finally ran into the other day hiker (Ilse) who I recognized as a fellow Gridder I'd met on the Tris last Winter. We hiked out together which sped the day along considerably, and were further reinforced when half-way down we ran into another gridder Suzanne who had "just wanted to get some mileage in" and knew Ilse would be out so figured she'd join in for the last 4 miles. Between the two of them over 1000 48k peaks...a trove of White Mtn hiking knowledge and the hours flew by. This gridded out Owl's head for me. |
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 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-11-07 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/16388247324 |
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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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