Outdoor Diversion: A Sunday Stroll to Owl's Head

Another beautiful warm summer day was in the forecast and I decided to do the long hike to Owl's Head. I would be doing the usual route starting from the Lincoln Woods Trail to Franconia Brook Trail turning onto the Lincoln Brook Trail and finally the Owl's Head Path that follows a very loose and steep slide to the summit. It's eight miles of relatively flat, easy trails with some potentially challenging water crossings and then one more steep mile to the summit for a total of 18 miles round trip. It's a very long hike for a viewless summit.

In anticipation of a warm and humid day I got an early start. I was out the door at about 3:45 AM. It was dark and foggy making for a very slow and unpleasant drive as I was straining to see if there were any moose standing in the road or about to cross in front of me. I made it out of the fog without any moose encounters but it was still dark and I continued to watch for moose.

It was still dark when I arrived at the Lincoln Woods parking area. There was a waning crescent moon hanging low in the sky. I would be starting my hike with a headlamp. I crossed the suspension bridge over the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River and walked into the darkness on my way to Owl's Head. As I was walking along the Lincoln Woods Trail I turned around to see a light quickly moving toward me and knew it could not be another hiker, it was someone on a mountain bike. He was soon out of sight.

When I arrived at the Osseo Trail junction it was light enough to see and I packed away the headlamp. It was a nice, cool morning but I changed to short sleeves as the sun started coming up. A couple of hikers passed me while I was stopped, apparently on their way to the Bonds as I never saw them again. I turned onto the Franconia Brook Trail and was alone again.

There are two large water crossings on the Lincoln Brook Trail and they were easily crossed as the water levels are currently very low in the White Mountains. I started seeing hikers that had camped overnight. When I reached the Owl's Head Path I stopped for something to eat and to zip off my pants legs because I knew it was going to get warm and it was time to pay for those first easy eight miles.

There were two couples that showed up while I was taking my break. The first couple started up the slide just before me and the second couple just behind me. The slide was just how I had remembered, loose and relentlessly steep. I stopped for a few photos along the way. The good part about this steep climb was that the slide was still in the shade of the mountain and the sun had not climbed high enough yet to beat down and make it a really hot ascent.

I reached the top of the ridge and started across the relatively flat trail to the true summit having to cross over a few blowdowns along the way. When I got to the summit the first couple was there and the second soon arrived. I took another break to cool off and get something to eat while we all chatted for awhile. I got my summit photo and then began the long nine miles back to Lincoln Woods. It was all downhill from here.

I met many hikers coming up the slide as I was descending. The sun was starting to hit the slide and it was getting very warm with no breeze. I was glad to be on the way down. When I got back down to the Lincoln Brook Trail there were three hikers sitting there that I met on my hike to Mount Isolation last week. They were taking a break before going up the slide to the summit. I sat there and we talked while I ate my sandwich. A short break and I began the eight miles back to the parking lot.

It was a long, warm hike back. The last couple of miles on the Lincoln Woods Trail seemed to drag on forever. It's always a welcome sight to see the suspension bridge over the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River that marks the end of a long hike. This was my 44th solo hike of the 48 4,000 footers and 44th summit on my third round. I hadn't planned on doing them solo it just worked out that way.

My early morning start got me up and down the Owl's Head slide before the really warm temps set in just as I had planned. It was an enjoyable hike with some good views of the leaves starting to change color. The seasons are changing and I'm looking forward to some great Fall hiking!

Enjoy the photos and videos!