Distance: 21.8 miles
Hikers: Vance and Quinn
4000 footer completion count: Owl's Head #39 (4,025 feet)
Our plan today was to complete an 18.2 mile hike of Owl's Head. A twist of fate (and a lack of attention) added a little spice (and mileage) to our trek! Today we followed: Lincoln Woods Trail > Franconia Brook Trail > Lincoln Brook Trail (passing Twin Brook Trail 7.0 mile section) > Owl's Head Path > Lincoln Brook Trail (3.4 mile section) > Franconia Brook Trail > Lincoln Woods Trail
I should have known we were in for a wild ride when the hike began with Quinn swinging from the bridge wire!
He got the Ninja Warrior moves out of his system and we were off...
We strolled along the Lincoln Woods Trail for a while. The trail was pancake-flat and the miles went by quickly.
Perhaps a little too quickly? It was easy to get into a rhythm and before we knew it, we arrived at this beautiful pond with views of The Bonds to the right. As nice as the views were, I'm pretty sure these views weren't part of our original hiking plan!
Completely oblivious to having missed our turn, Quinn takes time for a moment of meditation!
If you're doing the 18.2 mile Owl's Head trip, this is not the Lincoln Brook Trail sign you should be seeing! At this point in our hike, we're up by the Twin Brook Trail intersection. I guess we should have done Galehead while we were in the neighborhood!
Oh well, we enjoyed some nice falls and got to tackle some terrain that isn't found on the other side of Lincoln Brook.
We enjoyed watching this butterfly dancing solo around the clearing.
The flowing water was mesmerizing and there were some deep pools that were calling us for a swim as we ascended. Ultimately, we decided to forego the dip until after we had found our way back on track.
The northern side of Lincoln Brook Trail was muddy and the trail direction was ambiguous in spots. We took a pit stop at this clearing to take in the striking soundless surroundings.
If we hadn't missed our turn, there wouldn't have been boardwalks today. Bonus! As we walked along, the trail slowly disappeared. Quinn found boot prints heading south for a while and then there were no signs of foot traffic to be seen. We reviewed our trusty map and realized that the trail should run parallel to the river we were following through the forest; we were just on the wrong side of the river. A little bushwhacking and a river crossing and we were back on track!
Yes, Owl's Head Path! Quinn was ecstatic. He bolted straight up through the heavy scree.
Quinn said, "Dad, this is the best beast mode I've ever seen!" This was shortly followed by "Dad, my legs are getting shaky; this is a beast mode that needs to end!"
There was a flat section along the top that was like a never ending maze. We met a great group of spirited hikers on top and chatted for a bit. I didn't know if Quinn was going to be out of commission for a while but he wolfed down a sandwich and a half dozen mint Newman O's and jumped up and said "Let's do it!"
We had some good laughs on the way down and he did a couple of his so-called "butt slides" (usually reserved for the snow).
The Owl's Head peak is in the trees but we had some great views of the east side of Franconia Notch Ridge as we descended the Owl's Head Path.
Who put this big tree in the middle of the trail?!
We decided it was time to stop for a well earned swim. It was just what we needed! Our water supply was running low so we filled up too! We had read that there were a couple of water crossings for which people often opted to carry water shoes or cross sans boots. Fortunately, we didn't run into anything that required more than a little rock hopping.
You may remember "Jo-Jo Mountain Climber" from the Osceolas? Quinn is convinced that the critter below (look closely) is from the "Climber Clan" too.
We took a moment to ponder how we possibly missed this crucial turn earlier in the day!
We made short work of the trip back through Lincoln Woods. The weather was very pleasant and we ran into a group from the AMC that we enjoyed traveling with for a while.
Mission accomplished! I'd like to say we stuck to our original plan but what fun would that be?! We certainly experienced a hike that was vastly different than any we've done before in both distance and terrain. Cheers, Quinn! You did great!!!
Quinn's Take
On Saturday my dad and I hiked Owl's Head. The trail started off very flat. As we walked on the trail we decided to do a 5 minute run, 1 minute walk pattern. We did this for a long time. Then we came across a sign. Nooooo!! We thought we went the wrong way! We saw some people up ahead and we asked them if we were on the right trail to Owl's Head. It was the right trail, but it was the longer route to Owl's Head. So we kept going. At one point, the trail disintegrated and we were in the middle of nowhere. Dad got us on the right trail by walking across a river. Now back on the trail, we got to the Owl's Head trail marker. The trail got steep! There was a huge rock slide that was fun to climb. Half way up there were killer views!! At the peak of Owl's Head, we were tired and hungry! We got our picture taken, ate and rested. We headed down the mountain. At the river, we filled our water containers using our water filter and we also took a quick dip. 4 more miles to go! At the car we celebrated with salt and vinegar chips. I couldn't believe that I hiked almost 22 miles!! I'm so happy to have finished Owl's Head! Happy Trails!
No comments:
Post a Comment