NH Tramper
Member
Date of Hike: Jun 16, 2012
Trail Conditions: Lincoln Woods Trail was straight, dry, and normal, minus a sign warning of Irene damage and one section that had a barrier around it due to erosion. Black Pond Trail was in decent shape minus a little mud here and there and a couple of step-overs, IIRC. The Whack was, well, a bushwhack, sorta not a ton of fun; went that way to save miles and a couple of crossings. The herd path starts clear at both ends, but soon deteriorates to the point it's really easy to lose. I used a compass to get in since hitting the Lincoln Brook Trail is a no-brainer. To get back -- because Black Pond itself is a small, easy-to-miss target -- I used a GPS. Lincoln Brook Trail was muddy and wet in places, with some downed wood here and there. Nothing I couldn't deal with. The two crossings on this trail were rock-hoppable (I didn't need my Crocs after all) and, in my opinion easy. I realized just how subjective that statement can be: the two people I ended up hiking with both got their boots wet. Whoops! Owl's Head Path was steep and had flowing water on parts of the wooded sections. The open slide was mostly dry. There was a little mud here and there along the way and up top. The summit network of paths were littered with annoying blowdowns.
Special Equipment Required: Trekking poles helped with the crossings and a GPS was a real bonus for precisely nailing the exit saving some tired feet from needless wandering.
Comments: Long day hike, and the whack I could've done without, but there were some great views of the east side of the Franconia Range. The best part was the slide -- I like steep; it means I'm gaining altitude, and fast, though it's hard on my knees. I could also comment on how remote it seemed out there deep in the Pemi, but it didn't seem that way what with all the people crawling all over that mountain. Black flies were out in numbers, too, but they don't like feeding on DEET so I managed just fine.
Along the way, just after the trailhead, I met two new friends: Brenda and Joanne, and Brenda's rottie/lab mix Bonnie. We all hit it off right away and decided to hike the hike as trio, or quad if counting Bonnie. They were fun to hike with, and for that hike it was a blessing having company. Hi guys! Met and spoke with "Greg" who I actually met last weekend on my Carter-Moriah traverse. Come to find out: 1) it's a small world; 2) he's a Gridiot. Good luck, Greg! Also met one other interesting young fellow who was bagging his 48th on Owl's Head today... congrats dude! Ran into other nice folks throughout the day like the big group, huge camera guy, the summit couple (the ones we met at the real summit), and others. Hi everyone! A great day for a hike, though this trip makes me think twice about doing the grid that's for sure.
Mike "Tramper" Cherim
Nottingham NH
Trail Conditions: Lincoln Woods Trail was straight, dry, and normal, minus a sign warning of Irene damage and one section that had a barrier around it due to erosion. Black Pond Trail was in decent shape minus a little mud here and there and a couple of step-overs, IIRC. The Whack was, well, a bushwhack, sorta not a ton of fun; went that way to save miles and a couple of crossings. The herd path starts clear at both ends, but soon deteriorates to the point it's really easy to lose. I used a compass to get in since hitting the Lincoln Brook Trail is a no-brainer. To get back -- because Black Pond itself is a small, easy-to-miss target -- I used a GPS. Lincoln Brook Trail was muddy and wet in places, with some downed wood here and there. Nothing I couldn't deal with. The two crossings on this trail were rock-hoppable (I didn't need my Crocs after all) and, in my opinion easy. I realized just how subjective that statement can be: the two people I ended up hiking with both got their boots wet. Whoops! Owl's Head Path was steep and had flowing water on parts of the wooded sections. The open slide was mostly dry. There was a little mud here and there along the way and up top. The summit network of paths were littered with annoying blowdowns.
Special Equipment Required: Trekking poles helped with the crossings and a GPS was a real bonus for precisely nailing the exit saving some tired feet from needless wandering.
Comments: Long day hike, and the whack I could've done without, but there were some great views of the east side of the Franconia Range. The best part was the slide -- I like steep; it means I'm gaining altitude, and fast, though it's hard on my knees. I could also comment on how remote it seemed out there deep in the Pemi, but it didn't seem that way what with all the people crawling all over that mountain. Black flies were out in numbers, too, but they don't like feeding on DEET so I managed just fine.
Along the way, just after the trailhead, I met two new friends: Brenda and Joanne, and Brenda's rottie/lab mix Bonnie. We all hit it off right away and decided to hike the hike as trio, or quad if counting Bonnie. They were fun to hike with, and for that hike it was a blessing having company. Hi guys! Met and spoke with "Greg" who I actually met last weekend on my Carter-Moriah traverse. Come to find out: 1) it's a small world; 2) he's a Gridiot. Good luck, Greg! Also met one other interesting young fellow who was bagging his 48th on Owl's Head today... congrats dude! Ran into other nice folks throughout the day like the big group, huge camera guy, the summit couple (the ones we met at the real summit), and others. Hi everyone! A great day for a hike, though this trip makes me think twice about doing the grid that's for sure.
Mike "Tramper" Cherim
Nottingham NH
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