Cherry Mountain aka Mt Martha and Owl's Head

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WeRmudfun

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Jan 28, 2013
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Location
Southern NH
We were looking to hike something that wouldn't take all day as we had plans for later, so we decided to hike Cherry Mountain. It's on the Views and Brews, so we needed it (#7 DONE), it is also on 52 with a View and NH 100 Highest for any list baggers out there. The day was great, party cloudy skies with a slight haze.
The funny thing about Cherry Mountain is when you hike it, you summit Mt Martha and Owl's Head (not the long Owl's Head. lol), but never Cherry Mountain. Anyway we parked at the trailhead on RT 115 and started out on the Cherry Mountain Trail. The trail itself is in fine condition, but it is a steady up. As you get near the trail junction with Martha's Mile, the 'up' becomes a little steeper. Not that it's worth mentioning, but we thought the whole hike was going to be a cake walk according to research we did. Also the trail is not marked with blazes, but is easy enough to follow. Once you get to Martha's Mile, the .2 mile to the summit is a cake walk, it's a snowmobile trail.
The summit of Mt Martha used to have a fire tower and the supports are still visible. There are 3 different areas offering views, one being the Presidential Range. After enjoying the views from the summit we took Martha's Mile over to the Owl's Head summit. This part of the trail is marked with blazes, it is very blazed. We were kind of expecting a somewhat flat ridge walk, seeing how these two summits fall under one mountain name...Cherry. Well it was a ridge walk and it started out flat and nice then went down and down and down. It made us not look forward to the return trip. Once you bottom out, there is a small up, then the only real steep part of the whole trip to get to the ledges of Owl's Head.
The ledges offer outstanding views on a clear day. We sat on them for a while, had a snack and a water, then climbed up to the summit. The ledges are much more impressive than the summit is. lol
Overall it is a great way to spend a small part of the day. If you get a chance to hike this mountain, do it, we doubt you'll be disappointed. Oh yeah and other a than a few blowdowns, both trails are in great condition. Also the hike back up Martha's Mile was better than expected.
We did post the video of this hike for anyone who may be interested... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86f2ThnvpUI&feature=c4-overview&list=UUvonD5mWIH03yQY3eosLwcQ
 
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