Owl's Head

Lincoln Brook Trail 5.29.2013

Franconia Brook 5.30.2013

I took a hike over to Owl's Head in the Pemigewasset Wilderness on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.  The flat Lincoln Woods, Franconia Brook, and Lincoln Brook Trails to the Owl's Head Herd Path were easy enough, although the water was running high at the river crossings along Lincoln Brook.  The steep ascent up the Herd Path brought beautiful displays of rhodora, with its pink flowers a highlight on a rather washed-out day.  The Owl's Head ridge was easily navigated to the summit, although many paths weave in and out around blowdowns. The evening was spent camping at 13 Falls Tentsite after a push through wet brush and puddles along the Lincoln Brook Trail. The following day a puddle-filled trek down the Franconia Brook and Lincoln Woods Trails, with a pleasant, pack-less detour to Black Pond, where West Bond and Bondcliff were in the clear under blue skies, rounded out the foray to one of the least-visited places in the Whites.  

Lincoln Brook Trail 5.30.2013

Although not RMC territory, I always enjoy exploring different areas in the White Mountains, and my hike to Owl's Head helped me remember the beauty and ease of a stroll along the Pemigewasset River, the ever-present sound of Franconia Brook while staying at 13 Falls, and the amazing diversity of terrain the Whites have to offer.  Of course, the Northern Presidentials are hard to beat... I look forward to my time back in the high peaks, amidst the sea of rocks.      -Mac

Painted Trillium by 13 Falls 5.30.2013