When I started hiking in the whites I told myself I would just hike the mountains with a view and that peak bagging was a waste of time. As it turns out hiking is about more than just the destinations and its fun to have some shared goals with friends. So with Owl’s Head its a official at number 35 I’m going to be bagging the 48 four thousand footers. I guess it’s easier to say having already done more than half…

My hiking buddy Becca and I are looking to complete the list around the same time this summer.

I don’t want to steal too much thunder on mushroom shots, but here is one.

and another

At the beginning of the trail we ran into Vahnezah and Megan who happen to be going for the same peak. So, we decided to join forces, and share stories.

From Lincoln woods to Owls Head there are a number of water crossings depending on which way is taken. Two of them require some deal of focus to keep the feet dry.

Becca posing for a photo, haha. We have talked a bit about pictures of people taking pictures or eating food. So, here is a staged one..

About keeping the feet dry. Maybe not all of us. Here’s someone walking on water

I’m sorry, have no idea how to pose people without them eating or taking a picture. Some day I’ll figure it out. Got the new hiking tattoo in there though

The only people that summit this remote mountain are likely doing it for the 48. At least everyone we ran into was. Justifiably its probably the least looked forward to on the list being a wooded peak reached by an 18 mile out and back with a slide.

The slide was serious business. Having read reviews about these types of things I’m not sure how to word in in a way that is universally understandable to someone unfamiliar. Its a lot of elevation gain in a short period of time. Seeing the results of an evident rock slide is another reminder that nature is bigger than you.

Vahnezah playing with another toad at the top! We saw 4-5 large toads on our journey.

“I mustache you a question”

Coming back down we decided to skip the slide and go down the Brutus Bushwhack. This was mostly an easy to follow trail. It is just hard to see the entrance on the Lincoln Brook trail. It was quite the relieve to not have to descend via the slide

Butterfly at Black Pond

We decided to skip the two more challenging water crossings and come back via the Black Pond bushwhack. A good part of it was more a traceable trail than a bushwhack. Accept for the part near the pond where we lost that trail a couple of times

The Lincoln woods trail always seems longer going back than it was traveling down to begin with. This bridge is a huge moral booster signaling the end of a long journey. Just in time for “hamburger time” (or shroomburger time) with with our new friends.

Here is a summary of our journey