A returning guest ‘needed‘ Owls Head for their GRID and Redline Guide Chase Hall — our resident Gridder — was ready to help. There weren’t many photos on this trip but Chase did supplement that shortage with some words — which made it sounds like our River Skills course more than a hike. Leave it to the White Mountain National Forest.
There is no free lunch on Owls Head. The start of the hike was pretty fast. We were making great time until we reached the water crossings. Today’s hike was all about the water crossings. The water was too high to rock hop so you needed to take off your boots and find a way to cross. We arrived at the first crossing and just said ‘no turning back now — we got this.’ The water levels were safe enough for fording but it felt like a commitment was being made. The water temps were just cold enough to give your feet a solid break from the heat but not quite warm enough to enjoy a full body dip. You really needed to focus on where you placed your feet and to make sure you had a solid three points of contact throughout the crossing. Once we made the second crossings things started to settle down and we made up our way to Owls Head summit. Lovely day to be hiking in the Whites. The warm days are coming. —Chase
