FOLIAGE AT LINCOLN WOODS, 10/13/15

On a warm, mostly cloudy morning/early afternoon, I enjoyed a leisurely ramble at Lincoln Woods, visiting Black Pond and Franconia Falls, with a short bushwhack between. Peak foliage was on display all around.

Fall is a great time to walk the Lincoln Woods Trail. The trail was pretty quiet after the craziness of Columbus Day weekend.

A view along the East Branch of the Pemigewasset.

Osseo Brook at the start of the Osseo Trail.

A long view upstream from a high, eroded bank (use caution!).

Galehead Mountain and SW Twin, zoomed in.

Looking across the river at the Hitchcock peaks.

A sled runner at the site of Camp 8, which was in use for many years along the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad.

A peek at West Bond.

Zoom on West Bond and Henry's Ledge.

The classic East Branch view of Bondcliff and its pointy southern spur peak.

The turnoff for Black Pond, 2.6 miles from the trailhead.

The Camp 7 clearing, at the junction with Black Pond Trail.

This bedframe once held a snoring lumberjack at Camp 7.

Initially the Black Pond Trail follows a short railroad spur.

The Ice Pond, where ice was harvested for the camps, is on the left a short distance in. This is part of the retaining wall for the Ice Pond.

Mount Flume seen across the meadow at the Ice Pond.

An old apple tree at a clearing along the trail beyond the Ice Pond. Not sure if this was a supplemental location for Camp 7. This site is not shown on the various maps of the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad.

Birch Island Brook, behind the clearing.

Farther along the trail, I bushwhacked to Birch Island Brook Falls, which was in good flow.

This campsite, well off the trail, is not a shining example of Leave No Trace techniques.

A small cascade on Birch Island Brook.

Tall hardwoods along the Black Pond Trail.

The southern spire of Owl's Head seen from the outlet of Black Pond.

The wild SE cliffs of Owl's Head.

A beautiful fall scene awaited at Black Pond.

Bondcliff reflecting in the still water.

I followed the fisherman's path around the shore, paying a brief visit to a beaver meadow just north of the pond.

View from the north shore of Black Pond.

From the NE corner, I enjoyed a foliage enhanced view of the Whaleback Mountain ridges and Mount Flume.

A closer look at Flume and its upper NE ridge.

I made a fairly short bushwhack across to the "fisherman's path" along Franconia Brook, some distance north of Franconia Falls.

Looking up Franconia Brook.

Farther downstream, looking up around the corner.

The end of the maintained Franconia Falls Trail, and the beginning of the "fisherman's path" that is sometimes used as a route heading to or from Owl's Head.

The green pool above the falls.

Looking upstream from the top of Franconia Falls.

Looking towards North Hancock from the top of Franconia Falls.

Franconia Falls.

On the return trip, looking down the East Branch to Mount Osceola. Near the end of the hike, I had the pleasure of the company of Tim Muskat and his dog, Junior, who caught up to me on their way out from Owl's Head. For Tim, who is battling leukemia, this hike completed a "post-chemo" round of the 48 4000-footers. In fact, Tim, who has completed the 4000-footer "Grid" five times (!) is hiking as strong as ever, having done Passaconaway with his wife, Carla, the previous day, and the Carter-Moriah Range the day before that. A super hiker, and a super guy! We'll be thinking of him a lot as he goes through a round of severe treatments in November.