My personal interest in this property is the result of my frequent travels past the cliff to visit my brother and his wife at their 100% solar powered home less than a mile from the cliff. (My sister in law, Laura Richardson, is a founding member and former president of the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association). A few years ago I also spent quite a bit of time in the area as part of an ad-hoc group that spent three years looking for a missing aircraft. These many trips to the Baker River Valley left me with a deep appreciation for the relatively undeveloped Western White Mountains.
I also happen to be an occasional rock and ice climber, admittedly of minimal ability. But I do enjoy it and have always wanted to have a go at Owls Head Cliff. I believe this cliff has some multi-pitch climbs that us “basic” climbers can handle. Not every climber craves 5.14xxx or 1,000 foot frozen waterfalls, although I have no doubt the 5.14 crowd will find plenty to challenge their krypton fingers and sick brains.
In addition to the obvious and extensive rock climbing opportunities this property has some other valuable features. The most obvious is the large alpine meadow between the cliff and Route 25. Apparently this unique field / bog will be only the second true “alpine meadow” in the entire 780,000 acre White Mountain National Forrest. Although it is not located above the tree line this large meadow provides relatively rare habitat for plants and animals in a location that is easily observed by humans.
Above the meadow and at the top of the cliff there is a raptor habitat. In the 1980’s perigrine falcons were reintroduced to this habitat. This has been successful with a new brood of falcon chicks being raised on the cliff almost every year. In 2007 four chicks were hatched and took their first flights on this site. This is one of the most active falcon sites in the region.
This raptor reintroduction program has indirectly led to my interest in Owls Head Cliff. For several summers a college student, Bill House, was hired to live on top of the cliff and watch over the falcon nests. Bill fell in love with the area. One day while down in the “real world” he noticed a “for rent” sign on a neighboring property. He promptly removed the sign and rented the home. At UNH Bill had an apartment next to my brother Gilbert. After college “Gil & Bill” were able to purchase the property that Bill was renting. Today they each have homes and families on this property, less than a mile from Owls Head Cliff.
