All 4 Osceolas in December

[rocksnrolls]

I've only got 4 more to go to finish the 48. One of them is East Osceola. Instead of doing it as a quick up-n-back from the Kanc via Greely pond Tr, I'm thinking of adding in a bushwhack along the NW ridge to visit Middle and West Osceola. I was also looking at the map and wondering about the feasability of then continuing NW down to the East Pond Tr and back out to the Kanc that way. Has anyone out there got any experiences with that particular 'whack that they would like to share? Anyone interested in joining me on this hike? I'm busy the first weekend of the month, but could be open to any of these dates: 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, though I'd prefer a Saturday.

 

[yellow dog]

I did the same trip a couple of weeks ago and found that continuing the bushwack to the East Pond trail was easier than backtracking. I would make sure that you stay to the high point of the ridge down to the trail to make the bushwack as short as possible. It's easy to start going downhill parallel to the trail instead of where it goes through the notch.

The notebooks in the canisters need to be replaced. There were only scraps of paper in the first one and the second was water damaged.

There is a herdpath at the corner of a switchback after you have gone over the top of the peak and are on the way down the other side towards the Tripoli road that should make the bushwack a little easier. I kept going on and off it but it helps some.

I like the view from the top of the cliff on the West Peak.

 

[rocksnrolls]

I did the same trip a couple of weeks ago and found that continuing the bushwack to the East Pond trail was easier than backtracking. I would make sure that you stay to the high point of the ridge down to the trail to make the bushwack as short as possible. It's easy to start going downhill parallel to the trail instead of where it goes through the notch.

The notebooks in the canisters need to be replaced. There were only scraps of paper in the first one and the second was water damaged.

There is a herdpath at the corner of a switchback after you have gone over the top of the peak and are on the way down the other side towards the Tripoli road that should make the bushwack a little easier. I kept going on and off it but it helps some.

I like the view from the top of the cliff on the West Peak.

thanks for the info, that's the kind of stuff I was looking for! I'll try to remember to bring replacement notebooks for the cannister

 

[una_dogger]

I'm off saturday the 16th and am interested.

Can you post more details? Mileage, start time, etc.

Thx.

 

[rocksnrolls]

I'm off saturday the 16th and am interested.

Can you post more details? Mileage, start time, etc.

Thx.

I've got one other vote for the 9th. I'll make a decision by the middle of next week as to which day to go. By then I'll have the milage, etc figured out and will post it

 

[dRitter]

count me as a strong maybe, I bailed on the West Peak whack last fall, got off course and realized I was walking about 20 feet off the ground on blowdowns in brutal fog.
Damon

 

[una_dogger]

well, there's your third!

ya'all have a GREAT hike!

please keep me in the loop for upcoming winter adventures.

s

 

[rocksnrolls]

count me as a strong maybe, I bailed on the West Peak whack last fall, got off course and realized I was walking about 20 feet off the ground on blowdowns in brutal fog.
Damon

Damon, do you have a preference as to which weekend we go?

 

[dRitter]

My preference would be the 16th, hopefully we'll have snow on the ground by then so we can put on the snowshoes and have a winter whackfest. Next weekend is tied up with company party night in Bean town

 

[rocksnrolls]

date decided

OK, I've decided on Saturday 12/9 for this trip. Sorry to Damon and Una_Dogger - maybe you two should plan to do the hike the following weekend?

The route:

meet at East Pond Tr TH on the Kanc, carpool to the Greeley Pond Tr TH on the Kanc (to avoid the terribly long road walk ). Greeley Pond Tr to Mt Osceola Tr, bushwhack the ridge across Middle and West Osceola out to the height of land on the East Pond Tr, then out to the Kanc via East Pond Tr.

Trail milage is 5.7mi with about 3000' of elevation gain and a book time of about 5 hours (assuming time from GP Tr to Osceola main summit would be about the same as the time to hike from Tripoli to the East summit). 'whack distance is about 2 miles so if we can make .5mph that makes for a total hike time of 9 hours.

Meeting time at the carspot will be at 7am which means we should be out around sundown.

Joining me will be PoisonIvy. She wants me to warn anyone interested that she hikes slowly. I plan to hike along at her leisurely speed until summitting East Osceola, then hurrying on so that I can climb up and down the chimney a few times while I wait for her . Then we'll hike at her pace the rest of the way. I suppose if anyone else is interested in the hike but doesn't want a slow pace, maybe we could rendezvous at the main summit and do the whack together?