BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 11, 2007: Mount Osceola, Main & East Peaks
Greeley Ponds Trail, Mount Osceola Trail
7.8 Miles, 3,100 Feet
Hiked with Jennifer, Marcia (Satori), and John.
We met at the trailhead lot on the Kancamagus Highway at 8:00am. Both Jen-san and Satori need the Osceolas for their Winter 4K lists. I believe John is not yet a list-hiker but he’s headed in that direction with Carrigain and Cabot a couple of recent accomplishments. The first decision for the day concerned foot gear. Based on the condition of the Greeley Ponds Trail at the trailhead there was a question on whether to bring the snowshoes. My opinion was the conditions between the east and main peaks could be very different and we may need them. The last thing I wanted was the posthole police after me. I planned to bring mine but everyone was free to make their own decision. In the end, everybody had their snowshoes and crampons. We geared up, took a couple trailhead pictures, and headed out for our short hike to the Osceolas.
The initial hike on the Greeley Ponds Trail to the Mount Osceola Trail is an easy, quick 1.3 mile warm-up. There were a couple hikers in front of us as we made our way to the junction with the Mount Osceola Trail. When we left the trailhead area there was another couple of hikers preparing for the same hike. The trail was very well tracked out with good footing and little ice. This was an easy cruise. Along the way we stopped to admire the climb that was waiting for us. We reached the Mount Osceola Trail junction, stopped for a quick drink, and headed off for the east peak. The last time I came through this area in winter we stopped to pull out the crampons. This time, we decided to hike until the footing dictated the change. We continued perhaps a quarter mile before that decision came. In this short distance we were also seeing our speed settle back. The hard work was about to start.
With our crampons in place we were once again headed toward the east peak. The pair of bare-booting, testosterone-fueled hikers we left in the lot at the start went past and was soon out of sight. We continued up this steep climb by hiking a couple hundred feet and then a quick stop, and then repeat, over and over again. Along the way we heard another group behind us and gaining. Eventually, a few hundred feet below the slide crossing, this group of four hikers caught us and went past. These folks were using Stabilicers and pushing them for all they were worth. More than once we noticed hikers in this group on all four scrambling up this climb. While they’re better than nothing, Stabilicers are probably very close to bare-booting in this situation. But, they made it and had a great time along the way. The final time we saw this group, except for when they were on their way out, was at the slide crossing. They stopped there for a quick break and to take some pictures of the terrific views. We did the same. The dry, packed snow made the slide crossing easy. The footing was great and there was no concern with ice.
After making our way across the slide the work continued. It actually seemed to become much steeper, (I’m sure this was not my imagination). Slowly, we made our way up this final approach to the ridge line northeast of the summit at approximately 3,100 feet. Just off the trail is a nice lookout, which delivered a needed break in the action. This lookout also provided views to the east peak and main peak, our targets for the day, plus very nice views to the west and northwest (Moosilauke, the Kinsmans, Cannon, Franconia Ridge, and Garfield). We all recovered quickly and were off for the final hike to the east peak summit. Much of the remaining hike to the east peak is mild by comparison, and we enjoyed a relaxed trip to the cairn together. A short distance before the summit cairn we came upon the final pair of hikers that passed us earlier. They were enjoying a lookout off the southeast side of the trail. We stopped for a quick snack and some pictures, they continued on their way.
Pit stop completed we headed for the summit where Jen-san and Satori reduced their lists by one. A few quick pictures and we were off for the main peak. First, we needed to get past the chimney. Along the way we came upon the others that had passed earlier in the hike. We reached the chimney and noticed all tracks lead to the bottom and turn right. There was no indication of any hiker even trying to go up this little test. Jen-san considered it but we managed to convince her hiking the bypass was a better choice. With the chimney behind us we were off on the final few hundred feet in elevation to the main peak.
We stepped out of the trees to the summit clearing and enjoyed fantastic views. There was some thin cloud cover filtering the sunlight and very little wind. We enjoyed some refreshments, snapped lots of pictures, and prepared for the hike out. In less than thirty minutes we were heading back to the east peak and then the long downhill to the trailhead.
We had an uneventful backtrack. The chimney bypass was a non-issue and our crampons made the steep sections easy to deal with. We just needed to stay focused and watch our foot placement at times. On the way out we met one more hiker. This makes the total for the day on the Osceolas to thirteen hikers including us (two groups of four, two pairs, and one solo). The long steep section coming down from the ridge northeast of the east peak had at least a couple hikers sliding nearly all of the way down. We also saw evidence where one lost it and went flying off the trail and down into the trees. No blood, no problem – I guess.
We reached the junction of the Greeley Ponds Trail and removed our crampons. The remaining 1.3 miles would be an easy cool-down cruise to the trailhead lot. Mid-afternoon and we’re packing our things after completing a Winter 4K hike. It’s always nice to finish in daylight.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Greeley Ponds Trail, Mount Osceola Trail
7.8 Miles, 3,100 Feet
Hiked with Jennifer, Marcia (Satori), and John.
We met at the trailhead lot on the Kancamagus Highway at 8:00am. Both Jen-san and Satori need the Osceolas for their Winter 4K lists. I believe John is not yet a list-hiker but he’s headed in that direction with Carrigain and Cabot a couple of recent accomplishments. The first decision for the day concerned foot gear. Based on the condition of the Greeley Ponds Trail at the trailhead there was a question on whether to bring the snowshoes. My opinion was the conditions between the east and main peaks could be very different and we may need them. The last thing I wanted was the posthole police after me. I planned to bring mine but everyone was free to make their own decision. In the end, everybody had their snowshoes and crampons. We geared up, took a couple trailhead pictures, and headed out for our short hike to the Osceolas.
The initial hike on the Greeley Ponds Trail to the Mount Osceola Trail is an easy, quick 1.3 mile warm-up. There were a couple hikers in front of us as we made our way to the junction with the Mount Osceola Trail. When we left the trailhead area there was another couple of hikers preparing for the same hike. The trail was very well tracked out with good footing and little ice. This was an easy cruise. Along the way we stopped to admire the climb that was waiting for us. We reached the Mount Osceola Trail junction, stopped for a quick drink, and headed off for the east peak. The last time I came through this area in winter we stopped to pull out the crampons. This time, we decided to hike until the footing dictated the change. We continued perhaps a quarter mile before that decision came. In this short distance we were also seeing our speed settle back. The hard work was about to start.
With our crampons in place we were once again headed toward the east peak. The pair of bare-booting, testosterone-fueled hikers we left in the lot at the start went past and was soon out of sight. We continued up this steep climb by hiking a couple hundred feet and then a quick stop, and then repeat, over and over again. Along the way we heard another group behind us and gaining. Eventually, a few hundred feet below the slide crossing, this group of four hikers caught us and went past. These folks were using Stabilicers and pushing them for all they were worth. More than once we noticed hikers in this group on all four scrambling up this climb. While they’re better than nothing, Stabilicers are probably very close to bare-booting in this situation. But, they made it and had a great time along the way. The final time we saw this group, except for when they were on their way out, was at the slide crossing. They stopped there for a quick break and to take some pictures of the terrific views. We did the same. The dry, packed snow made the slide crossing easy. The footing was great and there was no concern with ice.
After making our way across the slide the work continued. It actually seemed to become much steeper, (I’m sure this was not my imagination). Slowly, we made our way up this final approach to the ridge line northeast of the summit at approximately 3,100 feet. Just off the trail is a nice lookout, which delivered a needed break in the action. This lookout also provided views to the east peak and main peak, our targets for the day, plus very nice views to the west and northwest (Moosilauke, the Kinsmans, Cannon, Franconia Ridge, and Garfield). We all recovered quickly and were off for the final hike to the east peak summit. Much of the remaining hike to the east peak is mild by comparison, and we enjoyed a relaxed trip to the cairn together. A short distance before the summit cairn we came upon the final pair of hikers that passed us earlier. They were enjoying a lookout off the southeast side of the trail. We stopped for a quick snack and some pictures, they continued on their way.
Pit stop completed we headed for the summit where Jen-san and Satori reduced their lists by one. A few quick pictures and we were off for the main peak. First, we needed to get past the chimney. Along the way we came upon the others that had passed earlier in the hike. We reached the chimney and noticed all tracks lead to the bottom and turn right. There was no indication of any hiker even trying to go up this little test. Jen-san considered it but we managed to convince her hiking the bypass was a better choice. With the chimney behind us we were off on the final few hundred feet in elevation to the main peak.
We stepped out of the trees to the summit clearing and enjoyed fantastic views. There was some thin cloud cover filtering the sunlight and very little wind. We enjoyed some refreshments, snapped lots of pictures, and prepared for the hike out. In less than thirty minutes we were heading back to the east peak and then the long downhill to the trailhead.
We had an uneventful backtrack. The chimney bypass was a non-issue and our crampons made the steep sections easy to deal with. We just needed to stay focused and watch our foot placement at times. On the way out we met one more hiker. This makes the total for the day on the Osceolas to thirteen hikers including us (two groups of four, two pairs, and one solo). The long steep section coming down from the ridge northeast of the east peak had at least a couple hikers sliding nearly all of the way down. We also saw evidence where one lost it and went flying off the trail and down into the trees. No blood, no problem – I guess.
We reached the junction of the Greeley Ponds Trail and removed our crampons. The remaining 1.3 miles would be an easy cool-down cruise to the trailhead lot. Mid-afternoon and we’re packing our things after completing a Winter 4K hike. It’s always nice to finish in daylight.
BIGEarl's Pictures
