Osceolas 2/18/10

[loanshark]

James is a high school history teacher, and this being vaction week he was anxious to do some hiking. He didn't need to twist my arm too much. He has been wanting to hike the Osceolas for a while. I told him not to underestimate this hike as there is alot of stuff crammed into a short distance. The hike starts off real easy with the Greely ponds trail allowing for a nice warm up to the steeps later on. Just before reaching the junction with the Osceola trail, we got our first glimpse of the tip of the Osceola North Spur. Things happen really quick at this point as the trail starts to stiffen. The impressive cliffs dominate the next section, then the bottom of the slide. The televators on our MSR's got a real workout as the trail is very steep up to the slide crossing. A bit more work and we were at the outlook. No views today. This was my 3rd trip up here and I have never been rewarded with views. At the East peak we took the usual summit shots and were off. We needed to layer up as the wind started to gust. The trail between the peaks is windblown and drifted but easy to follow. When we got to the chimney I asked James if he wanted to go first. He looked at me like a deer in the headlights. Then I pointed to the bypass. We climbed the bypass on our snowshoes and did o.k. Crampons would not be overkill as the bypass was a mixture of rock, ice and snow. The next summit came quickly, but limited views. We again took the usual summit shots and headed back. The wind really picked up at this point and we were treated to some nice looks at the Tripyramids, Passaconaway, and even Chocorua. The remainder of the hike went quickly and we were back at the trailhead in no time. We started and ended in snowshoes. Crampons may have been a better choice in a couple of places. The stream crossings are solid. No major blowdowns to be concerned with. A nice weekday hike.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576787817UNjqcP?vhost=outdoors&start=12

 

[PETCH]

Nice job Skip. Any day in the mountains beats any day at work. I agree, the Osceolas do have a bit of everything.

Petch

 

[loanshark]

Osceolas

Thanks Petch. The Osceolas are a fun hike. When are you guys doing Isolation?

 

[jjo]

Nice report and pics. Osceola is on my "to do" list. I used to live in N. Andover in my former NE days.. Great access to the whites..

 

[CRAZY BOB]

Nice trip report and photos. The Osceolas are a fun winter hike and when I finish my list I plan on going back and do them a few more times. I hope Petch and I will be doing Isolation mid-March.