A friend and I did the Osceolas today from Tripoli. The parking lot was jammed when we arrived around 10am.
Trail leading up to Mt. Osceola is in very good condition. Only one (very large) tree over the trail, and it's going to take some work to get that one out of the way.
There is very little snow until just below topping out, and I suspect what remains is not long of this earth. Other than tonight (Sunday), which may get below freezing, the temps for next week look quite warm and even by the end of today the trail up top was flowing like a small river with all of the melt.
There is quite a bit of water on the ridge heading up to the summit, and still a foot or so of monorail, much of which is quite soft.
In between the two peaks I would say the trail is still about 65% or so covered with snow, some of which is avoidable just by walking to the side. THE CHIMNEY IS CLEAR.
We brought snow shoes and microspikes, but given how much of the trail was exposed (and that almost of that was open was rock) we decided simply to bareboot, and it was not a problem at all.
No need for snowshoes any longer, but as the top snow melts off, it might still be handy to have microspikes if the remaining monorail is more frozen than what was at the top today--but I doubt it. I suspect by next weekend there will be much less snow, much more open trail, and perhaps more water. I brought high gaitors, but given the warm to hot temps--and in spots it was HOT--I never felt the need to don them.
None of the really hairy spots heading up from the parking lot where the rock is exposed and one is walking sideways still has snow on it. It was a bit of work dealing with the monorail, but given this week's forecast, I suspect the hassle will soon have melted away.
Brian
Trail leading up to Mt. Osceola is in very good condition. Only one (very large) tree over the trail, and it's going to take some work to get that one out of the way.
There is very little snow until just below topping out, and I suspect what remains is not long of this earth. Other than tonight (Sunday), which may get below freezing, the temps for next week look quite warm and even by the end of today the trail up top was flowing like a small river with all of the melt.
There is quite a bit of water on the ridge heading up to the summit, and still a foot or so of monorail, much of which is quite soft.
In between the two peaks I would say the trail is still about 65% or so covered with snow, some of which is avoidable just by walking to the side. THE CHIMNEY IS CLEAR.
We brought snow shoes and microspikes, but given how much of the trail was exposed (and that almost of that was open was rock) we decided simply to bareboot, and it was not a problem at all.
No need for snowshoes any longer, but as the top snow melts off, it might still be handy to have microspikes if the remaining monorail is more frozen than what was at the top today--but I doubt it. I suspect by next weekend there will be much less snow, much more open trail, and perhaps more water. I brought high gaitors, but given the warm to hot temps--and in spots it was HOT--I never felt the need to don them.
None of the really hairy spots heading up from the parking lot where the rock is exposed and one is walking sideways still has snow on it. It was a bit of work dealing with the monorail, but given this week's forecast, I suspect the hassle will soon have melted away.
Brian
