BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 29, 2010: Osceolas
Trails: Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail
Summits: Osceola, Osceola East Peak
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
This hike was a test in more ways than one. Over the past couple days the area of the White Mountains has been hit with a fair amount of late-season snow. April snow is generally heavy, wet, and sticky. The reported amounts indicated snowshoes would be needed. I was pretty sure snowshoeing in this snow was going to take a lot longer than usual. We were also working with a early exit time. Sue had late-day plans that required us to be on the road south no later than 2:00pm. Determined to get another mid-week hike in we moved the usual start time up a little. Right on schedule, Sue pulled into the Exit 6 Park & Ride lot at 2:00am to go hiking.
The drive north was generally quiet except for when a deer was hit by a bread delivery truck south of Plymouth. Big deer, medium size truck, neither did well. We made a quick stop at Lincoln Woods on the way through and then the trailhead for Greeley Ponds Trail near the hairpin on the Kancamagus Highway. Since the new snow at the trailhead wasn’t as deep as expected the only pre-hike prep we needed to do was attach our snowshoes to our packs; we decided to bare boot the early part of the hike.
The Greeley Ponds Trail had roughly two to four inches of new, wet snow at the trailhead. Footing wasn’t a problem since this is a fairly flat trail. The log bridges required some attention since they were really slick and going into the mud pits many of them cross would have been messy. The stream crossings were all easy with plenty of suitable exposed rocks to use for a rock-hop crossing. Some blowdowns block the trail but all were either easy to pass underneath or hike around. All of the other mud pits are in place but passable with clean boots if you think about it for a minute. There are a few mud pits that are hidden by the new snow, those are the problem that exists on the Greeley Ponds Trail. We made our way to the junction with the Mt. Osceola Trail and retired the headlights along the way.
By the time we reached the Mt. Osceola Trail junction the snow depth had increased to roughly six inches. We were still bare booting the hike but it was only a matter of time before the snowshoes came off our packs. We made the turn and headed for the steep climb and the East Osceola slide. The Mt. Osceola trail gains elevation at a faster rate than Greeley Ponds Trail and the snow depth increased quite a bit faster right along with it. Soon we were in twelve inches of new April snow and it was time. We stopped for the snowshoes. We kept the snowshoes on for the full hike over Osceola East Peak, out to Osceola (main peak), and back. We continued on and the hiking was easier with the flotation and traction the snowshoes provided.
Trail breaking progress was slow. Roughly thirty minutes after leaving the Greeley Ponds – Mt. Osceola trails junction we were at the bottom of the steep climb beside the East Osceola slide. There were places where the snow depth was well over two feet, most likely due to drifting. In these areas the climb became very difficult. I knew we planned adequate time to complete the hike allowing for this expected difficulty. Slowly we worked our way through the climb. The process was simple; climb as far as possible then stop and rest; over and over. Sue and I shared the trail breaking lead. I was in the front below the slide crossing and Sue had the lead above the crossing. A little less than two hours after we started the climb we were on the ridge. That was fun! We made a right and briefly visited the viewpoint just off the trail for a couple early-morning pictures and a brief break.
Soon we were back into the hike. The climb to Osceola East Peak seemed easy after completing the steep climb. Conditions were different, however. There was a strong wind from the northwest that we were now exposed to and the ridge had significant amounts of drifting in areas. Some drifts were easily over four feet. The general new snow depth seemed to be around fourteen inches. The drifts weren’t a real problem other than slowing us down as we worked our way through them. We arrived at the summit of Osceola East Peak, got the usual pictures, and were quickly on our way to Osceola’s main peak.
The hike between the peaks is a little more difficult than usual due to the amount of side-slope in the trail at various places. These areas are generally ice and tough to get a solid footing. Most of this problem area is between East Osceola and The Chimney. We worked to stay as high as possible in these areas and were able to make it through without losing our footing and sliding down into the trees below the trail.
We reached The Chimney and split up. I thought the only reasonable approach was to use the bypass and started up. Near the top I looked back and realized I was alone. I continued to the top of The Chimney and pulled out the camera; I was pretty sure Sue would be coming along soon. After a couple minutes there she was climbing The Chimney – on snowshoes! Once again together we continued our trail breaking work to Osceola. The remainder of the hike to the main peak was an hour of hard work. This section of trail has a lot of trail blockage due to bent over trees and generally tight trail conditions. Between clearing snow from the trees over the trail or plowing through them we managed to spend quite a bit more time on this section than I expected. We arrived to Osceola treated to terrific views. Nice reward!
After a few pictures and pausing to enjoy the views the strong northwest wind forced us to start our exit hike and generate some heat. Leaving was easier. Before long we were at The Chimney. I didn’t bother to ask and simply started down the bypass. Roughly half-way down I happened to look over my shoulder and there was Sue. Evidently, descending The Chimney didn’t seem like a good idea.
We cleared this obstacle without any problems and headed into our re-climb of Osceola East Peak. This section of the hike included the side-slope sections and we expected possible problems. Slowly we worked our way through and made it to the summit with no unplanned side trips.
Now all we had to get through was the steep descent along the slide. We didn’t know what to expect. The descent is extremely steep, the monorail and ice from the winter is still in place under the new snow making the footing questionable, and many large flat rock surfaces that provided no traction to snowshoes were hidden underneath the snow. We had an interesting time. Fortunately, the warmer temperature made the snow pretty sticky which really helped in the footing department. With care and only a few falls we made our way to the base of the climb, both in one piece. From there it was an easy cruise to the trailhead.
A short distance before reaching the Greeley Ponds Trail we stopped to retire the snowshoes. We reached the trail junction and were on our final exit run. A little ahead of plan we stepped into the trailhead lot. It didn’t take long to pack, change to more comfortable footwear, and leave. A short visit to Lincoln Woods and we were on the drive south to the Exit 6 Park & Ride.
It was probably the toughest hike we have done to The Osceolas but we had a great time.
Thanks Sue.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail
Summits: Osceola, Osceola East Peak
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
This hike was a test in more ways than one. Over the past couple days the area of the White Mountains has been hit with a fair amount of late-season snow. April snow is generally heavy, wet, and sticky. The reported amounts indicated snowshoes would be needed. I was pretty sure snowshoeing in this snow was going to take a lot longer than usual. We were also working with a early exit time. Sue had late-day plans that required us to be on the road south no later than 2:00pm. Determined to get another mid-week hike in we moved the usual start time up a little. Right on schedule, Sue pulled into the Exit 6 Park & Ride lot at 2:00am to go hiking.
The drive north was generally quiet except for when a deer was hit by a bread delivery truck south of Plymouth. Big deer, medium size truck, neither did well. We made a quick stop at Lincoln Woods on the way through and then the trailhead for Greeley Ponds Trail near the hairpin on the Kancamagus Highway. Since the new snow at the trailhead wasn’t as deep as expected the only pre-hike prep we needed to do was attach our snowshoes to our packs; we decided to bare boot the early part of the hike.
The Greeley Ponds Trail had roughly two to four inches of new, wet snow at the trailhead. Footing wasn’t a problem since this is a fairly flat trail. The log bridges required some attention since they were really slick and going into the mud pits many of them cross would have been messy. The stream crossings were all easy with plenty of suitable exposed rocks to use for a rock-hop crossing. Some blowdowns block the trail but all were either easy to pass underneath or hike around. All of the other mud pits are in place but passable with clean boots if you think about it for a minute. There are a few mud pits that are hidden by the new snow, those are the problem that exists on the Greeley Ponds Trail. We made our way to the junction with the Mt. Osceola Trail and retired the headlights along the way.
By the time we reached the Mt. Osceola Trail junction the snow depth had increased to roughly six inches. We were still bare booting the hike but it was only a matter of time before the snowshoes came off our packs. We made the turn and headed for the steep climb and the East Osceola slide. The Mt. Osceola trail gains elevation at a faster rate than Greeley Ponds Trail and the snow depth increased quite a bit faster right along with it. Soon we were in twelve inches of new April snow and it was time. We stopped for the snowshoes. We kept the snowshoes on for the full hike over Osceola East Peak, out to Osceola (main peak), and back. We continued on and the hiking was easier with the flotation and traction the snowshoes provided.
Trail breaking progress was slow. Roughly thirty minutes after leaving the Greeley Ponds – Mt. Osceola trails junction we were at the bottom of the steep climb beside the East Osceola slide. There were places where the snow depth was well over two feet, most likely due to drifting. In these areas the climb became very difficult. I knew we planned adequate time to complete the hike allowing for this expected difficulty. Slowly we worked our way through the climb. The process was simple; climb as far as possible then stop and rest; over and over. Sue and I shared the trail breaking lead. I was in the front below the slide crossing and Sue had the lead above the crossing. A little less than two hours after we started the climb we were on the ridge. That was fun! We made a right and briefly visited the viewpoint just off the trail for a couple early-morning pictures and a brief break.
Soon we were back into the hike. The climb to Osceola East Peak seemed easy after completing the steep climb. Conditions were different, however. There was a strong wind from the northwest that we were now exposed to and the ridge had significant amounts of drifting in areas. Some drifts were easily over four feet. The general new snow depth seemed to be around fourteen inches. The drifts weren’t a real problem other than slowing us down as we worked our way through them. We arrived at the summit of Osceola East Peak, got the usual pictures, and were quickly on our way to Osceola’s main peak.
The hike between the peaks is a little more difficult than usual due to the amount of side-slope in the trail at various places. These areas are generally ice and tough to get a solid footing. Most of this problem area is between East Osceola and The Chimney. We worked to stay as high as possible in these areas and were able to make it through without losing our footing and sliding down into the trees below the trail.
We reached The Chimney and split up. I thought the only reasonable approach was to use the bypass and started up. Near the top I looked back and realized I was alone. I continued to the top of The Chimney and pulled out the camera; I was pretty sure Sue would be coming along soon. After a couple minutes there she was climbing The Chimney – on snowshoes! Once again together we continued our trail breaking work to Osceola. The remainder of the hike to the main peak was an hour of hard work. This section of trail has a lot of trail blockage due to bent over trees and generally tight trail conditions. Between clearing snow from the trees over the trail or plowing through them we managed to spend quite a bit more time on this section than I expected. We arrived to Osceola treated to terrific views. Nice reward!
After a few pictures and pausing to enjoy the views the strong northwest wind forced us to start our exit hike and generate some heat. Leaving was easier. Before long we were at The Chimney. I didn’t bother to ask and simply started down the bypass. Roughly half-way down I happened to look over my shoulder and there was Sue. Evidently, descending The Chimney didn’t seem like a good idea.
We cleared this obstacle without any problems and headed into our re-climb of Osceola East Peak. This section of the hike included the side-slope sections and we expected possible problems. Slowly we worked our way through and made it to the summit with no unplanned side trips.
Now all we had to get through was the steep descent along the slide. We didn’t know what to expect. The descent is extremely steep, the monorail and ice from the winter is still in place under the new snow making the footing questionable, and many large flat rock surfaces that provided no traction to snowshoes were hidden underneath the snow. We had an interesting time. Fortunately, the warmer temperature made the snow pretty sticky which really helped in the footing department. With care and only a few falls we made our way to the base of the climb, both in one piece. From there it was an easy cruise to the trailhead.
A short distance before reaching the Greeley Ponds Trail we stopped to retire the snowshoes. We reached the trail junction and were on our final exit run. A little ahead of plan we stepped into the trailhead lot. It didn’t take long to pack, change to more comfortable footwear, and leave. A short visit to Lincoln Woods and we were on the drive south to the Exit 6 Park & Ride.
It was probably the toughest hike we have done to The Osceolas but we had a great time.
Thanks Sue.
Pictures will follow.
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