uphillklimber
Member
Originally, we had planned to hike into 13 falls campsite from the Kanc, then up to Garfield, across the Franconia ridge trail to Liberty Spring Tentsite and back to the Kanc. Sounded just right for a 3 day weekend. And we haven't been hiking for many many months. But.... with my wifes concern about the ridge trail, and the wind and the rain coming from some of the remants of the hurricane down south.... We opted to do the Osceolas from Tripoli Rd as a day hike instead. We had attempted the Osceolas from the Kanc last year around Thanksgiving, but turned back due to icy ravine crossings. (Better to live and hike another day...) Now, on to the trip report:
We left home at 7ish and headed to the Osceola trailhead. We were amazed at the number of campsites on the roadside going in the Tripoli Rd. Even some empty ones on this Labor day weekend. If only we had known, we'd have come up last night. Next time! We actually start hiking at 9:22 AM, with several other groups. A little leapfrog going on as folks adjust what they are wearing for the conditions. The day is overcast and very windy.
There are a good number of dogs on the trail, including our Suzy. Seems the dogs enjoy it even more than their masters. All the dogs on this trip are good natured, fun loving dogs. Seems we always run into one that has to try to be dominant, and the owner is oblivious to what their dog is doing. Still, when passing others, we hold Suzy to the side, as other hikers may not love her sniffing at them. We are thanked for doing so by a couple of ladies hiking by. (For perspective, I used to deliver papers, and have been bitten by many a dog that "doesn't bite").
The trail up is well established and fairly easy hiking. There are a couple of double fall lines here and there, and some are wet, but nothing treacherous. Finally, I have chosen a trail that my wife does not cuss at me about!!!! Along the way, we get several views of Mt Tecumsuh and the Waterville Valley Ski Resort. No highway sounds are heard, but it is very windy, so that dampens many things. In less than 2 hours, we are at the top, after 3.4 mile and 2050 elevation gain.
At the top of Osceola is a myriad of trails and campsites. We are intrigued, we love camping atop peaks. And there is an expansive panorama, about 200 degree views, across the valley and over many a peak. What a site!!! Perhaps we shall visit again, perhjaps during a meteor shower to watch the show one night. What a perfect place for this! We will watch for water source on the way back down.
It is windy, very windy ontop. Our t-shirts are soaked with sweat from where the daypacks rest on our backs. We go back into the woods and take off our t-shirts. We put on our long pants, fleeces and shells, as well as hats and gloves. It's about 55 degrees out and very windy, we're glad to have the gear. Our t-shirts get turned inside out and get hung over a tree to dry in the breeze. It's chow time. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches never tasted so good. More crackers and cookies follow. We take in the view and gather our strength back.
As soon as the t-shirts dry, we head over to the east peak. All the other clothing is packed away, and we are hiking in shorts and t-shirts again. It takes a little less than 2 hours to get there and back, only a mile each way. There is no view from the East peak, but there is a campsite there. There is a chimney between the twopeaks, and there are a couple choices up or down it. Neither are easy, though the dog and I do fine with it. Remember what I said about my wife not cussing me for trail choice??? That was all over here! LOL. Each trip on the chimney, I was directly below her, helping place her feet and providing a safety net.
We are back at the "Main" peak, and are still in awe of the view. It is still so windy that I do not venture near the edge. I love to stand on the edge and look out. I do not know why this has such allure for me, but it does. And today, there is no way I am doing this. The wind is strong, and at times, I can lean into it and not fall. Our t-shirts are drying again, and as soon as they dry, we head back down.
On the trip back down, we make decent time, taking less than 2 hours to do so. Our legs grow more rubbery as we descend, but more frequent breaks and 3 musketeer bars help that out. We are looking for water sources as we descend. We'd really love to camp atop this peak. We are discouraged by the lack of water. Some 2-3 miles down before we find viable water. There are signs of water runoff areas, but we'd have to time it right to catch the runoffs, and the meteor showers are late in the season for them to be counted on. That means we each would have to carry some 4 liters plus of water up the hill. While that may discourage us somewhat, it is a short hike, with a great reward for the effort. Next year, for the meteor shows...... Perhaps you could join us?
As a bit of a prologue, we think we made the right decision for us, to avoid the Franconia Ridge trail. This is our first trip of the season, and with the weather.... We'll enjoy that trip at another time. But this trip was just awesome today.
We left home at 7ish and headed to the Osceola trailhead. We were amazed at the number of campsites on the roadside going in the Tripoli Rd. Even some empty ones on this Labor day weekend. If only we had known, we'd have come up last night. Next time! We actually start hiking at 9:22 AM, with several other groups. A little leapfrog going on as folks adjust what they are wearing for the conditions. The day is overcast and very windy.
There are a good number of dogs on the trail, including our Suzy. Seems the dogs enjoy it even more than their masters. All the dogs on this trip are good natured, fun loving dogs. Seems we always run into one that has to try to be dominant, and the owner is oblivious to what their dog is doing. Still, when passing others, we hold Suzy to the side, as other hikers may not love her sniffing at them. We are thanked for doing so by a couple of ladies hiking by. (For perspective, I used to deliver papers, and have been bitten by many a dog that "doesn't bite").
The trail up is well established and fairly easy hiking. There are a couple of double fall lines here and there, and some are wet, but nothing treacherous. Finally, I have chosen a trail that my wife does not cuss at me about!!!! Along the way, we get several views of Mt Tecumsuh and the Waterville Valley Ski Resort. No highway sounds are heard, but it is very windy, so that dampens many things. In less than 2 hours, we are at the top, after 3.4 mile and 2050 elevation gain.
At the top of Osceola is a myriad of trails and campsites. We are intrigued, we love camping atop peaks. And there is an expansive panorama, about 200 degree views, across the valley and over many a peak. What a site!!! Perhaps we shall visit again, perhjaps during a meteor shower to watch the show one night. What a perfect place for this! We will watch for water source on the way back down.
It is windy, very windy ontop. Our t-shirts are soaked with sweat from where the daypacks rest on our backs. We go back into the woods and take off our t-shirts. We put on our long pants, fleeces and shells, as well as hats and gloves. It's about 55 degrees out and very windy, we're glad to have the gear. Our t-shirts get turned inside out and get hung over a tree to dry in the breeze. It's chow time. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches never tasted so good. More crackers and cookies follow. We take in the view and gather our strength back.
As soon as the t-shirts dry, we head over to the east peak. All the other clothing is packed away, and we are hiking in shorts and t-shirts again. It takes a little less than 2 hours to get there and back, only a mile each way. There is no view from the East peak, but there is a campsite there. There is a chimney between the twopeaks, and there are a couple choices up or down it. Neither are easy, though the dog and I do fine with it. Remember what I said about my wife not cussing me for trail choice??? That was all over here! LOL. Each trip on the chimney, I was directly below her, helping place her feet and providing a safety net.
We are back at the "Main" peak, and are still in awe of the view. It is still so windy that I do not venture near the edge. I love to stand on the edge and look out. I do not know why this has such allure for me, but it does. And today, there is no way I am doing this. The wind is strong, and at times, I can lean into it and not fall. Our t-shirts are drying again, and as soon as they dry, we head back down.
On the trip back down, we make decent time, taking less than 2 hours to do so. Our legs grow more rubbery as we descend, but more frequent breaks and 3 musketeer bars help that out. We are looking for water sources as we descend. We'd really love to camp atop this peak. We are discouraged by the lack of water. Some 2-3 miles down before we find viable water. There are signs of water runoff areas, but we'd have to time it right to catch the runoffs, and the meteor showers are late in the season for them to be counted on. That means we each would have to carry some 4 liters plus of water up the hill. While that may discourage us somewhat, it is a short hike, with a great reward for the effort. Next year, for the meteor shows...... Perhaps you could join us?
As a bit of a prologue, we think we made the right decision for us, to avoid the Franconia Ridge trail. This is our first trip of the season, and with the weather.... We'll enjoy that trip at another time. But this trip was just awesome today.
