| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 26, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Small paved lot was plowed; Fee area; no facilities; I got the last usable space about 8:30AM. Still 4 cars in the lot when I left. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There is one river crossing and numerous brooks. All were open. The river crossing had fairly high water but was passable if you step on rocks 2-3" deep. If you were trying to keep your feet dry you'll have to wander a bit but passable. The small brooks were easy enough. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail blazes on this route are fairly old and faded. There were two blow downs on Greeley Pond Trail (a somewhat high step over with branches and a duck under I had to kneel under to clear). There was also one duck under between summits that I had to kneel under to clear. Log bridges on Greeley were all fine except for one snapped section toward end near Mt Tripoli junction. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
OK for dogs. Saw one. There are a few tricky areas with the packed snow that could be slide problems for inexperienced dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
none |
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 | Lost and Found: |
none |
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|
 | Comments: |
Trails were in decent shape. Greeley Pond Trail and lower sections of Osceola in hardwoods was a crusty snow with a fairly wide track. It was however eroded underneath in many places and broke off in chunks unexpectedly, especially in brook areas. Heading back these areas were a little more broken up from the traffic and had a few slushy areas. The upper part of trails was also a pretty solid track, slick on the steeps, but the edges were still able to be broken into and "semi-post holed" to get good footing. Chimney looked to be in good enough shape to do with one large ice bulge at the critical point in middle. I took Bypass out and back. There was enough exposed rock to allow for handholds and ice for stepping. I went out to Osceola in spikes and came back in crampons for the steeps. I saw a few people in crampons but most were in spikes. You definitely will have no use for snowshoes until it either warms up and snow gets soft or we get more snow. |
|
 | Name: |
DayTrip |
|
 | E-Mail: |
bblanchette0709@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-12-27 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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