| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 3, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot was full when we started at 11am -- got the last spot! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Most of the small water crossings higher up were bridged. You will have to ford the first large water crossing, though. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Couple small blowdowns and duck-unders. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a couple flies on the summit. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Saw all kinds of icky snow conditions today. And it sucked. It took us about 8 hours to go 8 miles because the trail was so choppy. The first mile has traces of snow, but you won't need traction here. After the junction near Greeley Pond, the first 1/4 mile or so is patchy snow, but then the monorail picked up. On the ascent, it was fairly stable up to East Osceola. On the ridge between the two peaks, it can get pretty narrow, and there were a couple times I post-holed 2-3 feet on one side because it was so soft. On the Chimney, the first pitch is snow free, but as you come back around to the left there is still some ice there.
The summit of Osceola is also snow free.
I used microspikes for the ascent, but because of the steeps going down I opted for crampons. It probably didn't matter too much because by that point the trail was complete mush. You really have to kick steps either way up or down to get any significant traction.
Annoying trail conditions, but wonderful weather with plenty of views! |
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 | Name: |
psuhiker |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-05-03 |
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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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