| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack, Mt. Osceola Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, June 25, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot full by 8:30 |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
AMC Crew busy on Mt Osceola trail. So eroded; a tough task. Thank you, guys |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
On holiday, I guess. Surprising |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was an attempt to find and follow the abandoned Osceola Brook trail. My expectations were very low as the '34 guide book says "the lower part is essentially lost". It's on my AMC map in 1946 but there is no description in the book. I had dismissed it as hopeless but Steve Smith suggested I might find interesting ledges and views in the upper part of the drainage. He was right though not for the reason I think he had in mind. I guessed I would be able to follow the trail as long as it was coincident with the old logging road. After that I expected gnarly 'whacking until I got to the old slide which the trail may have followed. They were inclined to do that in the early 1900's. When the slide ended at a 50+ foot cliff I would 'whack around to the left and be in the col. That's the way it transpired except for one surprise. I'm slabbing up steeply to my left below the cliffs at the top of the slide. Up ahead I can see light coming through the trees - a sure sign that you are about to crest the ridge. But when I get to the crest of the ridge it's not a ridge at all but the shore of a small absolutely beautiful pond about the size of the Gem Pool in the middle of a football field sized flat area. This was completely unexpected though in hindsight it should not have been(If you look carefully you can see the pond from Osceola). Now the smart tramper would get out his compass (No GPS, ruins the fun) to see the correct direction to the col. But, as I've said before, I'm bull headed and ignorant. Besides, I can see the col above another set of ledges about 1/8 mile away and straight ahead. So up I go and intersect the trail well above the chimney in the area where, if you continue to the North, you would come to Split Cliff. The ledges are the ledges that the chimney goes up. If I had turned to my right and walked probably less than 200 yds across the level area I would have been in the col. The rest of the day was just walking. |
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 | Name: |
Old Man and the Saw |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-06-25 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/losthikingtrails/viewtrail.php?id=10 |
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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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