| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 4, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Small fee lot off Kancamagus Highway. Full lot today which is often the case on a weekend |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
crossing of south fork of Hancock Branch by rock hopping. Watch for ice coating on some rocks. Submerged rocks usually are free of ice. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails in good condition. At junction of Greeley Ponds and Mt Osceola Trail there is a sign for the Mt Osceola trail but no sign for the Greeley Ponds trail. Some bog bridges on Greeley Ponds trail are broken. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
dog must be comfortable with steep pitches. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Greeley Ponds trail had a minimal snow cover over mushy frozen slush base. There are spots of frozen mud and running water. Easy walking, traction optional. Traction (microspikes) is recommended on the steep climb up to East Osceola. There is more snow cover on the Mt Osceola trail with a few places with frozen slush. The descent down East Osceola toward Osceola was quick as the grades are not too steep. Nobody had hiked up the Chimney itself. The tracks were up the bypass or a bypass of the bypass. Unfortunately I slipped on the ice on the bypass and sprained my shoulder. I decided to turn around due to the injury rather than continuing on to Osceola. It was somewhat challenging descending East Osceola with only one good arm. I would recommend using the bypass of the bypass until there is more snow cover over the icy surface (or use trail crampons). That said, many hikers made it to Osceola today so they made no missteps that caused a fall. There were no views at the higher elevations. There was a good view down to Greeley Ponds and to Mt Chocorua from the open ledge (~3,700 foot level). |
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 | Name: |
WAUMBEK |
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 | E-Mail: |
WAUMBEK at Roadrunner dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-12-04 |
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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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