| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Greeley Ponds Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 29, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a bushwhack ascent of East Osceola via the 1897 slide, not the 1892 slide that is more frequently skied and climbed.
I left the Greeley Ponds trailhead (Kancamagus highway) at sunrise, and 45 minutes later I found the slide track where it intersects with Greeley Ponds trail. After reaching a large ice-covered slab at ca. 2500ft, I hit the the narrow, heavily revegetated section which I would spend the majority of my time working through. Here I encountered water holes and undermined snow, as well as bear tracks which I followed up the slide for nearly 1,000ft. Coincidentally, I had also followed bear tracks up a long stretch of the 1892 slide when I had hiked it three weeks prior.
Emerging at the upper, open section of the slide at 3,500 feet, I found amazing views of Lower Greeley Pond, Mt. Chocorua, and North Tripyramid, as well as an abundance of mountain-ash trees.
The bushwhack from the top of the slide to the East Osceola summit was a mix of open conifer forest and thick ‘bayonet trees’, with plenty of spruce traps near the summit. My ice tools and crampons came in handy for most of this hike, and I would not attempt this in winter without them.
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 | Name: |
timbercamp |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-12-29 |
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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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