| 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: |
Saturday, January 30, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
PLEASE use the plowed pullouts!! There were 10 cars mostly MA & CT parked alongside the road near the trailhead. That's a really narrow, winding part of the road. There is room for 5 cars .1 mile below the trail, another (5) .1 above the trail and another lot 100 yards above that on the left (4-5 cars). USE THEM! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nice & frozen |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
One super-peppy golden retriever was having a blast coming down one of the steeper spots. |
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 | Bugs: |
What bugs me is not one single car used the plowed pullouts today! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
About 12 on the trail today. The first hiker used snowshoes all the way to make a nice corridor for all that followed. Most had crampons, a few with just spikes. I put my crampons on at the boulder cave and never took them off after that. The butt slides were really annoying (poor traction) ascending the steepest part but were much easier going down because they firmed up nicely. You can use crampons all the way out & back, at least until Tuesday's predicted snow. 3 guys in front of me did the lower half of Mt Osceola trail in snowshoes and it was so firm, I never had to put mine on. Thanks!
After bailing out on the first super-steep pitch a few days ago, that was NOT going to happen again! I was the last one on the trail at 11 and also the last one out at 3:20. Air temp was 5 at the start as I started in spikes. Today was not going to be a sprint but I still moved with purpose. Reached the Mt Osceola jct in 25 minutes and headed up to the boulder cave, where I switched to crampons. Just below that I met Garlic (I'm pretty sure I heard correctly) who saw my last trip report! She made it all the way in spikes and there was NO WAY I could get the traction I needed in micro-spikes. I reached the spot that flummoxed me the other day and just put my head down and dug my crampons in. It worked! That tricky spot was just one of many on a seemingly endless spiral staircase of butt-worn gullies. I took out my ice axe for the first time this year and it was a good move. I switched between sticking the spike in and using the adze when the cover was more shallow. I even reached for a few saplings with the pick to pull me up in spots! I made it up with no issues but was still tentative thinking about having to come down later. It was a beautiful, clear day on both summits and the trail between the summits was basically firm with some unpacked areas and a few hard drifts but crampons were perfect & non-invasive today. Minimal wind but it still felt like it was -5 air temp on the summits. I met a guy who actually went up & down the 'official' chimney in the col! I chose the bypass, of course which is still no piece of cake. But after making it up the steep pitches earlier, nothing could phase me after that. The descent down East Osceola was fantastic! I never butt-slide but I gave the first steep pitch a try and it was kind of fun but I got frost-butt. Still, I like my legs to do the work and I descended quickly with an 85/15 upright-to-butt slide ratio. The very steep parts seemed tame going down and I was well below the crux before I realized the grade had eased up. The group well ahead of me did the lower part in snowshoes and the trail was actually hard, so I never put mine on. It is PERFECT right now and the first person up on Sunday will be treated to a velcro highway... DON"T booger it up! |
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 | Name: |
Bob H |
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 | E-Mail: |
hynoskyb@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-30 |
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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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