| 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 14, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Somehow they squeezed 12 vehicles in the trailhead parking area. There may have been one other vehicle that parked on the side of the Kanc a bit south of there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Many small drainages still open and running on Greeley Ponds, but basically all stepovers. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The same old big blowdown between the peaks. There are a few face stingers in the cold in places. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper had fun. The small running drainages could wet the paws and increase icing so I created some side paths for him to make avoidance easier. He still iced up some on the hike up from the new snow, but it is getting packed and would be much easier tomorrow. It was cold so we didn't stop at any place long so he wouldn't chill down. He wore his sweater. We met a big and playful young Bernese Mountain Dog (McGowan?) near the end of the hike who was enjoying himself. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I used Tubbs snowshoes with aggressive crampons the whole hike, as did the guy who preceded me and Phil who followed. It was a bit more work than usual going up the steeps as the new snow/blown in snow caused some backsliding/slipping. But after our snowshoes the snow was packed enough the later hikers I met below the slide, in crampons, microspikes and even trax were doing pretty well, although I'd still have prefered snowshoes.
The chimney bypass wasn't a problem for dog or man. The slide crossing wasn't either. Going up we could hear the wind but it lessened in frequency and velocity as we left the main peak, most of the route is protected pretty well anyway, and by the latter part of the hike it was quite nice. I never quite put the balaclava on but my face got a couple good chills from the wind in the exposed areas. Although drifting snow could still be an issue up on the ridge, my guess is most of this trail will be well packed out and quite fast now. If the last people down are in snowshoes it could be near perfect. It turned out to be a very nice hike with a great little guy, and nice to chat some with Phil. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
windriversjohn at gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-01-14 |
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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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