Mt. Osceola (4340)

Trail: Osceola Tr.

Date: Sep. 29 2003

Attending: Simone, Gabe, Noah & me

Miles: 7 Round tripTime: 2.5hrs up, 5hrs. Total

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: none

Weather: Partly cloudy, 70’ish at base, 60’ish on the summit, some of the higher summits were in the clouds much of the time

It was nice to have Noah on a 4K hike. We took our time and enjoyed the walk. We were glad the sun wasn’t too prominant today, the temps were fine for hiking.

As always, Osceola made for a nice peak to bag for a couple of out of shape hikers. Other than few local hikes, and a wonderful trip up Mt. Monadnock (Dublin trail) we haven’t been out on the trails for a while, and “in the Whites” for a few months. Seeing that this was Noah’s first peak in years, Osceola always comes up as a fine trail to get the legs in shape for the fall hiking season. It seams that we all have so many things pulling us away from the trails these days. It’s harder and harder to find a crew to share the experience with. As the boys grow up, jobs, friends, and just going off and finding a life for them makes for difficult scheduling.

Want warning Being a Born-Again Christian I might be compelled to use the phrase “A family that prays together, stays together.” and it would be true enough. But, I might add that a twist on that phrase that I believe is just as important. “A family that plays together stays together.” You see I am convinced that as my children grow, if I only prayed with them, (went to church with them) then after a while (as they venture off to peruse the things that they want in their lives) they would eventually loose touch with us. But, in keeping active in the activities that they have interests in, (or,,, getting them involved in activities that interest all of us) I find that we are continually making time and plans to participate in those activities together. Instead of them going off to “have fun” with their friends, they are usually inviting their friends to come along with us.

I believe the lesson here has to do with having a healthy balance in one’s family life.

Mt. Osceola (4340)

Trail: Osceola Tr.

Date: June 10 2000

Attending: Nick & Dan Kushta & John Chicoine

Miles: 7 Round tripTime: 2.5hrs up, 5hrs. Total

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: none

Weather: Partly cloudy, 70’ish at base, 60’ish on the summit, in the clouds much of the time

This was Nick and Dan’s first 4K and I was glad to be able to be part of it. It was a good pick for a first hike. This trail is typical New Hampshire 4K, (Boulders, slabs, springs, switchbacks, and mud.) I gave Nick the AMC guide and maps so he could “plan the hike” as he would for other trips but he’d been working so much lately, he never got the chance. I was hoping the two springs on the trail would be gushing from the excessive rains we’ve been having on the mountains lately, but they were hardly flowing.

The parking lot was full by 8:40; we took the last spot in the lot. I told Nick about the need to buy a parking pass and how to use the pay tubes. By day’s end, the road had another 10 cars parked on it for the trail. The day was definitely warm enough and damp enough to bring out the black flies and a few mosquitoes. There were enough pests that Dan used the bug net for the hike up, he was not the only one we saw using one that day. The trail was very active; I estimate that we saw at least 45+ people throughout the day. Popular trail!. Dan and Nick seemed to really enjoy the experience. Dan couldn’t wait to get to the top. (This was not necessarily a good thing for me) Dan would race up ahead and wait for us to catch up, and then bolt up the trail again. This just set too fast a pace for a long haired, over fed, sleeping gnome like me. I suspect Nick was being nice keeping pace with me but he could have easily kept pace with Dan.

Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s just the way some of us are made, but having someone up front moving at a fast pace, drives me/ sets the pace for the trip. I try to tell myself to go at my own pace, but I can’t. I tried to help Dan understand that I’m old (35 years older than him.) and slow, and that he got lots of breaks every time he stopped and waited for us to catch up, but I didn’t get any breaks. He said “he figured I was going slowly enough that it was like I was on break all the way.” Kids!

We spent quite a long time on the top waiting for the few breaks in the clouds, so I could point out a few hazy peaks as things thinned out. At one time we could even see the silhouette of Mt. Gailhead. I was packing 2 liters of Gatorade for me and was glad for it, but Dan and Nick don’t drink! Nick didn’t drink 1 cup for the whole round trip. I was 1/2 way through the second liter and finished it on the drive home. This could come in handy for them on some of the longer hikes, but I’m not sure it’s an overall good philosophy for life. The hike down was a whirl-wind trip. The sun had burned off most of the clouds and the bugs were getting thicker, so I used that as justification to keep up the pace. Thank God this trail is as short and easy as it is and it never got oppressively hot. Dan seemed in a bigger hurry to get to the car than he was to get to the summit. He wanted to hike another mountain! At one time we actually entertained hiking over to East Osceola, but in the end, I’m glad we didn’t.

I stopped at the river on Tripoli Rd. and introduced them to the ritual foot washing. Dan loved it! He hit the water like a Golden Retriever, splashing up and down the river. They were surprised to hear that it isn’t safe to drink much of the water in the Whites, even from such a nice stream as this. I’m not sure Nick saw the need. I needed a complete cool down/wash up. I took a few moments to drive by the Mt. Techumseh and Welch-Dickey trailheads. All in all, I think Nick and Dan had a really great time and learned a lot. I have no doubt that they will shortly be putting this experience to good use as Royal Ranger leaders and for personal hiking. We got back to Nicks house in Winchendon by 5:30; 11 hours door to door.
………. Closing Note! As you can see from the attendance list Simone and Gabe weren’t with me this time. I missed them very much. I’m learning that I don’t like hiking without my partners. I know sooner or later we’ll be hiking regularly without Gabe, but I don’t particularly care for that thought. As for Simone, seeing how much she loves it; that’s why I hike. See ya at the top!

Read about Osceola Trip 3  

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright

 

Mt. Tom, Field & Willey (4047, 4300, 4302)

Trail: Avalon Tr., Willey Ridge, A-Z Tr.
Date: October 26, 1998
Attending: Gabe, Simone, Noah, & John Chicoine
Miles: 8-9-mile Time: 8 Hrs.
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None
Weather: Overcast (very high ceiling) Summits in and out of clouds, 40’ish,       

Arrived at Crawford Notch RR station @ 9:15, the Avalon Trail starts right behind the station. Avalon is a nice trail with only a few steep sections nothing very steep. We turned onto the Willey Ridge trail and soon summated Mt Field. Field is a wooded summit with about a 30Ft. diameter clearing with obstructed views but we were there after the leaves had long since fallen so we did have a few glimpse’s of the surrounding mountains. Noah and Gabe found a small patch of snow left over from recent flurries. We had hoped for better views today but that didn’t happen, Mt. Willey was way too foggy to see anything, we could hardly see down the trail. We were visited by 2 mountain pigeons (Grey Jay’s) that provided some entertainment while they ate figs out of our hands as we took pictures of them. We even had a Fools Grouse along the trail.

We continued along the Willey Ridge trail down the side of Field and Willey and back up to the summit of Willey. The wind was blowing quite briskly and it got real cold on the ridge at the summit so we hunkered down behind some trees on the trail and had lunch. We headed back over to Mt. Field on our way to Mt Tom, and branched off of the summit of Field over to the A-Z trail. We met a family out for a day hike that had taken a wrong turn (their map was in the car) and was headed towards Willey Cliffs thinking they were heading down the Mt. Avalon spur to the Crawford RR Station. Way off! From the A-Z trail we met up with the 1/2-mile spur to Mt. Tom. Noah decided since he’s not into peak bagging not to bother to bag Mt. Tom with us so he found himself a mossy spot to curl up and catch a few Z’s and sing some songs. We on the other hand were on a mission. Mt .Tom is another wooded summit hardly worth bothering to hike which would never get any attention if it were not on the 4K list. The only saving grace of Mt. Tom was that the sun was shinning when we got there so we were able to snap a few shots of Field and Willey. We got back to the car at 4:45 and hit Echo Lake across the street for quick foot washing. The people passing by us in cars seemed not to understand seeing people wading in Echo lake knee deep as if it were summer, with the temps now hardly in the 30’s. Our hot dogs didn’t seem to mind the cooling down a bit. This was a long day of putting miles under feet.

“I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines”. Henry David Thoreau

 

Mt. Tecumseh (4003)

Trail: Tecumseh Trail

Date: October 22 1998

Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
+ Ralph and his daughter Alexis Chicoine

Miles: 4.8-miles Round trip Time: 5.5Hrs

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None

Weather: Sunny, 40’ish at base 20’ish,

This is # 13 of the 4K hikes in 60 days since we started Aug 20’Th. WOW! You’d think we’re on some kind of mission. (Not really, we just happen to like it a lot.) This is a very nice and VERY easy trail. The trail is only 2.4-miles and is easier than hiking Mount Monadnock. We started out on this trail at the WatterVille Valley Ski area, just to the right side of the first row of the parking lot. You can follow along the left side of the river for a few hundred yards, then cross the river for a long useless meander through the forest, (we never take this leg). We bushwhack to the left alongside the river until we get to the ski trail and hike up the trail to a section on the top right hand section of this trail that connects to the Tecumseh trail. It is an obvious link once you get there, because the trail has a sign on it to point hikers from the trail to the ski trail as a lookout spot. You can also connect up to the trail further up the slope to the right of the ski lift.

On this day, we has just received a dusting of snow at the base, and 7+ inches of powder by the summit last night, so we missed the river crossing blazes and learned the ski trail path by necessity. The only views on the summit were through the trees (and that was primarily because the snow was several feet deep helping us look over the tops of the tree tops.) and at two small lookout spots along the trail, but this being our first snow hike who cared! We were having fun! This a wicked cool adventure!

(It didn’t hurt to think that if we somehow got into real trouble we could get to the Ski rescue in minutes!)

The day was so crisp and clear that even views through/over the treetops were spectacular. We hiked in shorts. It was wild for us to be standing on the ski slopes cooling off and sunning ourselves in shorts, while the skiers were all bundled up in their ski suits. (It really freaked them out to see us washing our feet in the snowy stream at the base of the slope, while they ran to the ski lodge to warm up.) We saw at least 20 more hikers that day, many of which mentioned following the tracks of some crazy hikers that missed the trail cutoff and hiked up the ski slopes. One of the hikers we met was celebrating his 48’th after not having hiked for the last 25 years.

Read about other Tecumseh trips:

Mt. Tecumseh (4003)

Trail: Tecumseh Trail

Date: March 20’ish 1999

Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine

Miles: 4.8-miles Round trip Time: 6Hrs

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None

Weather: Sunny, 30’ish at base, teens on summit

This is our first full snowshoe 4K hike. (We tried them out on MT. Wachussett already.) The snow was fresh powder 6 to 10 inches deep. Without crampons or snowshoes this hike might not have been do-able. The snow base under the new powder snow was a few feet deep and packed solid. What a workout this snowshoe hiking is. Almost too much for us to handle, any other mountain in these conditions would be out of the question. Gabe and I could hardly push ourselves to take each next step, and we were only about 2/3 of the way up at that time. We were doing some serious bitchen about just how much effort this was, (especially on my 32″ long Tubbs; Even though these are designed for mountain trails, these are just way too long and heavy). Simone loved every moment of it, she’s the one that got us to go on up to the top. I have no idea why or how we continued on to the summit, BUT WE DID! We were hot, it was cold, and we didn’t stay at the summit for too long. My Polar Fleece Vest was toasty warm inside, but my steat frost covered the outside like I was wearing a snow vest. This is the first time our Gateraid turned to slush before the hike was over. Once we stopped moving it didn’t take us long to start to chill down, and we had a long way to go before we could sit down in the car. As usual we hiked our diversion off the official trail and up and down the side of the Ski trail which is known as the Bone Yard; Huge jumps for snow-boarders and brave skiers. Today was exhausting. But! Once it was done, all in all it was a great hike and we were proud of ourselves for having stuck with it to the top. My snowshoes are just too long and heavy, but that’s the price one pays for being 50lbs over weight. (they make your snow shoes out of the hoods of 1964 Lincoln Continentals.)

Addendum!!! After just two more serious hikes with those 32Inch Tubbs I sold them and purchased the plastic deck MSR’s; I love them to no end!. When I die, stick them in the bottom of my coffin just in case there’s snow in Heaven!

“On the path that leads to Nowhere I have sometimes found my Soul.” Corinne Roosevelt

Mt. Whiteface (4310)

Trail: Blueberry ledge trail, & Blueberry trail cutoff.

Date: Sep. 1’st 1999

Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine

Miles:8.5 Round tripTime: 4hrs up, 7.5hrs. total

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Mizpah

Weather: Sunny hot, 80 – 85

A 3 hour long car ride to Rt. 113a, by the Squam lakes area. Whiteface towers over a town-ship called Whiteface but it’s not listed on the map. (Like Otter River). There are only a dozen or so visible houses that make up the town but there seem to be hundreds of homes hidden in the woods. The parking lot for the trail-head is next to a nice field and an old hidden cemetery that looks like it’s just part of the horse farm. This was one of the first hikes ever that we didn’t see anyone on the trail. The cutoff trail follows a brook for ½ a mile then ascends more steeply than Blueberry ledge trail, (we found this out on the way down). But either trail is slightly more than a gentle walk in the woods. After two miles the trail is moderate to steep for another mile. The last section of the trail to the summit is quite steep scrambling up ledges with some hand over hand sections. There are only a few sections with views but they are very nice. We ate just 1000 ft. from the open ledge south summit where two trails intersect. We needed the rest.

The south summit is beautiful facing the lakes region with views all the way to Concord NH. The true summit is a spot on the trail 3/10’th of a mile on the trail to MT. Passaconaway. There is a campsite / hut that is Whiteface’s claim to fame. The hut is the ugliest hut in the Whites. We took the Blueberry Ledge trail down to the parking lot. From the Intersection of the cutoff and the trail, it’s two miles but it is so easy that it only took 40 minutes to get to the bridge at the start of the trail that we washed our feet in. I was really disappointed that the trail didn’t connect us up higher to the river (no houses) where we all really needed to fully immerse just to cool down. But we washed up under the bridge in a not so nice part of the brook surrounded by the front yards of several nice old homes. This would be a good approach to Mt. Passaconaway. But I doubt we’ll do it on so hot a day that we’d really consider full immersion.

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Owl’s Head (4025)

Trail: Lincoln Woods, Franconia Brook, Lincoln Brook,
Owl’s Head Slide & Franconia Brook Falls
Date: September 9 & 10, 2000
Attending: Shawn White, Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 18.6-miles Time: Time: 12 hours of hike time
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site:
Weather: Day 1: 9/9. Partly sunny. 40’ish at night.
Day 2: 9/10. Mostly Sunny, 75’ish both days, Dry air!

Peak Number 37 of the quest. What a delightful trip this was. The trailhead starts at the Lincoln Brook Ranger Station just a few miles out of Lincoln center on the Kancamagus highway. Once over the first suspension bridge at the visitor’s center the trail is a very heavily traveled abandoned railroad-bed that climbs at a steady 3 degree incline for 3 miles. At the end of this section (once you cross the next suspension bridge), the serious hiking trails leading into the Pemigewasset Wilderness truly begin. One notable feature at this point are the Franconia Brook Falls just down a side spur, 0.3 miles, before you cross the suspension bridge. (We can vouch that a quick dip in these cool pools of running refreshment can erase a entire weekend’s worth of trail stress and make you born-again. It’s just like how it feels in the spiritual sense, only in the physical.)

The rest of the 5 miles out to the base of the Owl’s Head Slide is another amazing foot path that manages to maintain the same steady 3 degree incline as the first 3 miles. This long stretch of trail through spectacular hardwood forests is broken up into small sections by lots of river crossings that help you mark your progress. There are several campsites located along the riverside within the last ¼ mile before the slide. None of these sites meet the 200 ft. limit from the water, but we were happy to have one so close to our destination. The Slide is a steep and dangerous rock scree scramble that extends over 60 percent of the total elevation of this climb. Footing is difficult, falling debris is inevitable and the pitch is challenging. (One comforting aspect of the slide is that it’s seldom over 20ft wide so it doesn’t feel as dangerous as it might if the slide were a wide open area.).

Once past the slide, the trail continues steeply for another several hundred yards through the forest over lots of blow-downs. It then levels off and continues for a few more hundred yards to the true wooded summit.

Gabe and Shawn at the summit

Once you have successfully bagged your peak and hiked down the slide, the rest of the trip seems long, but all down hill. You can simply zone out and put one foot in front of the other, mile after mile.

The weather for our trip was absolutely perfect. Just enough clouds to provide the necessary relief from the sun. The temps never reached over the seventies and there was this wonderful dry breeze that would gently blow through the hardwood forest now and then. The five or six river crossings were more than safe at summer water levels and hiking an 8 mile trail that follows water 90% of the way is such a blessing not to have to carry more than 1 liter of water at any time. Speaking of all this water, I suspect it would be worth checking recent rain falls before planning this trip.

Lots of nice river spots like this.

Our site was just a few hundred feet from the base of the slide and just 50 feet from the Franconia Brook. We got to the site just as we planned at 2:00, after 4 hours of backpacking. We set up our site and after a quick lunch we headed up the slide at 3:00. The slide was a tough hike but afforded great views of the Franconia range. This was our first hike of the year that we actually had any views! I could hardly keep up with the rest of the crew. An old groin pull had started to act up and I happened to piss off a yellow-jacket half way up the slide. He figured a sting to the center of my right calf would be justice enough. Hiking down the slide we met up with a few of his friends, but none of us got stung. We got back to the camp just a bit after 6:00.

This was a “special occasion” trip. We wanted to celebrate Shawn’s new full time high school math teaching position in the Townsend school system. We packed in 4 Hostess cup cakes in a Tupperware container, and lit candles on them for a surprise celebration. After the usual Knorr/Ramen noodle soup dinner we set up a hiking pole tripod and hung a camper’s candle to give the campsite a warm glow. We turned in at about 8:30.

The morning after a quick breakfast of Poptarts, oatmeal and tea, we hit the trail at 8AM hoping to be back at the car by 12:00. We saw 14 people hiking to Owl’s Head on Lincoln Brook trail by 10AM on 9/10. At the suspension bridge just before starting our long slog down the 3-mile long railroad bed, we stopped for some water and snacks. We were all basking in the good feelings about this hike and not ready to see it end just yet, when we saw a large family group that hiked all this way and head for Franconia Falls. Suddenly it occurred to us that maybe there might be something worth seeing out there; even if people with walkmans, cell phones, beepers, Igloo coolers, and Nike’s were going there. We all decided to extend the hike another .6 miles to see what Franconia Falls was like. Wa-hoo!

It was well worth the trip. Cold or not, nothing was going to stop any of us from a quick dip in the river. There are lots of spots to explore and get cooled off in. After drying in the sun for a few moments we packed up again and headed out. We saw at least another two dozen walkers/day hikers heading to the Franconia Falls area. We were glad to be going in the other direction. None of us really wanted the feeling to end, but all of us were glad to see the bridge at the Lincoln Brook Ranger station.

We stopped in Lincoln for a Pizza before we started the 3-hour drive back home.

Shawn, if you ever get on-line to read this; From Gabe, Simone, and me,,,, It just wouldn’t have been the same experience without you. Thanks for coming out with us on this one. Hopefully we’ll do a lot more hikes together.

Gary, if you’re reading this,,, You would have loved it. If there is one lasting down side to this trip, it’s that you couldn’t be there to share the experience. That’s from the heart of all of us.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Unknown

Mt. Waumbek (4006)

Trail: Star King Trail
Date: Sunday, March 16’th 2003
Attending: Gabe, Simone and John
Miles: 7.6Time: 4.75hours
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site:
Weather: Mostley sunny, high 50’s at the base, 40’s on the summit

That sign on the Top of Waumbec is eye level in the summer! That’s one of the best parts of what this hike was all about! # 47 for us. The first White Mountain’s hike of the 2003 season! Hiking season is definitely here. The snow was great; the trail was very well packed in. Someone on a snow mobile had packed the first mile of the trail. We even saw Ski tracks from a few days before we had hiked. As the sun warmed the trail in the late afternoon we post-holed a few times in the col, but the Northwest side of Star King was pretty solid. The top 1-inch of the surface snow on the trail softened up enough to boot ski lots of the way down. The hike took us 2hrs. 45min. to reach Waumbec, it only took us 1hr. 45min, to get down. Gabe and I did a lot of intentional boot skiing down the side of this mountain. The temps had warmed up the snow enough to give it just the right consistency to get about 6 or 7 feet out of every lunge. This trail is 2.6 miles of steady moderate hiking up to Star King summit, and a moderate hike through the col between Star King to Waumbec. If there is a safe winter hike to take of the NH 4K’s this one is of the safest (longer but safer than Tecumseh).

I suspect it might be a bit boring as a summer hike. The entrance to Star King Road which turns into Star King Trail is just 200 yards East of the junction of 115A on Rt. 2. We only saw 2 people on the trail all day; A father and his 9 year old son that was on his 46’th 4K, and was hoping to finish the list before his 10’th birthday. Nice people. Star King had several footprints of cleared tent sites on the summit. What a spectacular place to spend a night. We’ve always heard that the views were very limited on this hike, (primarily on Star King only) and that Waumbec was completely view-less because of the trees. On this day, the leaf bearing trees hadn’t opened up yet, and because we had a 5+ft. advantage due to the depth of the snow, we had some of the best views of the White’s a (from both peaks) person could ask for. This being the first hike of the season for us, we were dragging our buts a little bit. We had hoped that the regular cross-country skiing we’ve been blessed with this winter would have kept us in much better shape, but nothing keeps you in shape for peak bagging like peak bagging. My arthritic hip is beginning to cause me more pain than I want to begin to have to deal with, but if I hit the Motrin and stay on it throughout the hike I can get through days like this. We missed the crew on this one; they would have loved it.

Thank God for Gray Jays!!! What a special treat to have them visit us on the trail! I’m not sure what makes them so special? Is it because the only place we ever find them is on top of a few select hikes,,,? or is it because they are so freaking COOL!!! Wild birds that land on yout hand, (sometimes even on you head) just for a few pieces of trail mix. It’s kind of like having a wild bird that has the personality of a beagle. If Gray Jay’s exist anywhere in the world besides on the top 1/4 of a few select peaks in the whites, I could see where this personality trait could become a real nuisance.

BUT WE LOVE THEM!!

Mt. Pasaconaway (4060)

Trail: Dicey’s Mill Trail
Date: October 17 1999
Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 4.6-miles to summit 9.2 Round tripTime: 3.75hrs up, 6.75hrs. Total
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Camp Rich
Weather: Sunny, mid 60’s at base, 50’ish on summit,

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” John Muir

…………………………………………….. These pictures don’t have Passaconaway in them, but they are from the trailhead. And the rest of the hike is just as beautiful.

This is # 29. What a delightful trail. This just might become an annual fall foliage hike. From home it’s 3hrs. to get to the trailhead off Ferncroft road. The parking lot was almost full, (must be a popular fall hike). The lot is shared by the Whitecliff, Wanalaucett and Passaconnaway trailheads. Of the 4.6 miles the first .6 is on an old farm road past beautiful fields and farms nestled in a flat land community surrounded by mountains. At one point we hike on private property that is gated off, (the gate is to stop cars, not hikers), through a large ten acre lawn, and right past the front porch of a beautiful private home. The next 2 miles are a pleasant uphill meander at a constant 5-degree grade. There is an easy river crossings that could pose a possible problem at high water time. The rest of the hike is never any more than a moderate hike with a short 100ft. rock scramble just before the wooded summit.

Every time we came to any steep sections there were always steps at any place that exceeded a 25-degree incline. The woods along the trail near the summit are interesting; there are lots of open woods, even lots of possible tent sites. There is a large lookout about 30 feet from the summit that looks directly over the Pemigewasset wilderness towards Garfield. There are no views to be had from the summit. Camp Rich has a shelter that is totally falling down and a bathroom that is falling apart. The floorboards of the shelter are a mess and no one could ever get a good nights sleep in there. There is a large fire pit at the shelter but you’ll need a fire permit. There is water within 15 minutes of the summit.

(Important note! Bring stones from Camp Rich area to the summit to add to the 5 stone, 8″ tall cairn that marks the summit.)

We met a couple that we had a fun time guessing their situation. We saw two elderly couples coming off the summit together, in their 60’s, and we saw another couple in their 70’s at the summit. The only black mark to this entire day was my left knee. The same problem I encountered towards the end of the Carter range backpacking trip two weeks ago, manifested itself within ten minutes of our descent. I couldn’t believe it. Within 10 more minutes I needed some aspirin, and within another ten minutes I stopped to wrap the knee with an ace bandage. Thank God this trail is as easy and often times flat as it is or I would have been in serious trouble. Even the slightest descent irritated my knee. I have got to get on top of this one. On the way home we stopped at a guitar store called Vintage Fret in Ashland NH . That was an awesome store with every imaginable stringed instrument, and even some unimaginable.

East Osceola (4156)

Trail: Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail

East Osceola (4156)

Trail: Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola TrailDate: July 31’ST 1999
Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 5.6 total Time: 2.45Hrs up, 5hrs. Total

East Osceola (4156)

Trail: Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail
Date: July 31’ST 1999
Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 5.6 total Time: 2.45Hrs up, 5hrs. Total
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site:
Weather: Sunny, Low 80’s at base, cooler on the summit.

Gabe is just about to step out of the last steep section of this trail
What a beautiful day! This trail leaves the Kancamagus on an easy almost flat hike for the first mile then it starts a moderate stretch for the second mile and finishes very steeply the last .8-miles to the summit. The trail has lots on interesting cliffs overhanging the trail on the last leg and at times the trail is almost hand over hand. The day we were there the sun was burning the dampness off the cliffs so it had a kind of rainforest look and feel to it.
I wouldn’t wish to hike this trail in bad weather, because of it’s steep sections, but most of those sections are in the trees, so you never really feel over exposed, or in danger. There is one steep slide with loose rocks, but it’s only 30 feet or so. Just about the time you’re real tired of the steep pitch, it’s over! You pop out onto a wooded ridge that kind of delivers you the rest of the way to the wooded summit. If you turn right just as you get onto the wooded ridge, (just after scrambling up an eroded gully, there is a nice lookout spot just a few feet down the trail.

We all liked this hike a lot. And although the summit is just a wooded cairn, it had pleasant feel to it. We met another older couple down from Canada that used to hike the Whites with their children and are now finishing up the rest of the 4K’s that can be done as day trips. It’s strange for me to thing that people from Canada are as close to the Whites for day hiking, as we are down here in central Massachusetts. We ate lunch on the summit and started our hike back to the car.

The day, like the hike was short and sweet; we were back in the car by 2:30. I suspect we’ll do this one again. (Probably bringing someone up to the Whites for a short hike.) I’d choose this hike over Mt. Hale even though Mt. Hale is easier and has better views. This was our first Whites trip for our new (to us) 1993 Subaru.