It was the first sunny day in a long time, and on my way to New Hampshire to hike the Osceolas, I’m pretty sure I saw a mourning dove fly by with a freshly picked maple leaf, which I’m taking as a sign that it may not rain every day for the next two weeks the way it has ever since I came back from Hawaii.
It feels like a very long time since I’ve been on a real hike with elevation gain, so for my first outing of the season I chose Mt. Osceola and East Osceola. Tripoli road is still closed, so I approached from the North, taking Greely Ponds Trail from the Kancamagus Highway. It’s a relatively modest 3.8 miles from there to the Oscola summit, and a 2400 foot elevation gain. Since I did it out and back, it turns into 7.6 miles and back down those 2400 feet.
Since it had rained for the previous 40 days and 40 nights, there was water in every drainage, and rock hopping some of the water crossings on Greely Ponds trail meant hopping on a rock with an inch or so of water running over it. I’m glad I wore my more substantial boots, and glad I’d just applied another coat of waterproofing.
It was a beautiful day and a quick cruise to the height of land in Mad River Notch, where Greely Ponds trail continues on to the ponds and Mt. Osceola trail starts climbing up toward the ridge. In classic White Mountain style, most of the trail looks like this:
Except where it looks like this:
It was a clear day but windy and rather cold when I reached the ridge (via this lovely false summit).
East Oscola has a wooded summit. I missed the cairn marking the high point on my way up, but spotted this pile of rocks on my way back down. I suppose there’s something to be said for an out and back where you get a second chance to see any sights you missed the first time.
There was a little bit of snow left in the col between the two mountains, but not much elsewhere on the trail.
Between East Osceola and Mt. Osceola you find the infamous chimney, which is actually my favorite part of the hike. You can bypass it, but since there wasn’t a line of people (or any other people), I chose to take the chimney in both directions, up and down. I do appreciate the kind soul who painted not just the trail blaze to mark the way, but also the yellow arrow pointing up, to show that they aren’t joking.
I saw very few people, all coming down, as I was coming up, and when I reached Mt. Osceola, I had the summit to myself.
I lingered only long enough for a snack. Even with the bright sunshine and several layers, it was chilly in the wind.
I didn’t have my trekking poles with me that day, so all the way down what the guidebook describes as a “very steep and rough” trail, I tried to place my feet with lightness and precision so that each step was in balance and I avoided (as much as possible) either clomping or slithering. My knees were grateful when I reached the Greely Ponds junction once again, because it meant the hard work was done.
I’m absolutely positive that flowers bloomed between the time I passed them in the morning on my way up and when I noticed them in the early afternoon on my way back. I was delighted to spot three different colors of trillium blooming in the woods. I didn’t see lady’s slipper or trout lily- my other two favorites of the White Mountain Spring- on this trip, but there will be other days and other hikes, soon.
