| 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: |
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
First car in the Greeley Pond Tr lot at 7:45am, one other when I returned around 2:30pm. Lot has been plowed, probably a few days ago, still some snow depth in the lot but no problem with a higher clearance vehicle. Fortunately the entrance to the lot wasn't plowed in, though some other trailheads west on the Kanc were plowed in. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Ice bridges forming but not fully there yet. I was able to carefully hop over the larger water crossing without problem. Water levels are very low. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Handful of blowdowns (like 45 deg angle) between East Peak and main Osceola summit, easily ducked under. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
didn't see any |
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 | Bugs: |
didn't see any |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Had the mountain nearly all to myself for the day, only saw one other hiker towards the end near the Greely Pond trail cutoff (he had just hiked out/back to the ponds.) I wore spikes just at the beginning 'til the Mt Osceola trail intersection, then switched to snowshoes for the remainder of the hike. I broke trail solo through 8+" of fresh powder up to main Osceola peak. Going up was OK, then broke another few inches of new snow on the descent. The descent, particularly on the steeps, had me snowplowing and sliding quite a bit. Trail is in great condition - it's definitely looking like winter! Probably 20" or more at elevation. The chimney is definitely iced up, so "closed" for the season as far as I'm concerned ... bushwhack was manageable though I had to brush off a lot of snow to figure out where the rocks and stable parts were, but there's some snowpack on it which meant I could ascend/descend with spikes (taking my time) which made it manageable.
I'd say snowshoes are needed now ... please use 'em and let's keep Osceola classy :) |
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 | Name: |
Eric H |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-11-21 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqd4U5GnZkB/ |
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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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