| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Osceola, East Osceola, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Tripoli Road, Mt. Osceola Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the Livermore South Trailhead, which had room for dozens of cars. Was moderately full when I arrived around 10:30. $5 WMNF fee/pass. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Skis |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing high or dangerous by any means, but a few wannabe run-offs that the snowbridges had melted off of and that are consequently exposed rock/muck now. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple small blowdowns that are easily walked right over. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Probably would be fine, maybe a bit dodgy between the main peak and East Osceola if it's slick/slushy. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Lots of snow fleas lol |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Heeding the much-appreciated advice to head up from the Waterville Valley side rather than from the Kanc, I parked over at the Livermore South Trailhead. Dreading the idea of the long, semi-monotonous snowshoe along Tripoli Rd., I opted for taking advantage of the beautifully groomed trails into the Mt. Osceola trailhead instead! For any interested in doing the same, it was beautifully groomed and, while it likely didn't save me much time getting into the trailhead due to its slight, but definitely extant, incline (although I suspect it would if you're in more seasoned skiing shape than I am, which definitely would not be hard to do) it made for a VERY quick and enjoyable ski out at the end of the day ;) Once at the trailhead, I stashed my skis behind a tree, threw on the boots and snowshoes, and up we went! Trail was in great shape earlier in the day, and was beautifully broken out in the lower sections. It became much more clumpy before long, though, and led to some massive snowballs being angrily flung from my snowshoes more than once. Nearing the Mt. Osceola summit, there were a few very short sections where the trail would suddenly be completely drifted over for a few yards, but nothing notably deep. Heading over to East Peak from this side was largely fine, except for the aforementioned snowshoe-snow-clumps that desperately wanted to just send you careening down the steeper sections. Nothing tricky, though, with enough care. Obviously took the bypass to the bypass to the chimney because no way. Slogging up to East Peak was definitely a bit of an ordeal as that midday sun baked down, but aside from a few more icy sections was still fairly tame. By the time I turned around, especially after descending past the main peak, everything had begun to melt significantly leaving much more sticky conditions, exposed rocks, lumpy trails, etc. All in all, a beautiful day, though!
Gaia had me at 13.27 mi, 3234' gain, and just over 6 hours, but that's obviously definitely impacted by the time it took to swap out skis for snowshoes and whatnot, and flying back on said skis on the way out. 2.8 mph average skiing into the trailhead, but roughly 10 mph skiing back out ;P |
|
 | Name: |
Amelie Crowe |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ameliecrowe22@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-28 |
|
 | 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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