| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Osceola, East Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tripoli Road, Mt. Osceola Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, March 18, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Livermore is a mud pit. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I didn’t notice anything new (compared with three weeks ago), noting that there are multiple stepovers and leaners. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I like to hike the Osceolas from the Tripoli Road side to avoid the steep descent from East Osceola down to the Greeley Pond Trail.
Tripoli Road is groomed for XC skiing in the winter, but it appears that that has now passed. The first mile of the road is very thin ice cover (and completely bare in places.). The next 1.5 miles is 2-3” crusty, icy snow. I didn’t see any skiers today and the ski tracks are old and drifted over. There were some fat bike tracks this afternoon. I barebooted the roadwalk noting that we always wear snowshoes during XC ski season.
The first mile of Mt Osceola Trail is very bony, and the little crossings are all open. I put on snowshoes after that; though the trail was wonderfully broken out by Rick and Kathy during their traverse on Saturday, it is now drifted over and there is new snow. Yay for a smidgen of winter! It was not hard to break it out solo as it was mostly 2-4” of compression, maximum 6”.
I switched to microspikes at Osceola as the descent was sketchy when I was there a few weeks ago. They worked perfectly and it appeared that the vast majority of recent travel was not snowshoes.
I took the bypass to the bypass. The chimney is not broken out and there is clearly ice under the snow. The bypass has boot tracks.
Once below the chimney area I put on snowshoes and kept them on until just above the Osceola parking lot on Tripoli Road. The snow was mushy on descent from both peaks. I’m not sure how much it matters, this late in the abbreviated winter that we had, but snowshoes were the safest and most efficient for me.
I saw just one other hiker today. It was a peaceful day on the Osceolas! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-18 |
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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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