| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
NH 112, Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail, Tripoli Road, East Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 9, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
East Pond and Greeley Pond TH are fee lots. Have your $3 ready. Tripoli Rd was still closed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing on Greeley Ponds Tr was easy with a couple steps on wet rocks. All others were easy rock hops except for the crossing of Pine Brook on East Pond Tr. I had to go upstream a short distance, step on some submerged rocks, then make a leap of about 4 feet. Boots and gaiters helped keep my feet dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Greely Ponds Tr and Mt Osceola Tr was in good shape up to the summit of Osceola with only one large duck under down low. Heading down toward Tripoli Rd there were still trees bent over and stuck in the snow near the summit and a few minor blowdowns down low. East Pond Tr had some blowdowns but nothing major. It became brushy just south of the height of land. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
After passing the people from the only car in the Greeley Ponds lot Marlie took charge and led the way. Even she had some postholing. At the chimney I climbed straight up but she took the bypass and reached the top before I could persuade her to try to follow me. It's starting to get hot out so make sure you pack enough water for your four legged friend. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw some buzzing about but none biting...yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
I found a pair of Stabilicer Lites, a winter hat, 3 pole baskets, some rubber thing, 2 beer cans, and lots of wrapper pieces. I took advantage of the trash can at the Tripoli Rd lot to discard the trash. |
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 | Comments: |
It felt like summer despite there still being several feet of snow in spots. I barebooted all the way to Mt Osceola although some may prefer light traction and snowshoes could be useful for a few short stretches. The steep sections were clear of snow and ice so it it would have been off and on with the 'shoes quite a bit. Heading towards Tripoli Rd from the summit I tried to bareboot but there was no distinguishable monorail and still up to 4 feet of snow in spots. After sinking up to my crotch a couple times I put on my snowshoes for about a mile. I saw four people heading up this side after they had walked up Tripoli Rd. They all seemed surprised when I told them about the snow depth.
East Pond Tr was a nice walk. There was quite a bit of snow in the woods just south of the pond, I assume from drifting all winter and a little near the height of land. The water was a very pretty blue green color. I met a party of three just south of the height of land asking if they were on the trail to East Osceola or if they had just summited. Oops! They looked disappointed when I gave them the bad news.
Did anyone make it to the summit of Osceola before my snowman melted? :)
14.8 mi 4230' elev+ 8 hr 20 min |
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 | Name: |
IQuest |
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 | E-Mail: |
iandanner@hotmail com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-05-10 |
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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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