East Osceola and Osceola from Greeley Ponds - 21/jun/97
I've done both peaks before, but never from the Kanc, and Brenda
was looking for more 4000'ers, so this seemed like a good trip. We
wedged our car in at the parking area off the Kanc, expecting to
find an envelope on the windshield reminding us that we didn't yet
have a new parking permit. We planned
on getting one after the hike.
So, off we went. There were a few other groups leaving just before
us, but they were heading to the Ponds so we quickly passed them
and soon found ourselves on the
many puncheons that take the trail over wet
ground. After about a mile and a half we hit the Osceola trail
and turned right. The trail quickly
gains elevation and passes under some great
looking cliffs and rocky caves that still contained cool air. It
was very refreshing in the 85 degree humid weather. The trail
passes eventually comes to a
small slide with views down to
Greeley Ponds and the
cliffs. From our vantage point, the
cool water of Greeley Ponds was very inviting.
Then the trail starts climbing hard again, through some wet sections
before hitting the ridge. We met some folks there who were just heading
back from Osceola, the first people we'd seen on the climb. As it turns
out there were a lot more folks on this trail than I thought there would
be. One final steep section brought us the the
summit of East Osceola, a pretty non-descript spot
in the woods. We ate a sandwich and drank water, but the bugs drove
us onward. The trail drops steeply for a ways, and we passed a few
patches of snow before hitting the col. Then the
trail climbs a short, steep chimney and continues
on to the summit of Osceola, with it's bare
cliffs looking to the south. We rested,
took our summit photo, and generally
enjoyed the views.
After a half hour on top, we started back down, passing several people
coming over from East Osceola. We took the side trail (which is actually
the blazed trail) around the chimney and hoofed it back up to East
Osceola, stopping for mere seconds before pushing on. Then we left the
ridge and started the real descent. It's not that
bad but we went slowly, saving our knees and thighs. At the Greeley Ponds
trail junction we went right, to check out the ponds. It's only a 5 minute
trip to the first pond, but we only stayed there
a few minutes due to the bugs. At the outflow of
the first pond we met a mountain biker who was confused and looking for
trails to get him back to Waterville Valley. Don't mountain bike in
Protected Scenic Areas! Then it's another 10 minutes to the
second pond where we were promptly set upon by
black flies, again. We only stayed long enough to snap a few pictures
and then headed out. One of the stream crossings just before the road
was a perfect spot to dunk our heads and cool off. We hit the car,
found a note asking us to buy a parking pass, changed our rather
discusting shirts, and headed out. At Lincoln Woods I bought a yearly
parking pass and saw the message saying that Franconia Brook Campsite
is closed for the year.
A hot, sweaty hike. Perfect for a summer solstice.
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