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After
a few more steep switchbacks, we reached the ridge. The trail
turned left and leveled out somewhat, although there were a couple
of short steep sections before we finally reached the wooded summit
of East Osceola. The summit itself was marked with a small cairn;
it would not have been noticeable otherwise, as it was just a
slightly higher spot on fairly level wooded ridge.
Despite
the trees, it was chilly and a little windy at the summit. I had
planned on boiling some water for hot soup on my stove, but I
couldn’t find the lighter I had brought and I didn’t want to bother
using the emergency fire starter flint and tinder, so I ate a
power bar and Muffin had some dog treats.
I
had planned on continuing to Mt Osceola, but we were behind schedule
and Muffin was snow-covered and shivering, so I decided that it
was better to turn around and head back down.
On
the way down, we met a group of four hikers on their way up. They
were planning to go all the way to Mt Osceola, then hike down
the other side to Tripoli Rd where they had another car parked.
That was a better plan than mine because it was less steep going
down that way, but I didn’t have the means to spot a car like
they did.
Finally,
we reached the Greeley Ponds Trail again and the going got easier.
The temperature started to rise slightly and the snow began to
melt off Muffin’s feet. When we got back to the car, we drove
to McDonald’s where I bought Muffin a hamburger before we headed
home. |
View
northeast from the slide on East Osceola. Mt Washington is in
the distance just to the right of the spruce tree. The Hancocks
and Mt Carrigain are visible to the left of the tree. |
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