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I
wasn't particularly looking forward to this climb because I didn't
consider Osceola to be much of a challenge. Although many seem to consider
it among their favorites, it's definitely not a mountain I would have
picked if it weren't one of the 4000-footers. But I had to get it out of
the way, and the timing was right. So, to make the hike a bit more
interesting, even though I'd already been to East Osceola from the Greeley
Ponds side, I decided to do both peaks from Tripoli Rd. This would give me
the chance to climb the chimney in the col between them.
Tripoli
Rd (pronounced Triple-eye, not Trip-o-lee as in "from
the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of ...) connects the town of
Waterville Valley to I-93 near the town of Woodstock, passing over the
height of land between Mts Osceola and Tecumseh. This mostly gravel road
provides the only access to the Mt Osceola Trailhead, but it's closed in
the winter and doesn't usually open until late May. I got lucky - it had
just been opened the day before; otherwise I had considered hiking the
three miles in from Waterville Valley.
After
parking at the trailhead, Muffin and I headed up the relatively flat but
rock-strewn path. The weather was near perfect and there were minimal bugs
- a good day for a hike! I was looking forward to tackling the chimney,
which I had read about but never seen.
Along
the way, I took a lot of pictures of Muffin because I promised my daughter
that I would. Besides, I managed to catch her in a few good poses for a
change.
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Mt
Osceola Trailhead on Tripoli Rd. I was extremely lucky as Tripoli
Rd, which is closed in the winter, had just opened for the season. |
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