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Heading
east, the Mt Osceola trail dropped off sharply, then moderated. Just
before reaching the col between the peaks, we encountered the
chimney. You can either choose to climb directly through the chimney
or take a slightly less precipitous bypass. I wanted to climb down
the chimney, but Muffin tried to follow me and I was afraid she'd
get hurt, so the two of us took the bypass down. Even then, I had to
help her down a particularly steep spot.
Down
below in the col, there were still a few patches of snow in
sheltered spots. From there, it didn't take long to climb up the
moderate slope to East Osceola. It looked pretty much the same as it
had in November 1999, minus the snow.
I propped the camera up on a rock and, using its self-timer, tried
to get a similar pose as when we were here before. There are no
views from East Osceola, so we didn't linger on its summit.
On
the way back, I stopped at the base of the chimney. I definitely
wanted to scale it, so I tried to get Muffin to take the bypass, but
with no luck. Finally, I just started climbing, pausing to help lift
her up a couple of nearly vertical pitches. Miraculously, she
managed to scramble up some pretty steep spots by herself, but I
stayed just below her to make sure she didn't fall. At the top, she
waited while I down-climbed it, and then climbed up again.
When
we returned to Mt Osceola, there were quite a few people on the
summit, including Mohamed Ellozy, whom I recognized from pictures of
The Gathering that I found through the
Views
from the Top website. After introducing myself and talking for a
few minutes, Muffin and I resumed our descent.
Near
the trailhead, there were numerous trout lilies blooming in the
woods.
These are common early spring flowers at lower elevations,
but bloom a bit later in the White Mountains.
Back
in the car, we stopped to get some gas and a snack in Waterville
Valley, then headed home. |
Looking
up a portion of the chimney. Although it doesn't look like it in
this photo, the chimney is nearly vertical in spots. It's a fun
climb - just a hair short of needing technical gear. |
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