Mount Osceola And East Osceola

PHOTO: Frannie and Mike on the summit of Mount Osceola, elevation 4,329 feet. Snow covered Mount Washington can be seen in the distance. From Tripoli Road the hike out and back on the Mount Osceola Trail to Mount Osceola and East Osceola is 7.8 miles and requires climbing nearly 3,000 vertical feet. In the next few weeks many of the National Forest Roads, including Tripoli Road will be gated shut for the winter. It is raw and cold out there. Be prepared if you go hiking. Bring lots of warm clothes. The days are getting shorter so always start early and bring a headlamp. Better to have a headlamp and not need it than to need one and be without one.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Our niece Frannie and her husband Mike came up from Boston to go for a hike. The forecast called for a chilly start with promises of mostly sunny and temperatures warming up during the day. I rode with them to Exit 31 on I-93 and up Tripoli Road to the Mount Osceola Trailhead.
We drove past the warning sign the road may be closed due to bridge construction but we drove on just the same. If we couldn’t make it to the height of the land to the Osceola Trailhead we’d just have to change our plans and hike up Mount Tecumseh Trail before the bridge. Luckily we were waved through and we made it to the parking lot.
The drive up Tripoli Road from Interstate 93 isn’t a shortcut to Waterville Valley time wise because the road is narrow and bumpy. The road is most famous for camping in the National Forest with roadside campsites and campgrounds at Russell Pond and the Osceola Vista Campground. The campgrounds close in mid October and we didn’t see any tents along the roadside. It is too cold to sleep in a tent now.
At 8:30 am I was surprised we were the only car in the parking lot. We paid the National Forest $5 fee. As we were getting ready to go a car pulled in that had driven up from the Waterville Valley side.
We wore our warm jackets, hats and gloves. Mike wore shorts; he is tougher than me. The sun started to poke out and it was nice it felt warm.

It is just under three miles to the summit of Mount Osceola. The trail steadily climbs and doesn’t feel too steep but the footing is very rocky and uneven and often wet. Frannie remarked it looked like it wouldn’t be fun coming back down it. I didn’t disagree.
About a mile up looking down the trail and out towards the mountains there was a view of the ski slopes of Waterville Valley. We kept hiking and unfortunately the sun decided to stay mostly hidden the rest of the day.
The trail section across the angled ledge slabs were tricky but we took our time. We continued to hike up the rocky trail.
As we climbed higher we noticed that there was a dusting of snow lying on the forest floor along the trail. Wow, the first snow!

Oh the mud pits. What a mess the trail is where it flattens out just before the summit ledges. Deep mud and wet cold puddles. We jumped from rock to rock and we managed to keep our feet dry.
A hiker came up behind us and joined us on the summit and headed right off toward East Osceola. We admired the view in the dim light. The clouds were high but it was still cold and dark. The only mountain that had the sun shining on it was bright white snow covered Mount Washington.

We were doing fine so we too continued towards East Osceola. Mike is interested in completing the New Hampshire 4,000 footers. Frannie doesn’t care, she is in it just for a nice hike. Frannie did consider heading back to the car but decided she’d keep going.
The hike between the two peaks has one really difficult section, the chimney. The chimney is a nearly vertical rock climb with good footing and handholds, much like climbing a ladder. No fun for climbing down but there is a ledgy bypass route around it that is not as steep but still very challenging. I think we all had to scoot on our butts once or twice.
At the bottom we made it around more big mud pits and began the climb up East Osceola.
We enjoyed the views from a couple of ledges along the way. We again met the hiker that we had met on top of Osceola. We chatted a bit and we learned he was out peakbagging for his AMC 4-seasons-NH48 and his Grid-hiking all 48 in every month.
Surrounded by trees, we tagged the big pile of rocks that marks the summit of the East Osceola. We turned right around and started back.

When we arrived back at the Chimney we decided we’d climb it. I went first followed by Frannie and then Mike. It was challenging and at the top we were glad to have it behind us.
As we neared the open ledges of Mount Osceola it started snowing/sleeting. Really? The weather forecast wasn’t even close to being right. The squall lasted a good ten minutes.
We met another hiker as we descended. A man and his dog. This time it was the dog that was working on his 4,000 footer list! We were all concerned about the dog getting up and down the chimney bypass. (The dog did fine, I learned from the hiker’s post on NewEnglandTrailConditions.com).
A helicopter passed over several times as we descended. I thought it was strange that it circled above us. Later I also learned from the hiker with the dog’s report that he saw the helicopter doing touchdown drills on Osceola. That must have been very cool to see.
We drove home down the other side of Tripoli Road and through Waterville Valley. Tripoli road’s gates will be locked when snow flies or mid-November, whichever comes first.
Our hike was nearly 8 miles long and Mike and Frannie can check off two more peaks on their 4,000 footer list. The heat in the car sure felt wonderful.
Have fun.