Mt Osceola (10/26/24)

Back in 2018, I used to get out to hike constantly, sometimes doing multiple hikes in the same weekend. These days, I'm lucky if I get out once every couple months. The effect is noticeable, as I am not nearly in the same shape now that I was in then. Thus, every once in a while I just have to force myself to hike. This weekend was one of those weekends when I just forced myself to go take a hike. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go. I didn't want to do something super strenuous, but at the same time I wanted to try something new. With it being late fall, I wasn't sure if I would encounter snow and ice in some places. Putting all these factors together, I opted to hike Mt. Osceola.

This would be my third hike of Mt. Osceola, but the previous two hikes included East Osceola, which is the most difficult approach. For this hike, I decided to go straight up the Mt. Osceola Trail, which is supposed to be one of the easier trails in the Whites. I had never done it before because logistically it's hard to get to, as it involves going down the Tripoli Road, which as everyone knows starts at the Halls of Montezuma. Just kidding, but props if you get the joke. In reality, the Tripoli Road is a dirt road that is fairly narrow and closed in wintertime. 

I drove in fairly early, and got the opportunity to watch the sun rise over the Kancamagus Highway. It was too beautiful for me to do anything but stop and get pictures. I also got the opportunity to test my iPhone's new satellite text messaging feature, which worked surprisingly well.

You would be forgiven for thinking that the sky was on fire.

My trip in was relatively difficult, as I was the caboose in a line of cars heading in and there was a lot of dust being kicked up in front of me. When we got to the trailhead, it was still pretty early, but all the parking was full. Thus, I joined a bunch of other people in parking along the Tripoli Road.

This was going to be a solo hike, with about 2,000 feet of ascent over three miles. Not easy, but not terrible, especially because the grading was pretty steady. It was rocky (it's the Whites, after all), and there were a couple areas that were a little dicey because they were pure slab. Still, I made it up without much trouble, passing a number of groups along the way.

The summit was pretty, if a bit windy. There was only one other hiker up there with me (and his dog), so I took a picture for him. He was from out of state (Virginia, I think), and he asked me for some advice on the Whites, which I happily provided. I am always happy to talk about the White Mountains.

Hawk's summit selfie on Osceola, and apparently my Garmin had a message.

As if often is, the hike down was even easier than the hike up, and I made good time. Getting turned around on the Tripoli Road wasn't the easiest, but I managed it. Once I got back to the highway, I turned my CRV towards the Lakes Region, there to meet up with Dragonfly and walk her land. Truthfully, I didn't mind the extra steps, because Osceola wasn't really much of a workout. Still, I was glad to have gotten the hike in, and I was glad to get to visit Dragonfly as well. Always remember, you can't take flight until you spread your wings!

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