Today we hiked East Osceola in New Hampshire, our first White Mountain 4000-footer of 2008 and my 13th out of 48 altogether. Last year we had hiked Osceola, which is just far enough from East Osceola that they count as separate mountains in the list of 4000-footers. We had considered going the extra mile (literally) and bagging East Osceola in the same trip, but I was under the impression that the rules of 4000-footer peak bagging forbade multiple peak bags in one trip. I have since found out that I was mistaken, hence our trip up East Osceola today.
We started on the Greely Ponds trail, which is a popular trail that leads to the scenic , family-friendly Greeley Ponds alongside the Mad River. No elevation was gained in 1.3 miles, so when we reached the Mt. Osceola trail and saw East Osceola was only 1.5 miles away, my quadriceps clenched in anticipation of severe steepness. They were not disappointed.
It was a long 1.5 miles to the summit, filled with rock scrambles up an unrelenting slope. After an hour, we reached open rock and got a nice view of the eastern Sandwich Range as well as the Kancamagus Highway. Because it is Bike Week in New Hampshire, motorcyclists flocked to the highway (which is actually just a scenic road), and the sound of their bikes remained with us for the entire hike.
The summit of East Osceola is completely wooded and affords no views. We knew this going in, but it was still hard not to feel disappointed when we found the cairn surrounded by trees. After eating a bit of lunch, we descended the steep trail and headed to the Greeley Ponds, where Mr. Pinault swam (see below right) and I waded before we were scared away by a rambunctious gang of senior citizens.
