Mts. Osceola and East Osceola, June 2, 2013, White Mountain National Forest

At the Mt. Osceola Summit, Looking East to Tripyramids in Distance

Hail to the Chiefs.

Despite being exhausted from a week of hiking, I felt the urge to go up a few more mountains before heading back to our workaday lives in the Mid-Atlantic. I decided that the Osceolas, named for a great Seminole Indian chieftain, would be a good way to get two more peaks on this trip, elevating the week's total to eight and putting me over the halfway point on the route to the 4,000 footer club. I knew that my trail of choice would be a tough hike - the White Mountain Guide, in fact, calls it "one of the steepest and roughest in the mountains."

There are two routes up the Osceolas. The easy one is from Tripoli Road, which gradually takes hikers to the main peak first and then down and up to East Osceola. Since we were staying near North Conway, on the other side of the WMNF, going to Tripoli Road would add substantial drive time in the morning. So I decided to go up from the Greeley Ponds Trail located right off the Kancamagus Highway instead.

Scree field, view from East Osceola

The hike along Greeley Ponds Trail and into Mad River Notch is pleasant and quite easy. Shortly after the turn off on the Mt. Osceola Trail, however, everything turns nasty. I can't even remember the last time that I undertook such a steep, unrelenting ascent. I had to stow my hiking poles, relying on two free hands to clamber up the rocks. The situation was made worse by the heat and humidity, which was revealing itself as early as 6:30 AM. The pay off at the top of this grueling climb is minimal... East Osceola's summit is little more than an unassuming cairn on a ridge trail totally surrounded by trees.

Summit of East Osceola

I pressed on towards the main peak, but it too is a tough go. A steep descent into the col between the two peaks presages a climb up a vertical rock chimney leading to the Osceola summit. This time, however, I was rewarded with what many call the most dramatic and all-encompassing vista in the White Mountains. I got to the summit at 8:30 AM and spent a full 1/2 hour relaxing and admiring the view. No other hikers arrived.

Looking Up to Mt. Osceola, on Mt. Osceola Trail

Needless to say, the descent proved equally challenging, so much so that I had to stop to rest and recover my strength several times before finally making it all the down. At one point, I spent quite a long time admiring a dark-eyed Junco that landed nearby... the bird-watching gave me the added rest needed to finish off what was a really difficult challenge.

For most 4,000 footers, I can truly say that I would love to climb them a second time.

Not true of the Osceolas from Greeley Ponds.

Peaks: Mt. Osceola and East Osceola
Elevation: 4,340 feet and 4,156 feet (Gain: 3,116 feet)
Distance: 7.6 miles
Route: Up and Back, via Greeley Ponds Trail, Mount Osceola Trail  
Conditions: Mostly Sunny, 85% relative humidity, 90 degrees F