I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30am on a Sunday morning… and it was full. Well, nearly full; I snagged the very last spot available. Other hikers milled about, readying their backpacks for the hike to Mount Osceola. Yes, it is a beautiful sunny weekend in September, prime time for hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But, gosh, I thought I was an early riser. I thought I’d beat the crowds. I’m glad I came when I did… and it was worth it! read on.
My goal was to summit Osceola (3.2 miles from the base), and then bop out to East Osceola and back… a 2.0 mile round-trip over an incredibly rugged ridgeline. Each of these peaks count as part of the NH48, the 48 New Hampshire mountains with elevations over 4,000 feet. I had not been here since 1995, the first time I was “doing the 48”. I have only vague memories, none particularly pleasant. But today I re-discovered that Osceola has a fantastic view from its summit ledges, and is worth a climb regardless of what checklists one might pursue. East Osceola is, well, not worth visiting unless you want to check a box on the NH48 list. Like me, and a hundred other folks today.
I reached the main summit after 80 minutes (3.2 miles according to the trail sign at the trailhead) and was soon enjoying the early-morning view from its east-facing ledges. There were just a few other people there, and the mood was quiet. The sunshine took some of the chill off the early morning air, though a stiff breeze was picking up out of the west. After snapping a few photos, I continued on down the ridge toward East Osceola. The descent looked steep, with cliffs involved. Indeed, all the guidebooks warned about a trail feature known as “the chimney”.
Soon I was scrambling down steep rock, on the “easier” bypass route to avoid the notorious chimney. I paused to provide moral support to a middle-aged woman who was nervous about heights, talking her through the challenge. I’m glad we both took the bypass, because the chimney route indeed looked daunting. More later.
From there the trail climbed back up through the forest to East Osceola. I was glad to be ascending again, helping me fend off the breezy cool morning air. The summit was little more than a pile of stones amidst the trees, but nearby there an outlook provided us with a nice view back to Osceola’s main peak.
the Chimney is a rocky scramble just to the right of the right-most cliff.
On return I had to face the chimney. This was a climb up a steep, narrow cliff face.; I’d rate it about 5.3 on the climber’s scale. Not difficult, but requiring careful placement of hands and feet as one ascends. Fortunately it was short – perhaps 50 feet long – and I was soon on my way back up to the main peak. Now five miles into the hike I was beginning to slow; it is somehow always harder to re-ascend elevation I had already gained. I passed many hikers still on their way in. Lots of people want to climb the boring peak of East Osceola!
But the view on Osceola’s main ledges had, if anything, improved over the past hour. More people were present and the mood was no longer quiet, but the views were worth a longer pause. Eli Burakian’s excellent guidebook, Climbing New Hampshire’s 48 4,000 Footers, notes that the Osceola peaks’ various outlooks (collectively) allow one to see forty-one of those forty-eight peaks. I’m sure all of them were visible on this cloudless day, but I surely could not name them all by sight.
I bounced back down the rocky three miles to the trailhead, passing yet more hikers coming in. I am sure I passed a hundred people inbound. What a day!
Check out the gallery for more photos and video panoramas. It was a beautiful day to be in the mountains!
Hike stats:
Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation gain: 2,473 feet total
Time: 4 hours, including stops
David Kotz 
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