“It wasn’t the thrill of the climb that snapped me awake, but knowing that I was heading back to the place where I first remember feeling profound love.”
— from 4000s by 40
The photos on this page coincide with Chapter 3 from 4000s by 40, where I really wished I had brought microspikes—and also failed another summit. For more on the mistakes I made, the lessons I learned, and the pull of the mountains as a way to face the everyday challenges of navigating middle age, you can find the book [here]. To go along with the photos, I’ve also added a quick retelling of events, along with quotes from the book, to give some context and flavor from the chapter.
One Step Forward…
Motivated to climb all 48 of the 4000-footers in one year before my 40th birthday, I needed to start my 4000s by 40 journey in the winter. With only 14 months of wiggle room, I headed out on a cold December day to tackle the two Osceola peaks on the list: East Osceola and Osceola. But my eyes were bigger than my mouth, I suppose, because I bit off more than I could chew. Shortly into the climb, I realized I was unprepared and watched enviously as other climbers donned microspikes—something I knew little about and certainly didn’t have. I still managed to summit East Osceola, but there was no way I could risk tackling “The Chimney” to cross over to Osceola “proper” and live to tell the tale. I was making mistakes, but I was learning.
I was not ready for all this ice!
Starting Out on the Greeley Pond Trail
I couldn’t believe it when I rolled into the Greeley Pond Trailhead and someone was already in the lot, gearing up. I mean, who are these people? We made small-talk and I observed that he was better prepared than me. Mainly, he had something I didn’t: microspikes.
There hadn’t been much snow yet in the season, and the beginnings of the trail followed suit with what we were experiencing in the southern part of New Hampshire. There were a couple of river crossings in the early going, which are always fun—provided you don’t fall in on a cold day! They add a good challenge and a little extra adventure. Fortunately, I managed to keep my feet dry this time.
Ice on the Mount Osceola Trail: A Decision to be Made
Even though it was December, it never occurred to me that I’d run into a lot of ice. The weather had been so mild in New Hampshire up to that point, I thought I could squeeze in another ascent before the real winter began. I was wrong. I managed to hop around the ice for a while as I made my way up the trail, but then I ran into a wall of it.
Pictures really don’t do this wall justice, but right from the vantage point shown below, I slipped and fell hard on my keester. Pulling myself up, I debated whether I could ascend at all. Weighing my options, I elected to continue by pulling myself up through the trees on the left side of the wall face.
The problem was finding a way to get over there…
Leaving Mount Osceola for Another Day
After making it to the summit of East Osceola, I took a gander at the route leading to Osceola’s main summit and decided it looked way too dangerous without spikes. Past experiences on other climbs helped with this decision.
But that was okay. The views off East Osceola are incredible, and even though I didn’t make it over to the main Osceola peak on this attempt, subsequent climbs solidified the Osceolas as two of my favorite 4000-footers—Osceola “proper” edging out East Osceola by a good bit. Interestingly, I had never heard much about the Osceolas before climbing them, either online or in conversations about the 4000-footers. When people talk about their favorites, I usually hear about the Presidentials, Moosilauke, the Bonds, Lafayette, Lincoln, and, on rarer occasions, Carrigain. In fact, now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone list the Osceolas among their favorites—but people should get to know them, whether they’re working through the 4000-footers or not. They ascend relatively quickly and require less mileage to get views that, in my opinion, are comparable to the Bonds in some respects.
It was great to have my second peak under my belt, but my adventure wasn’t going at all like I originally envisioned. It wasn’t like I was an unexperienced climber either. I spent most of my life in the mountains, exploring regions of New England, Colorado, Utah, and many other areas out west. I guess I’m really out of practice. It was time to recalibrate. I also needed to learn more about winter hiking.
“If I was to fail summitting every mountain before successfully climbing it, this was going to be a much longer and humiliating journey than I had anticipated.”
More From the Mountains: 4000s by 40
Want to read more about this mountain—or others like it?
You’ll find the full story (and other misadventures) in 4000s by 40. And if you’re looking for more pictures of New Hampshire’s 4000-footers, you can explore all 48 peaks in the Visual Companion.
Mount East Osceola Ascent Details
East Osceola Height: 4,156 Feet
Route (Out and Back): Greeley Ponds Trail to Mount Osceola Trail
Elevation Gain: 2,221 Feet
Total Distance: 5.6 Miles
Trailhead Location: The Greeley Ponds Trailhead is located off the Kancamagus Highway, north of Lincoln, NH
Exploring East Osceola: Trail Reports & Peakbagging Resources
If you’re looking for more details on hiking East Osceola and Mount Osceola, here are some great resources that provide trail conditions, peakbagging stats, and scenic highlights. There are certainly other references that I use, but these are a few of my go-tos:
- Peakbagger.com – Mount Osceola | Peakbagger.com – East Osceola – A great place to track your 4000-footer progress, log summits, and see detailed elevation data.
- NewEnglandWaterfalls.com – Provides difficulty ratings and highlights scenic viewpoints in the winter—perfect for planning ahead.
- AMC Trail Maps – I have different versions that came with a more detailed trail book, but it’s always good to have a reliable map.
