Hiked by: Tim and Valerie on November 2, 2008 - Via Greeley Ponds Trail and Mt Osceola Trail
Conditions: Daylight savings time changed today, so we had bright sunshine very early in the AM. We started from the Kanc at 9AM. There were three cars in the parking lot when we arrived and the temp was a balmy 29 degrees.
The initial 1.3 miles on the Greeley Ponds trail was very nice and easy. A little mud and a few water crossings, but all very manageable.
Once we turned onto the Mt Osceola trail, then we started a gentle uphill climb. We could see a dusting of snow in the leaves. Still fairly easy going.
Soon, the trail became more snow-packed and even had some very icy spots. Tim saw a fisher! Our first in the wild. It moved quickly and was long gone before Valerie caught up. No pictures either.
We found a side-trail out to the slide. Tim went out onto the slide to take some pictures. This isn't part of the trail, but still an icy mess today.
We continued to climb, more steeply now. We came upon a bit of "slide" that was on the trail. There was a lot of ice and snow on it. At this point, Valerie stopped and put on her Stabilicers. Oooh, how about Tim? NO! He ignored the words of wisdom found on the Internet trail report that said the trail was snowy and icy. No traction control for him!
The views were just gorgeous!
We stopped near the summit of East Osceola for a snack and a change of socks. This spot in the sun was actually fairly warm. No wind - that helps!
On the summit of East Osceola
Peeking down on the more northerly Greeley Pond from an outlook near the summit
After an interesting trip down the icy trail, we found ourselves back in a warm climate. As if no snow were lurking just a few hundred feet up in elevation. We sat at the edge of Greeley Pond. The sun felt great and we enjoyed a snack at the edge of the calm water.
A quick hike out and we were at the car!
The purpose of today's hike was just to get familiar with the trail from the Kanc to East Osceola. Everyone says that it's steep and awful, and we didn't want the first time we saw it to be mid-winter. Consider this a recon mission. Overall, it went well. Of course, in winter, we'll need to continue over to Mt Osceola and back. We didn't do that today. Been there, seen that piece of trail. Let's get re-acquainted with winter hiking just a bit at a time.