Osceolas via Greeley Ponds

The Oseolas was an easy choice—two of the lowest peaks on the 4000′ list, and widely described as “one of the first hikes by the average peakbagger given how easy a summit it is.”

I never read past that part.

If I did, I would have surely read, “…this, of course, is only referring to the trail via Tripoli Rd.  Don’t attempt hiking this in the winter via Greeley Ponds Tr unless in the best of conditions and with ice climbing gear.”

Let’s see… Conditions: First winter storm in New England.  Hmm.  Ice Climbing Equipment: Excuse me?

Fortunately the weather on the mountain wasn’t nearly as bad as the rest of the state, and I also managed to tag up with a variety of hikers along the way (though, of the two dozen or so I saw, only four of us made it to–or past–the first peak).

The MSRs handled exceptionally on the slides, though one of the rock scrambles near Mt. Osceola was near impossible without crampons or an ice ax.  I ended up switching-out for MicroSpikes just for that part, though the improvement was minimal.

I was very close to turning back several times during the hike, but in the end, it was worth it and quite a blast.  Didn’t take the camera out much, besides a quick snap at the summit, which was of the only thing visible—trees