Mount Osceola Hike

Mount Osceola and East Osceola Hike

Distance: 8.18 miles

Elevation Gain: 2871 feet

Type: Out and Back

Peaks: Mount Osceola (4315 feet) and East Osceola Peak (4134 feet)

Mount Osceola

To check out more 4000 footer peaks, we hiked up to Mount Osceola. We left (again) at 4 a.m. in Boston and we started hiking at 7 a.m. From the trailhead on Tripoli road via Mount Osceola trail, it is only about 3 miles to reach Mount Osceola. Because it was early in the morning, there were only a couple of people at the top. The view was dramatic. The valley surrounded by Mount Osceola and East Osceola seems somehow a hanging place for clouds. Therefore a line of clouds were there floating above mountain line and it made an unusual scenery. A little breeze sometimes pushed up clouds from the bottom of valley. It was great to see that. 

Then we headed for East Osceola. From Osceola to East peak, first 500 feet down then again 350 feet up. It is mentally hard when I go up and down a lot. Up up up up and down down down down is easier than up down up down up down up down (at least for me). 

Anyway at the top of East Osceola was in the clouds unfortunately. Well it was a good workout. Then we came back to the main Osceola peak. First time we were at the summit was 8:45 a.m. Second time when we came back from East Osceola was 10:30 a.m.  Now more people were at the top. Anyway we sat down and ate lunch and peaches. Two females 10 meters behind us were discussing whether they should go to East peak or not. After a long discussion they decided not to go, because one of them wanted to go to dinner at 5 p.m. in Concord, NH. As you can imagine from this conversation, this trail has many non-hardcore hikers. If you go to only Osceola not East peak, it is just 6 mile hike with 2000 feet elevation gain. Those hikers are not potato couches, but not hardcore either.

Because the past 2 weekends before this hike we had much steeper hikes, both of us though this hike was relatively easy and gentle climb. Bodies seem to adjust very quickly. 

After this good hike, we came home and ate nice Japanese dinner to conclude the day.