BIGEarl
Well-known member
June 29, 2014: Osceolas from Thornton Gap (Tripoli Road)
Trails: Mt. Osceola Trail
Summits: Osceola, Osceola East Peak
Hikers: Larry Donoghue, Marty Emmick, Clarke Haywood, and me
Sunday arrived with a question regarding my hiking partners for the day. Marty had sent an email the night before indicating he wasn’t feeling quite right and might be unable to join the fun. Early in the morning he sent another email suggesting instead of carpooling we all just meet at the trailhead and if necessary he could quit early and we would all have transportation. I arrived to the Mt. Osceola trailhead lot on Tripoli Road with only one other vehicle already there. Soon after I reached the trailhead Larry pulled in and not long after Marty arrived and had Clarke Haywood with him. What a terrific surprise to see Clarke – it’s been a couple years since we have hiked together. After getting through the usual hike prep the four of us were on our way. The plan for the day was an out-and-back to Osceola East Peak passing over Osceola (main peak) along the way.
Under normal conditions, I’m slow. Because of the previous day we weren’t working with normal conditions. Part of the hike prep was to let the others know I would most likely be dragging a little more than usual, but I promised to do my best. After loading up with repellant we started our hike.
The first target for the day was Osceola main peak. The early part of Mt. Osceola Trail from Tripoli Road is about as rocky as a trail gets. Roughly an hour from the trailhead both Larry and I were commenting about the endless rocks and hoping to be out of them soon. Eventually the terrain did mellow out a little and hiking became easier. By then, I was really looking forward to the mud pits near the summit, mainly because they were near the summit and I was having a tough day.
For most of the climb, Clarke and Marty lead the parade. Larry kept me company in the back. Thanks for hanging with me Larry so I wouldn’t end up hiking by myself. I felt bad that I couldn’t make better time but I was a little hung-over from the previous day’s hiking. Eventually we reached the summit of Osceola and were treated to a nice cool breeze (enough of a breeze to control the biting insects). We lounged on the summit for a while and enjoyed the day. While we were there others started to arrive and it was time to continue on our way to Osceola East Peak.
The first half of the walk to our second target was mostly downhill and felt pretty good. We made our way through a couple steep drops including The Chimney (we used the bypass on our trip east). Along the way we met Dave Chase and stopped for a visit. Dave was hiking the same peaks from The Kanc. Soon we were all on our way but knew we would see each other again, soon.
After getting past The Chimney, downhill was done and we were again working with uphill to Osceola East Peak. To this point I was in the lead but the order shuffled as we started into the climb and I was again the caboose, which is a very familiar place. Slow and steady, stopping as needed, we made our way to the summit cairn and stopped for quick refreshment. We finished going through the summit picture formalities, made the u-turn and started our exit hike.
We descended from Osceola East Peak to the col and were facing The Chimney. After a couple questions Marty started up The Chimney, I followed, then Larry, and finally Clarke. I think everybody agreed climbing The Chimney was easier than descending the bypass. After clearing The Chimney we were only faced with the dog work of re-climbing Osceola. As expected, along the way we again met Dave for more trailside conversation. It’s always a treat to see a familiar face on the trail.
We reached the summit area and as soon as we stepped into the clearing the nice, cool breeze was there to make everything better. The others arrived ahead of me and already staked out an area to relax. I wandered over and also got comfortable. The Osceolas is a relatively short hike, we had an early start, and there was no real time pressure. Our concern was to get moving again before muscles started to tighten. We enjoyed the place for as long was we could but soon it was time to go.
Our exit hike was all downhill and the bottom half was very rough and rocky – as expected. With Clarke and Marty usually leading the way, we found a comfortable pace and just hiked. Eventually we found a couple small crossings and some muddy conditions. There, I knew we were getting close to the trailhead. In a few minutes we stepped into the trailhead, a comfortable amount under book time. I don’t know about the others but hot, tired, and thirsty were all conditions I was experiencing. I decided to take care of thirsty first. After three cold ones thirsty was generally taken care of. The truck’s A/C would take care of hot, and a good night’s sleep was needed to help with tired.
At the trailhead we all changed into comfortable footwear, enjoyed some post-hike refreshments, and for a while longer enjoyed each other’s company. It was a terrific day with terrific friends. Thanks guys; good day, good hike, and Clarke it was good to see you again (hopefully our next one will be soon). Next time I’ll try to show up without already having had my ass kicked; promise.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Mt. Osceola Trail
Summits: Osceola, Osceola East Peak
Hikers: Larry Donoghue, Marty Emmick, Clarke Haywood, and me
Sunday arrived with a question regarding my hiking partners for the day. Marty had sent an email the night before indicating he wasn’t feeling quite right and might be unable to join the fun. Early in the morning he sent another email suggesting instead of carpooling we all just meet at the trailhead and if necessary he could quit early and we would all have transportation. I arrived to the Mt. Osceola trailhead lot on Tripoli Road with only one other vehicle already there. Soon after I reached the trailhead Larry pulled in and not long after Marty arrived and had Clarke Haywood with him. What a terrific surprise to see Clarke – it’s been a couple years since we have hiked together. After getting through the usual hike prep the four of us were on our way. The plan for the day was an out-and-back to Osceola East Peak passing over Osceola (main peak) along the way.
Under normal conditions, I’m slow. Because of the previous day we weren’t working with normal conditions. Part of the hike prep was to let the others know I would most likely be dragging a little more than usual, but I promised to do my best. After loading up with repellant we started our hike.
The first target for the day was Osceola main peak. The early part of Mt. Osceola Trail from Tripoli Road is about as rocky as a trail gets. Roughly an hour from the trailhead both Larry and I were commenting about the endless rocks and hoping to be out of them soon. Eventually the terrain did mellow out a little and hiking became easier. By then, I was really looking forward to the mud pits near the summit, mainly because they were near the summit and I was having a tough day.
For most of the climb, Clarke and Marty lead the parade. Larry kept me company in the back. Thanks for hanging with me Larry so I wouldn’t end up hiking by myself. I felt bad that I couldn’t make better time but I was a little hung-over from the previous day’s hiking. Eventually we reached the summit of Osceola and were treated to a nice cool breeze (enough of a breeze to control the biting insects). We lounged on the summit for a while and enjoyed the day. While we were there others started to arrive and it was time to continue on our way to Osceola East Peak.
The first half of the walk to our second target was mostly downhill and felt pretty good. We made our way through a couple steep drops including The Chimney (we used the bypass on our trip east). Along the way we met Dave Chase and stopped for a visit. Dave was hiking the same peaks from The Kanc. Soon we were all on our way but knew we would see each other again, soon.
After getting past The Chimney, downhill was done and we were again working with uphill to Osceola East Peak. To this point I was in the lead but the order shuffled as we started into the climb and I was again the caboose, which is a very familiar place. Slow and steady, stopping as needed, we made our way to the summit cairn and stopped for quick refreshment. We finished going through the summit picture formalities, made the u-turn and started our exit hike.
We descended from Osceola East Peak to the col and were facing The Chimney. After a couple questions Marty started up The Chimney, I followed, then Larry, and finally Clarke. I think everybody agreed climbing The Chimney was easier than descending the bypass. After clearing The Chimney we were only faced with the dog work of re-climbing Osceola. As expected, along the way we again met Dave for more trailside conversation. It’s always a treat to see a familiar face on the trail.
We reached the summit area and as soon as we stepped into the clearing the nice, cool breeze was there to make everything better. The others arrived ahead of me and already staked out an area to relax. I wandered over and also got comfortable. The Osceolas is a relatively short hike, we had an early start, and there was no real time pressure. Our concern was to get moving again before muscles started to tighten. We enjoyed the place for as long was we could but soon it was time to go.
Our exit hike was all downhill and the bottom half was very rough and rocky – as expected. With Clarke and Marty usually leading the way, we found a comfortable pace and just hiked. Eventually we found a couple small crossings and some muddy conditions. There, I knew we were getting close to the trailhead. In a few minutes we stepped into the trailhead, a comfortable amount under book time. I don’t know about the others but hot, tired, and thirsty were all conditions I was experiencing. I decided to take care of thirsty first. After three cold ones thirsty was generally taken care of. The truck’s A/C would take care of hot, and a good night’s sleep was needed to help with tired.
At the trailhead we all changed into comfortable footwear, enjoyed some post-hike refreshments, and for a while longer enjoyed each other’s company. It was a terrific day with terrific friends. Thanks guys; good day, good hike, and Clarke it was good to see you again (hopefully our next one will be soon). Next time I’ll try to show up without already having had my ass kicked; promise.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
