“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
Better late than never with these next few posts!
Continuing on my NH48 journey along with hiking for a good cause with this one! From September to November 21st I have been partaking in #Hike4Hope which is a fundraiser which is to support sexual violence survivors. Myself, alongside a team of 6 other people have hiking our way to raise money!
Setting out to tackle another 4000 footer as the first hike of the event was the plan, hoping to use this as a way to hit a few off of the list! Reading online the reviews stated that Mount Osceola is moderate but a great one for someone starting out their 4000 foot journey. It also said the views were amazing which was what sold me! Love me some amazing views – they DID NOT disappoint.
It was a chilly morning but the weather said it was going to be a clear, beautiful day. It was perfect weather for a hike, however the trail was packed. I would say it was the most packed I had seen the since before COVID. It is such a weird time to hike – half the people wear face coverings the other half do not; so nobody knows what to do or how to react.
Trail conditions were superb – dry and no bugs. The trail itself is extremely rocky – but again it is the White Mountains. I would agree with the AllTrails reviews and descriptions with the hike being moderate, not overly straining but a few areas you push yourself. The incline isn’t super hard, definitely gradual. There were a few points in the last mile/half mile where we were asking when does it end – I blame this on hunger over anything else.
The summit was packed and remained packed the entire time we were there. After eating we took some pictures (of course, hehe) and decided that while we were here we should hit East Osceola as well …
It would have been smart to of read ahead the description of doing East along with Osceola summit. It is a whole lot more challenging. You basically rock climb down 1000 feet or so then climb back up to get to a summit with absolutely NO view – just a big old cairn marks the summit. However, the adventure between the two summit was incredibly fun! By the time we made it back to Mount Osceola summit we had it to ourselves. We grabbed a few more pictures at the top and began our decent back to the parking lot.
For me, every decent (usually about half way down) my legs become jelly. So sunset + jell-o legs always make for an interesting hike down. However, once we made it to the car we had some much awaited apple cider donuts waiting for us – they tasted literally heavenly after this adventure.
I realize this is almost 4 years delayed posting but I have decided to pump out all my drafted blogs. So, be sure to stay tuned!
kaylawanders 