My "summit bagging" has officially begun! Last year when completing the Presidential Traverse I wasn't considering doing the whole 48 but yet again I was left with another itch to scratch. A bit of a trend seems to be developing here.
So, naturally, I decided to wake up at 2 am drive 3 hours and bag my 8th and 9th NH 48 summits.
The NH 48 is a list of mountains in New Hampshire whose peaks are over 4,000ft. While there are more than 48 of these mountains in the state a degree of discrepancy has been given based on the prominence of the summit. The list contains the popular and highest peak, Mt Washington as well as the entire presidential range all the way down to the ones who made the list by a couple feet.
Mt Osceola and Osceola East were the perfect welcoming party back to the White Mountains. After doing mostly trails and summiting Mt Greylock in MA I somewhat missed the endless rocky ascents of the Whites. Well, these two peaks brought me right back. The Mount Osceola Trail is a moderately steep 3 mile trip to the top of Mt Osceola (4,315ft) and then about a trail mile away is the is the summit of Mt Osceola East (4,134 ft).
Overall, the views on Osceola are beautiful and though the views are limited on East, she does not disappoint with a couple scrambles on the way back up to Osceola. Round trip is about 8 miles. The trail itself is quite rocky with only a few fast sections but a great intro to the White Mountains. The way up to Osceola is not overly technical and the distance of 3 miles makes it very manageable to obtain some super rewarding views at her summit.
If you are planning a trip out keep in mind its a popular spot. On the decent I began passing hikers on their way up and by the time I got to the trailhead the parking lot was packed. So if you are planning a trip and want parking at the trail head and more importantly that feeling of solitude, get there early.
For these summits I fast rucked, if that's a thing. I chose to pack 20% body weight and finished with a total time of 3hrs 44min. I will aim to improve my pace on the Mountains to come as I want to complete some longer endurance events and personal challenges later this year.
If you found this post, thank you for reading and as always, keep on chasing your true potential.
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