EAST POND TRAIL, 9/5/17

On a murky morning with t-storms predicted for the afternoon, I stayed short and close to home with a hike from Tripoli Road to old favorite East Pond, then continued up to the Osceola-Scar Ridge col on the East Pond Trail.

A calm, murky morning at East Pond. The East Pond Trail goes through the col in the center of the photo, then descends to the Kancamagus Highway.

The East Pond Trail tracks along the west shore of the pond.

View of Osceola ridges from the west shore.

The woods are open and ferny on the west side of the trail up in the 3130-ft. col. I meandered across the saddle towards East Scar Ridge. Bushwhackers seeking to climb that NH 100 Highest peak will find that higher up on the slope the woods transform to a maelstrom of dense small conifers riddled with shin-cracking blowdowns. At least, that was our experience many years ago when we descended from East Scar Ridge to the East Pond Trail.

A flash-enhanced fern glade.

About 0.1 mile down from the height-of-land the trail offers a glimpse down to green-tinted East Pond.

With a short bushwhack through very dense conifers - the type of stuff where it takes eight minutes to travel 75 feet - I gained a clearer bird's eye view of the pond, albeit obscured by haze and a rain shower. I had to stand atop a blowdown to get this shot.

Zoomed.

Pleasant walking descending back towards the pond.

View from the NW corner of East Pond.

Lilypads at the north end of the pond.