With snow in the forecast, stayed close to home and snowshoed into Mad River Notch to visit the Greeley Ponds and the lowest open slabs on two East Osceola slides. It snowed from late morning on, accumulating 4" of fluffy powder by day's end.
It was already snowing by the time I reached Upper Greeley Pond.
Parallel tracks.
It's a tough life in Mad River Notch.
I followed the open track 0.2 mile up to the base of the open part of the 1892 East Osceola slide - the slide that the Mount Osceola Trail crosses on ledges high above, at 3700 ft.. There were ski tracks from a few days earlier, when two adventurers must have skied down from one of the two upper south forks of the slide. The upper forks, which are visible from Upper Greeley Pond, likely fell in the mid-1900s, perhaps during Hurricane Carol in 1954.
I snowshoed up the first pitch, which is a cascade in summer.
The slide gets quite steep just above; this is my usual turnaround point.
A veiled view of the K2 Cliff on the west knob of Mt. Kancamagus.
The track below the open slide is a wonderful snowy highway with adequate cover.
On to Lower Greeley Pond.
From the south end of the pond, looking north into Mad River Notch.
East Osceola was veiled in a snow cloud, but I could see the snowy open slab on the lower part of the 1897 slide, which I have visited a number of times. It looks close, but is not easy to get to. This slide reportedly overran the Greeley Ponds Trail and partly filled Lower Greeley Pond.
Deep powder on the track leading up to the slide.
Winter has arrived!
I hadn't really planned on whacking up to the open slab, but the snowy swath lured me onward.
Wondrous.
Picturesque corridor.
Looking back.
This slab was too steep to snowshoe up.
Made a detour through the dense woods, popping out for a side view of the slab.
Back onto the slide, approaching the big open slab.
Another pitch too steep to climb.
Another bypass through the conifers.
Emerging partway up the big slab.
With a foot of powder atop crust, and another layer beneath, not a good time to venture out there.
View of the SW ridge of Mt. Kancamagus, including the K1 Cliff and the talus slope below.
There's a nice shelf above this little headwall, but this was far enough for today.
Heading back down, with a glimpse of Lower Greeley Pond below.
Clearest view of the day, the K2 Cliff from Upper Greeley Pond.
Somehow this view reminded me of the famed Glencoe pass in Scotland.
I find those snowy vistas enchanting. Steve, if I understand you, you shoed in from the Kanc, right? What a pleasure, and no company!
ReplyDelete