First snowshoe hike of the season, on a cold and windy November 14th!
Followed several Waterville Valley XC ski trails, which had decent cover
and were lightly packed by snowmobile, then bushwhacked up along
Osceola Brook to several cascades. The 5-6" of dense, crunchy snow made
for surprisingly good snowshoeing conditions. A day to stay low in the
woods.
A Forest Service worker had just closed the gate on Tripoli Road for the season.
The southwest slide of Mt. Osceola is prominent in this view.
North Tripyramid and its North Slide.
Light grooming by snowmobile on the XC trails. They were not yet officially open for the season, but the nordic director's blog invited snowshoers to come help back down the base.
Sliding cascade on Osceola Brook - possibly the location of a feature known as Emerald Pool, shown on the 1892 edition of A.L. Goodrich's map of Waterville Valley.
A mini-flume.
The lower end of Osceola Rapids.
Osceola Rapids, which were accessible by trail from the 1890s through the 1930s.
Looking down on the rapids from a high bank.
Closeup of the upper end of the rapids.
Looking down the rapids.
Multi-hued ledges a bit farther upstream.
Open hardwood whacking in November snow.
The site of Osceola Camp, used in the 1940s by loggers of the Parker-Young Company.
A photo of Osceola Camp in the 1940s, which appeared in an issue of the Pycolog, the Parker-Young Company's monthly publication.
A pail partly buried in the snow. Not the best conditions for artifact-seeking.
Rusted barrel.
A sled runner sticking out of the snow.
A magnificent maple.
Impressive girth!
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