Conquering Fear on Halloween

Distance: 7.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,100 feet
Trails Used: Greeley Pond, Mount Osceola

I have a confession to make – there’s a trail in the Whites that I’m downright afraid of. The Mount Osceola trail, as approached from the Greeley Ponds junction, is a route that I’ve avoided for almost a year. Steep, wet, and remarkably icy in the right conditions, it’s one of the few places I’ve visited in the mountains that caused me genuine fear. A bit of back-story:

Last December, I set out to tackle the Osceolas with two friends. It was a cold, windy day, and we had selected the peaks based upon the fact that the hike is short (7.6 miles round trip) and very direct. Not having been up East Peak before, I was aware that the route was steep – but after a successful Bonds traverse the day prior, I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself and more than ready take on any challenge that the mountains were willing to throw at me. The hike out on the Greeley Ponds trail was quick and uneventful, and after turning onto the Mount Osceola trail, I was surprised by the fact that the grade remained (deceptively) moderate.

What a joke, I thought to myself. How could this route be considered at all difficult?

I was about to make a rather boastful comment to my friends when – WHAM – all of a sudden, I was faced with what seemed to be a wall of ice. Crampons were instantly in order. And as we cautiously made our way up the steep face of East Osceola, my inexperience as a winter hiker clearly started to show. The 1″ Kahtoola crampons I was sporting had tremendous difficulty biting into the ice. Even my mountaineering axe seemed unwilling to handle the terrain, and I was forced to ascend the mountain by the grace of the tree trunks lining the trail.

With every step I took, I became increasingly more cognizant of the danger of my situation. Here I was, a hiker without even 10 winter peaks to her name, scrambling up an icy mountain without the necessary set of skills to handle the conditions. One misstep and I’d be careening down a slippery slope to… what end? Somehow, all three of us made it up and down both Osceolas in one piece. Spooked and shaken, I vowed never to set foot on the trail again.

…until this past Saturday, that is.

On Halloween, once again in tough conditions, my friend Eric and I decided to tackle the Mount Osceola trail. Our decision was simply logistical, as he had driven over from Maine and did not have time to take the alternative approach to the peaks. Ascending slowly and deliberately, I was surprised to find that the trail wasn’t half as bad as I remembered. Yes, it was steep and slick with rain. But at the same time, I felt confident in my abilities to ascend and descend safely.

Reaching East Peak proved to be a milestone in more than one sense. Not only did I conquer my fear of the trail, but I also reached my 200th 4k summit in calendar year 2009.

It’s amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds towards a specific goal. I hope that my experience will continue to grow as I chase after these wonderful New Hampshire peaks.