Osceolas & Tecumseh

MadDog is planning on finishing his 48 this trip.  The general plan, an idea put forward by tMail, is:
[Plan updated 2/26]

• Park at Waterville Valley Ski Area.
• Ski to Tripoli Rd. and up to Osceola trail head
• Hike up-and-down
• Ski back down Tripoli Road.
• Hike up Tecumseh and hike/ski down

I like the idea a lot, but and would prefer to do the Osceolas first since they're a bigger hike, and finish with a ski down the trails at Waterville Valley.

Something to bear in mind is that not everyone is comfortable on steep groomed ski trails with xc skis.  That part may require some modification.

Mutha's Trip Report (pics here):
The route ended up being Greeley Ponds from the Kanc to the Osceolas up-and-down.  Drove to Waterville Valley, Tecumseh up, ski trails down.  Headlamps came on at summit.  Some notes:

• Dogman has rockets tied to his ass.  Only reason I saw him at all was that from time to time he'd stop to eat, drink or bend spacetime with his will-power.
• Strange experience:  driving to Lincoln and seeing bare ground everywhere, then turning onto the Kanc and on the approach to the trailhead the plowed snow on the sides of the road reached over 8ft high.
• Snow, snow everywhere.  It was deep - all the blazes were at snow level.
• Spanky & Trudy were superdogs.  It must be amazing to have built-in crampons.
• MadDog, in spite of his hand-strength issues, is unstoppable.
• Descending East Osceola:  very steep trail allowed for the best butt-sliding this winter.  Fast, fun, and high-walled trail helped guide bodies.
• Beware The Chair:  get into cars and drive an hour then start all over again.  Oh yeh.  I had all my layers hanging up to dry w/ the heat on high and the fan blasting:  gloves hung from rear-view, two tops from passenger visor, hat draped over shift handle, windbreaker draped over passenger seat back.  Drove leaning forward so my baselayer would dry front-and-back.
• Spanky napped on the way to Tecumseh after eating all remaining food.
• The summit of Tecumseh:  maddog pulled out the wine and cheese.  I pulled out the shot-glasses and Jack Daniels.  Serious partying w/ headlamps like coal-miners on payday.
• Descending via the ski trails was super-fun.  Maddog found a cafeteria tray at the mid-mountain lodge and used that for fast descending.  Coming upon the half-pipe was even more exciting.  Dropping over the edge was much cause for glee.
• Initially butt-slid w/ MSRs on.  Method:  lean back, knees up to chest, let back tips of snowshoes drag a bit and dig pole handles into surface for speed control/steering.  Much snow was released into cloud - blazing white in headlamp as it sprayed, then froze my face.
• Maddog:  thanks for noticing that my nalgene had ripped off my pack in the high-speed whiteout.
• On way out of Campton, stopped at DD.  Spanky and I split about 4,000 calories.

MadDog's Trip Report:

...everything he said above :-)

1. Congrats to Mutha on making #3.

2. Great times with all of you on all the peaks. There's way too many stories and memories to tell here. But they are special and remembered (mostly) - thanks a ton for sharing it all.

3. Yesterday was special in its own way, sliding down the peaks was superb - the snow, the channels, the temps, the sun (and the darkness).

4. I wish I was a dog.

5. Tecumseh was just the best. Tough to yank myself from the mobile dry cleaners, I call my car after the Oseolas but once on the trail, it featured nice conversation and huff and puffing uphill. Followed by libations and cheese, under the headlamps on the summit. You just had to be there. It was just pure, playfullness descending the ski trails in the dark with no one else around. It was out of a movie. Two grown men, yelling and hooting it up in the darkness on these wide and steep slopes, voices booming and while only being able see a small dot of light on each other's head. At each turn with downhills and the increased steepness there'd be more yelling great butt sliding, and improvised sledding on a cafeteria tray. The world was ours (for a short time). It brought me back to when I was 14yo and sledding with friends. Mutha you have boundless enthusiasm and energy - and it's contagious. What a pleasure it was. Thanks!