Flume Side Trail

[montvm]

Has anyone here ever ascended this trail to summit Mt. Flume in the winter time? Is it really as dangerous as it sounds in the AMC guide book?

Hopefully this wednesday, will be hiking flume and liberty.....

Thanks
Mike

[David Metsky]

People do it every winter, but it's not to be taken too lightly. Especially now, with little snow and lots of ice, you'll be using crampons most of the way up. A fall could be quite nasty, so caution and some hiking partners would be good.

-dave-

[montvm]

David,

Thanks for the reply. I just wan't sure about doing this trail, but i will have crampons, and am hiking with a partner. Care will be taken, i was just curious how squirelly it might be...

Mike

[montvm]

Do you guys think that this trail requires an ice axe or would i be ok without one?

[Mike P.]

Conditions have been more late fall like so far, ice, little snow. 2-4 inches fell on Saturday, unsure what will fall Monday-Tuesday. Later in the season with more snow, you may not need an axe.

I'm sure people do go up in the winter without an axe, likely because they do not own one.

I own one & would have it out if I was going up Flume Slide.

Most people in winter do these two peaks either by Osseo & F-Ridge (very nice BTW) or by Liberty Spring & F-Ridge. This would not be one of my first 1/2 dozen hikes while getting used to crampons.

[montvm]

Originally Posted by Mike P.

Conditions have been more late fall like so far, ice, little snow. 2-4 inches fell on Saturday, unsure what will fall Monday-Tuesday. Later in the season with more snow, you may not need an axe.

I'm sure people do go up in the winter without an axe, likely because they do not own one.

I own one & would have it out if I was going up Flume Slide.

Most people in winter do these two peaks either by Osseo & F-Ridge (very nice BTW) or by Liberty Spring & F-Ridge. This would not be one of my first 1/2 dozen hikes while getting used to crampons.

Mike,

Thanks for the advise. It looks like my buddy and i will be hiking East Osceola and Osceola Mt. instead via the Greely Ponds Trail and the Mt. Osceola trai, on Thursday, (at least thats the plan). I will post a report when we finish....

Can't wait i have been dying to hike since my Mt. Cardigan hike...., and haven't been to this area in a long long time....

[Mike P.]

That's pretty steep in places too, can get by without axe but slide is a side hill traverse & the chimney detour between the two peaks is pretty tough too. (I may have used my axe on the chimney detour or at least tossed my poles down to the bottom so hands were free. Thought I would use the axe up the chimney but once I got there I thought better of it)

Can you refresh my memory on your winter experience? I'm thinking you have limited experience in winter. If so I'd probably look at some trips like Field & Tom, Jackson, Pierce, Flume & Liberty without the Flume Slide, the Hancocks - the brook bushwhacks are pretty well defined, of if weather is clear, Garfield. All of these IMO are easier but most at least have some terrain that is not easy. (Top of Jackson, Garfield Ridge above junction with Garfield Mt. Trail, water crossings or moderately steep terrain.

[montvm]

Originally Posted by Mike P.

Can you refresh my memory on your winter experience? I'm thinking you have limited experience in winter. If so I'd probably look at some trips like Field & Tom, Jackson, Pierce, Flume & Liberty without the Flume Slide, the Hancocks - the brook bushwhacks are pretty well defined, of if weather is clear, Garfield. All of these IMO are easier but most at least have some terrain that is not easy. (Top of Jackson, Garfield Ridge above junction with Garfield Mt. Trail, water crossings or moderately steep terrain.

My winter experince is some-what limited i guess. I have done General Stark in the winter, Fraconia Ridge Traverse in the winter, Mt. Mansfield up to the lodge, (bad head wall and loss of the trail kept us from summiting). I have never worked with ice axe, I have used crampons on all of these trips, and snowshoes. I know that i have been on a couple of other winter trips but can think of them.

Which part of the Greely pond trail is a slide, or is it once you hit the Osceola Trail? I know that there are some scrambles between East Osceloa and Osceloa, but the trail descripton didn't sound too bad, not like the flume slide trail.

[Mike P.]

Greeley Ponds easy, Mt. Osceola trail starts pretty easy has a couple of steep parts, one crosses an old slide at somewhat of a funny angle, in summer (the book is written more for the summer hiker & summer conditions) it's not really an issue, except it does stay wetter than normal; not as bad as Flume Slide though. In winter, it is a place that the unprepared do tend to turn around at. Wildcat Ridge below Wildcat A has a similar type of slide crossing BTW

As you approach the top of East O., it does get pretty steep. My first two times on the trail below East was in winter, it was basically a steep snow ramp. Last time in late May, I saw it is more of an eroded section of trail, maybe worse in summer.

The Chimney is on the ridge between the two peaks. The chimney might almost be a technical ice climb in winter, the detour will likely be icy & interesting to say the least. Definitely a place to use your hands, a scramble over an icy covered rock face but not technical & only 20-40 feet in elevation.

FWIW, I had 12 winter whites done before doing East Osceola + multiple winter trips to Monadnock, Greylock and some other winter Catskill & Southern New England trips. I got to go back to East a 2nd time to do Osceola which was after another 12-14 winter whites & winter repeats of three of four Franconia peaks & Pierce.

[BoB]

It's not too hard, only a couple of dicey sections. I agree that waiting for more snow would make it much easier, Caps Ridge was a horror show on Saturday.