Old Osseo Trail
Where: Old Osseo Trail
When: Summer, 1986 (?)
With: Solo
One odd thing about the last hike...I'd expected the Osseo Trail to come out on the highway, west of the Wilderness Trail trailhead. Instead, while hiking in I found it hooking up with the WT, with signs saying it'd been relocated. A little investigation told me that the relocation had been due to condo construction at the old Osseo trailhead. "Hm," says I, "I wonder if any of the old trail is still there?"
So I went in from the Wilderness Trail and headed up from the new trail junction. Up and up and up. Steeper and steeper. Toward the top the trail had steps and ladders, it was so steep. Finally I made the top and stopped at an outlook for lunch. A nice view over the Pemi Wilderness. The trail was flat from here and I went looking for some sign of the trail. Suddenly I saw a plastic marker on a bush and sure enough, there were the remnants of the trail.
I followed it on a ridge through some pretty thick brush, but it wasn't too hard to follow. The trail ended at a beautiful, open campsite on top of some cliffs facing East and South. I set up camp and enjoyed the evening. The only drawback...no water. All I had was what I carried.
The next day, I continued down the trail on some steep switchbacks along one of the cliff faces. Then came a decision as the trail veered right, along the west side of a ridge and toward the condos. If I went left, I would head back toward the WT. I went left, down the valley through a fern glade beneath tall trees. The bushwhack wasn't bad at all and soon I was down at some streams. I followed them downstream and before long I was at the streamside campsite at the base of the relocated Osseo. I headed back to the WT and out.
When: Summer, 1986 (?)
With: Solo
One odd thing about the last hike...I'd expected the Osseo Trail to come out on the highway, west of the Wilderness Trail trailhead. Instead, while hiking in I found it hooking up with the WT, with signs saying it'd been relocated. A little investigation told me that the relocation had been due to condo construction at the old Osseo trailhead. "Hm," says I, "I wonder if any of the old trail is still there?"
So I went in from the Wilderness Trail and headed up from the new trail junction. Up and up and up. Steeper and steeper. Toward the top the trail had steps and ladders, it was so steep. Finally I made the top and stopped at an outlook for lunch. A nice view over the Pemi Wilderness. The trail was flat from here and I went looking for some sign of the trail. Suddenly I saw a plastic marker on a bush and sure enough, there were the remnants of the trail.
I followed it on a ridge through some pretty thick brush, but it wasn't too hard to follow. The trail ended at a beautiful, open campsite on top of some cliffs facing East and South. I set up camp and enjoyed the evening. The only drawback...no water. All I had was what I carried.
The next day, I continued down the trail on some steep switchbacks along one of the cliff faces. Then came a decision as the trail veered right, along the west side of a ridge and toward the condos. If I went left, I would head back toward the WT. I went left, down the valley through a fern glade beneath tall trees. The bushwhack wasn't bad at all and soon I was down at some streams. I followed them downstream and before long I was at the streamside campsite at the base of the relocated Osseo. I headed back to the WT and out.
