Out On Trail

We began our hike at the Lincoln Woods Visitor Center, located on Kancamagus Hwy (Route 112), in Lincoln, NH. Though there were signs that the just-concluded weekend had brought droves of fall foliage appreciators, the advantages of starting the trip on a Monday included ease of access to parking. We remitted our $5/day parking fee at the self pay station and were soon on our way.   The journey started off in an unassuming fashion. We were in high spirits and enjoyed absolutely perfect weather as we hiked along the Pemigewasset River. It wasn't long (only about 1.4 miles) before we reached a junction for the Osseo Trail. The day's work was about to begin, as the flat terrain quickly became upward slopes and the relatively smooth footpaths began to gradually give way to the uneven, rocky traverses that would define our next couple of days.   The slopes on the Osseo Trail (4.1 miles) continued to steepen until, ultimately, we were presented with a series of ladders that represent