The Tripyramids

Where: North (4180'), Middle (4140'), South (4080') Tripyramid loop, NH
When: 9/29/2022
With: Solo

This was the next hike on my pursuit of New Hampshire's 48 4000' peaks. After doing the Osceolas and the Willey Range in July, I thought I was on a roll for these hikes but things came up. August came & went, and vague plans for early September didn't pan out. I kept coming up with reasons to skip a hike. Finally I decided I had to just do it. It's sort of the opposite of going into denial. I keep taking the steps - packing the gear, filling up the gas tank, setting the alarm - and moving forward, ignoring all of the "but what if.." thoughts.

So there I was, on the road in the cool darkness of late September at 5:45 AM, heading to New Hampshire. I landed at the parking area just after 8:00. There were only a few cars in the lot when I arrived, one with a couple packing up for their hike. I pulled my gear together quickly and got on the trail ahead of them.

A couple of factors made this hike a bit less daunting and got me out the door: The starting point was in Waterville Valley, only a little over two hours drive along major highways. And though the full hike was 11 miles long, 6.1 of those miles involved a walk along a dirt woods road, the Livermore Trail. Formerly the road to the abandoned town of Livermore, it now provides access to the trails in the area. Easy walking, no climbing. And though it's tempting to knock off those miles on a mountain bike, to "legally" claim any of the peaks on the trails, you have to walk from the parking area.

I set out at a brisk pace, determined to get rid of the road miles as quickly as possible, and soon left the couple behind. A runner passed me, heading up the trail, and a couple of rangers in an ATV passed by going in the opposite direction, but otherwise I had the trail all to myself. I was comfortable wearing a wicking shirt and fleece pullover in the cool (40s/50s) temps and blue sky sunshine, walking beneath a canopy of early foliage color.

I passed by a number of junctions with side trails before arriving at the southern end of the Mount Tripyramid Trail - 2.6 miles and 45 minutes after I'd started. 20 more minutes of purposeful walking took me another mile to the north end of the trail. At this point I had a decision to make. I could take this trail, or continue another 0.3 miles to the Scaur Trail. Either path would get me to the North summit. The Mount Tripyramid Trail ascended via a slide that came down in 1895, and is known as a strenuous, difficult, and exposed route, but spectacular. The Scaur Trail is much easier, but it's just another mountain footpath.

I chose the Mount Tripyramid Trail (of course). Actually, I'd been mulling it over since I passed the southern end of the trail and had already decided to go up the slide. Who knows when/if I'll ever climb this mountain again? I might as well take the most memorable route, especially considering the perfect conditions. It's similar to when I climbed Mount Washington 30 years ago, when I decided to go up via the Huntington Ravine Trail.

The path dropped briefly to cross a stream before climbing again up through the woods. Hearing voices behind me, I thought perhaps the couple had caught up to me, but I didn't hear them again. I figured they'd decided to take the Scaur Trail. I continued my climb and began to see signs that I was at the bottom of the slide. 

It's worth noting that the mountain and surrounding area are all within the Sandwich Range Wilderness, with the trails left relatively wild. Signs at the Wilderness boundary say:

"Expect primitive conditions in this area with few signs and rough trails that may be difficult to follow"

You just go where it looks like the trail goes, with few (if any) trail markers to note the route. Most of the time the trail was apparent (despite the difficulty of the north slide, this is a popular route and well worn in), but not always.

At this lower part of the slide, the route was just a rocky gully. I made progress as best as I could, sometimes climbing in the gully, and sometimes following herd paths in the woods on the side. My trail app showed the route going right up the slide itself, and I just picked the way that seemed best for me. The higher up I got, the more views I got, and I paused for pictures and a rest from time to time. I was stopped above one tough bit when I heard voices again in the trees below. Maybe the couple was coming up the slide after all? I looked, but didn't catch sight of anyone, and continued on.

Though it was tough climbing, the exposure wasn't much of an issue yet. That began to change as the slide widened to become a broad swath of open rock. I was working my way up the left side, where the wear on the rocks indicated a well-traveled route. Suddenly I heard a voice and looked out across the slide to see a man cautiously making his way up, exclaiming as he climbed. I looked for a companion, then realized he was not the male half of the couple (he was older than them). Where I was on boulders and loose rock, he was on slabs and using his hands to hang on. We climbed in parallel for a while before he noticed me and we called out to each other. "This is some kind of special, eh?" I called. He said his wife wouldn't approve of what he was doing! 

He asked if I'd passed the couple (he'd started from the parking lot while they were packing up). I replied that I'd been ahead of them. I also told him that I seemed to be on something like a path, with small rock cairns and worn rock, but he stayed on his route on the right. It might have been risky to traverse across anyway. One step at a time, we both agreed.

[BTW, I don't know if the voices I'd heard had been him or the couple, so perhaps they were still below us.]

My route up the left side took me into a dead end, and I followed a path through the scrub to get over to the main slide. The other hiker was somewhat above me now, moving up steadily. I considered stowing my hiking poles in my pack to free up my hands, but I was still finding the poles to be useful. The top of the slide came into view, along with a large cairn. The other guy called out that there was a trail into the woods there and disappeared. I soon arrived at the same spot. Before heading into the woods myself I took a picture looking back down the slide, however it really doesn't convey how steep and dramatic it was. [You can see my shadow at the bottom of the picture, on the right side. On the left is the shadow of the cairn.]

Back on a regular trail again, I returned to a normal hiking rhythm, with the other hiker a short ways ahead of me. After a few quick scrambles up rocky ledges, the trail flattened out just before arriving at the junction with the Pine Bend Brook Trail. From there it was only a few steps further to the wooded (no views) summit. It was just before 11:00 AM. The other hiker was there, and introduced himself as John, from Rhode Island. 65 and recently retired, this was his 25th 4K peak. He usually hiked with a friend, but today he was out solo for the first time, with his friend coming up to join him for more hikes the coming weekend.

We spent a few minutes chatting and looking (in vain) for a sign or some other marker for the summit. Our trail apps confirmed we'd topped out though so we accepted that, then John began hiking toward the next peak while I looked around the summit a bit more. I caught up and passed him a few minutes later, and had the rest of the Tripyramid Trail to myself. There was a short descent, then a climb up Middle Tripyramid (again, no markers and no views at the wooded summit), then a steeper descent to the col below South Tripyramid. The trail between each of the peaks was beautiful, easy walking through fern-filled stands of trees. 

The climb up South wasn't bad at all, and soon I was at the final summit, or so I thought. I took a few photos before walking a bit further and realizing that NOW I was at the summit. More photos (mostly of trees), then back on the trail. "All downhill from here," I said to myself.

The path dropped pretty quickly right away, soon emerging at the top of the south slide. It fell in 1869, and again in 1885. Great views south and southwest.

It was narrower than the north slide, and mostly rocks & loose gravel versus the large slabs of the north slide. The gravel is a pain to climb up (you slide back with each step), which is why it's advised to go up north and down south. I stowed my poles in my pack so I'd have my hands free to control my descent, then began heading down. It was slow going at times, but not bad. The poles came out again once I got back into the woods and onto a real trail again (to save aging knees & thighs). Looking out and down, I could see I had a lot of elevation to lose, but a cautious pace got me down to the bottom unscathed.

The trail now followed old logging roads, crossing streams and making its way through a pretty forest. I stopped at one point to pick up a few colorful maple leaves for Jane, reminiscent of my first ascent of North Kinsman in 1986. Though it was pleasant walking, it seemed to go on forever. I kept thinking the return to the Livermore Trail was just around the next corner, but there was always just more trail. Finally I turned a corner and the Livermore Trail was in front of me. I paused there to stow my poles and rest before turning my boots in the direction of the parking area, with Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again" playing in my head. I strode down the 2.6 miles in a bit over 50 minutes, passing two folks walking their dogs in the other direction, but seeing no one else. I arrived back at the parking area just after 2:00 PM, did a quick un-gearing, then began the drive home.

More photos are here

Notes/thoughts:

• Hike numbers: 11 miles, 3000 feet of climbing, 5:45 total time. It was nice to spend more time on the trail than in the car!
• I blasted through the approach walk on the Livermore Trail in about half the time estimated in the White Mountain Guide, 3.6 miles in 67 minutes. For the rest of the hike, I was close to the estimates, but thanks to that initial push I finished the hike 1:15 faster than the estimates.
• Recent reports of early winter conditions in the White Mountains scared me into carrying more gear (a couple of jackets, neck gaiter, warm hat). In hindsight, I could have used the same gear I used for the Willey Range hike.
• North & Middle Tripyramid were the 32nd & 33rd NH 4000 foot peaks for me. 15 more to go. South Tripyramid is also a 4000 footer (4080), but the saddle between it and the Middle peak isn't low enough for the South peak to qualify as a separate 4K summit.
• The route I took (up the north slide, down the south) is suggested mostly because of the gravel on the south slide, but also because descending the north slide would be pretty hairy even in good conditions like I had. In bad weather, it would be ill-advised.
• From SummitPost.org: Mount Tripyramid...has one of the two most "infamous" hiking trails in the NH White Mountains: the exposed class 2 friction North Slide portion of the Mount Tripyramid Trail (the other being Huntington Ravine Trail on Mount Washington). I've now done both of those "infamous" trails!
• There were several points along the way, especially in the saddles between the Tripyramid summits, where my mood was sky high. I'd completed a tough climb, summited some peaks, and was now enjoying an easy stroll through a beautiful forest in perfect conditions. I thought, "This is what I want to remember the next time I find myself having anxiety about an upcoming hike."