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The Tripyramids are three peaks in the Sandwich Wilderness in the White Mountains of NH. I did a hike across these yesterday.
Doing the Livermore loop over the 3 Tripyramids was probably one of the most challenging one day hikes I've done second only (and not by much really) to the Huntington Ravine trail up Mt Washington. This is primarily due to the North Slide and the overall length. My typical one day trip is not more than 6 miles up a 4K.
I started about 6:30 AM at the Livermore trail head on Tripoli Road and hiked up to the intersection with north side of the Mt Tripyramid trail. The weather forecast was for "unstable" hot and humid air with thunderstorms possible. And I chose this as a good day to do a longish difficult hike??
The sky definitely looked like it was making the weather forecasters look good but I pressed on hopeful that my early start would allow me to beat the bad weather but I wasn't counting on clear air views.
I walked briskly up the old logging road that is the Livermore trail, as briskly as the air allowed, by 7:30 I could taste the begining of the build up of humidity in my lungs and on my skin.
At one point I crossed over a dried up brook where a couple of saw horses and signs had been placed all displaying "Caution" marks and I wondered what whoever placed them there wanted to caution people about since everything appeared dry, flat and open. A couple of dozen yards up I came across a single wasp(?) nest hanging from a tree. Was that what the caution signs were about? The nest appeared dormant, at least for the moment if not permanently.
About 8AM I reached the north intersection with the Mt Tripyramid trail, crossed Avalanche brook and stepped up and into the Sandwich Wilderness. I love that moment when you step into a protected, wild area, it's like the anticipation of a first date or getting on a new thrill ride, you're never sure what to expect but you know no matter what happens between that moment and the end you'll look back with fondness on the experience.
I saw no animal wildlife (I rarely do, I need to learn to be more quiet I guess) but I was rushing a bit hoping to beat the potential t-storms. But the forest and land was beautiful of course. I love the way the ecology in the Whites so clearly demonstrates how life is intertwined and dependant on each other. I love the way the great grays support their own mico-ecologies that blend at the edges into the overall ecology. At one point I saw twin birch saplings rising out of a old decaying stump, I wish I had stopped to take a picture that simple scene held so much beauty to my eyes, but I doubt I could've captured it in my picture anyway.
I finally reached the bottom of the North Slide. You'll see from my pictures I don't have many shots of my ascent. I was too focused out of concern and effort to take many pictures. The previous nights rain had not completely dried off the rocks, and even this slight dampness made for VERY slippery going. Several times I did not think I would be able to ascend, and I saw no blazes to show where might the best path lay. I bush whacked around the slide a couple of times and although I was concerned about time due to the prediction of t-storms I didn't feel like I could turn back, I didn't think I could safely get back down, so I pressed ahead.
Even when I reached the upper potion and started seeing blaze marks I had difficulty. I'm of "average" height and often had real trouble finding hand holds I could reach. And the rocks were still very slippery. And by this time, about 9AM, I had a bright but hazy sun shining right in my eyes every time I looked up to try and plan out a pathway.
I have to admit to questioning why I was doing this, and even feeling like I was loosing all sense of fun. But remember what I said about that sense of anticipation? So this challenge only heightened my sense of joy and accomplishment in the end but it's always easier to look back than to remember that future state when you're facing the dangerous moments in the present.
I finally made it to the top and apparently I was so knackered (I love some of those British sayings :) ) I forgot what the Book said about a sharp left at the cairn and followed what looked like a typical wilderness area trail straight ahead.
Well one of the things the early adventures in the Whites said they like about hiking up mountains was that "Luxury of the Wild" that involved going where few or no one had gone before. I got a little taste of that by almost bushwhacking my own new trail up to the summit of the North Peak. I think I made it along a small ridge to just a few yards below the summit actually before there was no way I could push forward. Consulting my guide again (actually I used a print out from the new online version, although I also had my guide in the pack just in case) I back tracked, much to the chagrin of my bare shins, to the top of the slide and found the correct path.
I quickly made it to the summit and as expected I didn't have clear skies, and in fact I thought I heard a distant clap of thunder. As expected the skies did not allow for clear view but that doesn't really bother me. I enjoy it when I can see both the broad expanse of the world and all the folds and nooks of the land below when the skies are clear, but there is also something sublime and rewarding when the views are of the surrounding peaks, ripping and poking through the clouds. And that is exactly what I got, the Osceolas and sharp coned Tecumseh surrounded by dusky gray shrouds flowing across them. And to the east the same with Passaconaway and Chocorua poking through.
Prompted by a few drops and the loud clap that might have been thunder (although perhaps it was some other noise since there was no follow up) I hoofed it down into the col, passed Big Pines and Sabbaday Brook trails and up to Middle Peak.
Here again I got the same types of views but also it struck me that I hadn't seen another human all day, except for a moment when I parked at the trail head one other person was also parking but apparently had headed off somewhere else because he was not on the trail with me. And passing through so many strands of silk hanging from the trees I figured I was the first one on that trail that morning. The nearest human was probably at least two miles away from me at that point. I let out a whoop out of the sheer joy of it and just because I could. Already the trials of the North Slide were fading, not in memory, but the doubts the trails raised were gone, it was passing into the realm of accomplishment. I got that next wind you can get on long hikes, I no longer felt the aches and tiredness I felt going up the slide and quickly made it to the south peak where I predicted that if I saw anyone that day that is where I'd see them.
Sure enough I passed my first humans right on the peak. A couple heading north. Right behind them I met up with a group of 6 or 7 guys standing in the large clearing just before the descent. They were tired and saying what "hell" climbing up the south slide had been. I cautioned them about the North Slide, hopefully the rocks would be drier by the time they reached them. I hope they made it ok. They seemed a bit cavalier about going down the North Slide and in fact said they had only gone up the South Slide by mistake, they had intended to go up the North Slide as I did. I wished them luck and started my descent where I passed a few others. I made it to the South Slide and saw that indeed it looked difficult but not nearly so as the North Slide, the rocks were dry and there was fair footing almost all the way down, some slips and slides on the loose gravel and dirt but nothing more difficult than other hikes I've done. Certainly I could see that as the Book describes it could be a major pain going up with all the loose gravel and dirt. I passed a lone hiker who like the earlier group had mistakenly gone up the South Slide, I advised him as I did the others and wished him good luck.
I descended back into the woods still on that second wind but I did start feeling a pain in my right hip. This is new. I sometimes have trouble with my knees but in fact they haven't given me trouble much at all this year but now I have a new sneaky reminder of my ever increasing age - my hip. I hope I can get all the 4K's done before I fall apart. :)
I began to think about tasks and troubles at home, I'm planning my annual Labor day trip with my son to Franconia Notch in my head, thinking about a major change in my life that is going on and my mind is begriming to drift to things I hadn't thought about all day. This is good and bad, sometimes it helps me to think clearly about such things when I'm hiking but it also distracts and at that time it was more distracting than helpful. I pulled myself back to the moment, I came to a place where Side Brook flowed into Avalanche Brook and stopped and listened to the water. I don't meditate (although I probably should make time to do that, but ironically I never do find the time) but as I calmed my mind down and listened, I felt my connection again with my surroundings. The water just flows on regardless of the obstructions, in fact it isn't really obstructions in these White Mountain brooks it is more like points of overzealous intertwinings of the land, water and life of the area. The rocks and trees are both shaped and shaped by the flow. The brook always goes on not because it is determined just because that is what it does, that is it's nature. I took some comfort and inspiration from that, I can just press on no matter what is happening in my life and I can only do what is in my nature to do and become whatever that leads too.
I pressed on along the brook still feeling that connection, so much so I did not want to even look at any of the little bits of technology I had with me, not even to check the time because I felt it would break the spell to soon.
But at one point I came to a spot where I really wanted to try and capture the beauty of the brook and took out my camera. I doubt I captured the beauty I saw and felt then but I wanted to try. And sure enough the spell was broken. I again started thinking about next weeks trip, but it wasn't a bad distraction now just some clear thinking and mostly in the background I was still enjoying the hike.
Some younger folk who I had passed earlier, they were going up South Peak when I was coming down, came running down the trail behind me. I let them pass and a little while later came upon them as they were stripping down (not completely) to take a dip in the water. I hiked past and heard their yelps as they dipped into the cold mountain brook.
Finally I came to the intersection with Livermore Trail. I took some time to soak my feet in the cold waters of the brook. Oh boy did that feel good :)
I put my boots back on and started back towards my car and the end of the day. Not much to report or talk about on this section. They weather had held and even cleared a bit. I did stop once to take a picture of the huge bolder near the intersection of Bolder Path. I used the timer and had to scramble across water and wet stones in less than ten seconds with tired legs and aching hip to get in the shot to show my son how big the bolder was. I didn't expect to make it frankly but it actually worked!
Overall another great day and affirmation of why I enjoy getting out in the wilderness and tramping over mountains so much.
This report is a bit long and rambling, so I beg your patience this time at least, it is just that this hike in particular struck all the right cords and I felt selfish enough to want to try and express as much as I could.
I'll post some pictures soon as I can. I'm no great shakes at photography though so don't expect much.
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