grouseking
Well-known member
I knew it was going to be a long day when I fell out of bed at 6:30 Saturday morning to tackle the Tripyramids. Also I hadn't had any good food in me so I was zapped for energy.. Nevertheless, I was off to tackle one of the tougher hikes in NH, on a hazy and hot day.
Fast forward to the trailhead...9:30am, we set off. Soon after we met a guy named Doug who is part of both VFtT...I think, and definitely Rocks on Top. We went up the Livermore Rd with surprising speed and rattled off the miles rapidly. In 50 minutes, we had made it to the junction for South Slide, but we were going to the north one. The trail began to get a little steeper, but we still made it there in about 20-25 min. The Tri loop trail began easy enough walking up through a nice forest along a stream. We started 3-4 grouse in one area as I live up to my trail name once again.
Soon therafter the steeps began and we arrived at the bottom of the slide.
Here is phase two of the hike..I'll call it the struggle. I put it into low gear and absolutely crawled up the slide. I was in rough shape. Never before had by butt been kicked like this. And all of this was before my first real view out to Osceola! At one point, I stopped, with colors changing in my eyes and I became increasingly light headed. I figured it was time to eat something. I struggled to get an apple out, and I tore into it as fast as I could. Suddenly, I felt better...not great, but not dizzy anymore so that was a good sign. After the apple, I soaked in the views and trudged on. There were some very sketchy spots of the trail where I wasn't sure what to do, but I kind of angled my way up and used friction and momentum to get me up. That worked pretty much every time. About halfway up I looked around and was amazed at how much slide I had left to go. And for the first time, some of the pics really told the story. I hiked, rested, crawled, rested, walked like an ape, rested, rested and rested some more until I finally eeked my way to a big rock right near the top of the slide. It took about an hour and a half, but I did it. I had doubts the whole time, but it looked too dangerous for me to go back down the steeps. On a side note, I dropped my camera some 150 feet down the slide and I had to go back DOWN to pick it up. That nearly did me in as well. Thankfully the camera was in the case!
Next phase of the hike..the dumb bushwhack to North Peak. We didn't know we were doing it. Once again, I failed to read the guide close enough and instead of taking a path that leads to a trail below the summit, we took a "herd path" all the way up to the summit. It wasn't real hard, but with my growing fatigue, poles on my backback, and my 6 foot 2, 275 pound frame made it really tough at times. But we made it and came out to a really cool rock with almost at least a 270 degree view. We were about to turn around and take a different turn in the herd path further down, but then we heard voices ahead of us. I called out asking if there was a trail up there. They said yes and we continued to push thru the thick spruce and fir till we reached a small opening to the summit...number 21! It was a tough way to attain it, but kind of fun. Anyways we rested and had some food/water for awhile. Bugs wern't bad...they were definitely around but not biting.
Next phase...to middle peak and to traverse the ridge. It was a beautiful walk down into the col between north and middle. I would love to camp on a ridge above 4000 ft. Its been a dream. The walk was uneventful but very nice and then the climb up to Middle was relentless and steep. It probably wasn't that bad but I was already tired. Soon I was on the next summit...number 22 for me. Up there I met up with Doug again and I met two other VFtT'ers...Pucknuts, and another..... I can't remember his trail name but I believe his name was Jeff...a good guy. They all were and I had a blast listening to them all. We hang out on Middle for awhile and then it was onto South Tripyramid. This was a pretty easy trip over. So easy in fact, that I even kept up with everyone most of the way! Anyways, we were on the summit, took a break for a few short minutes, and decided it was time to head down. We had a long way to go and another slide to tackle.
Next phase: The slide. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The rocks were loose and it was steep, but I kept it easy and took it slow and we all made it down in a pretty good time. The views southwest to Sandwich Mtn and the Flat Mtn region were magnificent, albeit hazy. Before we knew it, we were at the bottom of the slide and into the trees for good.
Final phase..sustaining myself. It definitely was a long walk out, but the longest part was the Tripyramid trail to the Livermore Rd. Once again I didn't realize how far the walk was and kind of underestimated things. Same with the crossings...thought there were two...but I think there were six. Oh well, the land was beautiful and we walked along a wonderful stream with cascades and awesome moss. Finally we were on the Livermore Rd heading for the home stretch. In order to not make it a death march, we stopped by the Norway Rapids and Big Pines. I was very impressed by those pines, and one should definitely go over there and check it out. By then I was running on fumes, but we made it out at 5:55pm, just after Pucknuts and Jeff had made it out. The hike was quite an experience for me and I'll never forget it. Pics are here
I had an incredible time meeting new people and hiking with Doug and I hope we meet up again on the trails sometime.
grouseking
Fast forward to the trailhead...9:30am, we set off. Soon after we met a guy named Doug who is part of both VFtT...I think, and definitely Rocks on Top. We went up the Livermore Rd with surprising speed and rattled off the miles rapidly. In 50 minutes, we had made it to the junction for South Slide, but we were going to the north one. The trail began to get a little steeper, but we still made it there in about 20-25 min. The Tri loop trail began easy enough walking up through a nice forest along a stream. We started 3-4 grouse in one area as I live up to my trail name once again.
Soon therafter the steeps began and we arrived at the bottom of the slide.Here is phase two of the hike..I'll call it the struggle. I put it into low gear and absolutely crawled up the slide. I was in rough shape. Never before had by butt been kicked like this. And all of this was before my first real view out to Osceola! At one point, I stopped, with colors changing in my eyes and I became increasingly light headed. I figured it was time to eat something. I struggled to get an apple out, and I tore into it as fast as I could. Suddenly, I felt better...not great, but not dizzy anymore so that was a good sign. After the apple, I soaked in the views and trudged on. There were some very sketchy spots of the trail where I wasn't sure what to do, but I kind of angled my way up and used friction and momentum to get me up. That worked pretty much every time. About halfway up I looked around and was amazed at how much slide I had left to go. And for the first time, some of the pics really told the story. I hiked, rested, crawled, rested, walked like an ape, rested, rested and rested some more until I finally eeked my way to a big rock right near the top of the slide. It took about an hour and a half, but I did it. I had doubts the whole time, but it looked too dangerous for me to go back down the steeps. On a side note, I dropped my camera some 150 feet down the slide and I had to go back DOWN to pick it up. That nearly did me in as well. Thankfully the camera was in the case!
Next phase of the hike..the dumb bushwhack to North Peak. We didn't know we were doing it. Once again, I failed to read the guide close enough and instead of taking a path that leads to a trail below the summit, we took a "herd path" all the way up to the summit. It wasn't real hard, but with my growing fatigue, poles on my backback, and my 6 foot 2, 275 pound frame made it really tough at times. But we made it and came out to a really cool rock with almost at least a 270 degree view. We were about to turn around and take a different turn in the herd path further down, but then we heard voices ahead of us. I called out asking if there was a trail up there. They said yes and we continued to push thru the thick spruce and fir till we reached a small opening to the summit...number 21! It was a tough way to attain it, but kind of fun. Anyways we rested and had some food/water for awhile. Bugs wern't bad...they were definitely around but not biting.
Next phase...to middle peak and to traverse the ridge. It was a beautiful walk down into the col between north and middle. I would love to camp on a ridge above 4000 ft. Its been a dream. The walk was uneventful but very nice and then the climb up to Middle was relentless and steep. It probably wasn't that bad but I was already tired. Soon I was on the next summit...number 22 for me. Up there I met up with Doug again and I met two other VFtT'ers...Pucknuts, and another..... I can't remember his trail name but I believe his name was Jeff...a good guy. They all were and I had a blast listening to them all. We hang out on Middle for awhile and then it was onto South Tripyramid. This was a pretty easy trip over. So easy in fact, that I even kept up with everyone most of the way! Anyways, we were on the summit, took a break for a few short minutes, and decided it was time to head down. We had a long way to go and another slide to tackle.
Next phase: The slide. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The rocks were loose and it was steep, but I kept it easy and took it slow and we all made it down in a pretty good time. The views southwest to Sandwich Mtn and the Flat Mtn region were magnificent, albeit hazy. Before we knew it, we were at the bottom of the slide and into the trees for good.
Final phase..sustaining myself. It definitely was a long walk out, but the longest part was the Tripyramid trail to the Livermore Rd. Once again I didn't realize how far the walk was and kind of underestimated things. Same with the crossings...thought there were two...but I think there were six. Oh well, the land was beautiful and we walked along a wonderful stream with cascades and awesome moss. Finally we were on the Livermore Rd heading for the home stretch. In order to not make it a death march, we stopped by the Norway Rapids and Big Pines. I was very impressed by those pines, and one should definitely go over there and check it out. By then I was running on fumes, but we made it out at 5:55pm, just after Pucknuts and Jeff had made it out. The hike was quite an experience for me and I'll never forget it. Pics are here
I had an incredible time meeting new people and hiking with Doug and I hope we meet up again on the trails sometime.
grouseking
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