BIGEarl
Well-known member
January 13, 2012: Tripyramids
Trails: Pine Bend Brook Trail, Scaur Ridge Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail
Summits: North Tripyramid. Middle Tripyramid
Hikers: KPMMBM (Keith), Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Every once in a while I do something stupid. At roughly the planned arrival time we drove up to the trailhead on the Kanc from the west and met Keith arriving from the east - good timing. The road wasn’t plowed very wide and I decided to see if my trusty truck could break down the snow bank on the opposite side of the road and make a place for us to park. There was a ridge of ice under the new snow that grabbed the wheels, pulled me in a little deeper than I should have gone, and I was stuck. Do you know what’s funny about a 4WD when it’s stuck? Nothing! We worked on it for a while, Keith attempted to pull it out with a length of nylon rope I had, and finally a Good Samaritan in a mid-size 4WD Dodge pickup came along from the east and helped with a pull. That was a distraction we didn’t need. We carefully parked, grabbed our things, and set off only a few minutes later than planned.
In the course of this hike we had snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain, a combination of all of the above, and some pretty good wind from the west once we hit the ridge. I thought it was a nice winter hike and believe the others also enjoyed the day.
The new snow depth at the trailhead was ~4 – 6 inches. We started bare booting the hike and within roughly fifty yards we stopped and pulled out the snowshoes. The time has come to enjoy snowshoe hiking. I’m not sure they helped a lot but it was good to get the snowshoe track established in the hope that others would follow on snowshoes and we would soon have a groomed trail. Bare booters – please stay home.
As we slowly gained elevation the snow depth slowly increased. The stream crossings along the lower Pine Bend Brook Trail were all open but no trouble at all. There was enough snow and ice on the exposed rocks to help with a rock hop crossing in all places. We reached the next-to-the-last crossing and started into the steep climb. First we had the remaining part of the brook valley to hike. Then, we made the turn and the trail got very steep leading to the ridge. The trail was steep and the snow was deep – in places the drifts were an easy 3+ feet deep, which made the climb to the ridge tougher than usual. There was a lot of step-forward-and-slide-back-down in this section. This section also gave us an indication of the conditions we would enjoy on the final climb to North Tripyramid. We all took a shot at breaking out the climb. Eventually, we made the ridge and reached the junction with Scaur Ridge Trail.
We had a brief stop but the westerly wind kept it very brief. Once we reached the ridge, we were no longer sheltered from the wind and it was enough to be a little uncomfortable. We set off for the final .8 mile to the North summit. Roughly .4 miles is an easy walk, even with the prevailing conditions. The final ~.4 is kinda straight up. There are lots of ledges that are now ice covered, and the ice is also covered in new snow. Again, we’re into the step-forward-and-slide-back-down process but we were able to slowly make our way to the summit. All of us were on MSR’s. Even though the climb on snowshoes was tough I don’t think it would have been any better with the other winter footwear choices.
On the summit we got the usual pictures and were quickly on our way to Middle Tripyramid. Leaving N. Tripyramid we had some pretty good drifts to get through but eventually we dropped into the col and the snow depth seemed to even out. The section between the peaks is very sheltered but the wind was still getting through. The National Weather Service White Mountains Summit Forecast had predicted winds in the vicinity of 40mph with higher gusts at 4000 feet for the day. I’ll bet they were pretty accurate with their predictions. On the hike to Middle Tripyramid we made a brief stop at the Sabbaday Brook Trail junction but generally just kept moving. I think we were all intentionally dressed light, which meant we needed to keep moving to keep warm.
After Sabbaday Brook junction the trail starts climbing. Soon we were in the final approach to Middle Tripyramid. It’s only .3 miles and we had the wind helping us out. The final forty yards is along the west side of the summit cone and pretty exposed in a couple spots, which meant we had a little extra help from the wind to keep moving.
We all stepped onto the summit ledge and got some pictures. We were hiking in clouded conditions and there were no views at all. Keith asked about the views we were missing. I tried to explain what there was and where it was located so that Keith could put his imagination to work.
In very little time we made the u-turn and headed back out the way we came in. The persistent wind and cool conditions made things a little uncomfortable but I wanted to keep my extra layers dry for the next day. Since we would again be sheltered from the wind once we drop off the ridge past the Scaur Ridge Trail junction I decided to stick with the light layers a little longer. We did the re-climb to North Tripyramid, Keith pulled out a dry shirt for the hike out, and we kept moving. Descending from the North summit included the expected slipping and sliding along the way. I don’t think any of us had any problems with this upper descent. We passed Scaur Ridge Trail with another brief stop and were soon headed for less windy conditions.
The remaining steep descent was about the same as our exit from North Tripyramid. We all managed to stay on-trail all of the way down – nobody went over the edge. We reached the top crossing of the brook, passed through the final steep section on the descent, and were in the final 2.2 miles of mild hiking back to the trailhead.
The remainder of the hike went with no surprises at all. Even with the slightly later than planned starting time, we managed to reach the trailhead without the help of headlights. There was a pretty good snow squall underway when we reached the vehicles. They were loaded with everything that had fallen in the course of the day. We wasted no time in getting our things packed, the vehicles started, and the windows cleared. While we were clearing the snow and ice from the vehicles, the Good Samaritan that helped us out in the morning passed by headed the opposite way. I noticed he had Cannon stickers on the truck and assume he might work there. He was a nice guy for stopping to help and his assistance was really appreciated. In a few minutes we were saying our goodbyes and setting off.
Thanks for joining the fun Keith. Your W48 list is a little shorter than when the day started. I really hope we get together for more of this winter silliness soon.
Thanks Sue, January got a little shorter for us.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Pine Bend Brook Trail, Scaur Ridge Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail
Summits: North Tripyramid. Middle Tripyramid
Hikers: KPMMBM (Keith), Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Every once in a while I do something stupid. At roughly the planned arrival time we drove up to the trailhead on the Kanc from the west and met Keith arriving from the east - good timing. The road wasn’t plowed very wide and I decided to see if my trusty truck could break down the snow bank on the opposite side of the road and make a place for us to park. There was a ridge of ice under the new snow that grabbed the wheels, pulled me in a little deeper than I should have gone, and I was stuck. Do you know what’s funny about a 4WD when it’s stuck? Nothing! We worked on it for a while, Keith attempted to pull it out with a length of nylon rope I had, and finally a Good Samaritan in a mid-size 4WD Dodge pickup came along from the east and helped with a pull. That was a distraction we didn’t need. We carefully parked, grabbed our things, and set off only a few minutes later than planned.
In the course of this hike we had snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain, a combination of all of the above, and some pretty good wind from the west once we hit the ridge. I thought it was a nice winter hike and believe the others also enjoyed the day.
The new snow depth at the trailhead was ~4 – 6 inches. We started bare booting the hike and within roughly fifty yards we stopped and pulled out the snowshoes. The time has come to enjoy snowshoe hiking. I’m not sure they helped a lot but it was good to get the snowshoe track established in the hope that others would follow on snowshoes and we would soon have a groomed trail. Bare booters – please stay home.
As we slowly gained elevation the snow depth slowly increased. The stream crossings along the lower Pine Bend Brook Trail were all open but no trouble at all. There was enough snow and ice on the exposed rocks to help with a rock hop crossing in all places. We reached the next-to-the-last crossing and started into the steep climb. First we had the remaining part of the brook valley to hike. Then, we made the turn and the trail got very steep leading to the ridge. The trail was steep and the snow was deep – in places the drifts were an easy 3+ feet deep, which made the climb to the ridge tougher than usual. There was a lot of step-forward-and-slide-back-down in this section. This section also gave us an indication of the conditions we would enjoy on the final climb to North Tripyramid. We all took a shot at breaking out the climb. Eventually, we made the ridge and reached the junction with Scaur Ridge Trail.
We had a brief stop but the westerly wind kept it very brief. Once we reached the ridge, we were no longer sheltered from the wind and it was enough to be a little uncomfortable. We set off for the final .8 mile to the North summit. Roughly .4 miles is an easy walk, even with the prevailing conditions. The final ~.4 is kinda straight up. There are lots of ledges that are now ice covered, and the ice is also covered in new snow. Again, we’re into the step-forward-and-slide-back-down process but we were able to slowly make our way to the summit. All of us were on MSR’s. Even though the climb on snowshoes was tough I don’t think it would have been any better with the other winter footwear choices.
On the summit we got the usual pictures and were quickly on our way to Middle Tripyramid. Leaving N. Tripyramid we had some pretty good drifts to get through but eventually we dropped into the col and the snow depth seemed to even out. The section between the peaks is very sheltered but the wind was still getting through. The National Weather Service White Mountains Summit Forecast had predicted winds in the vicinity of 40mph with higher gusts at 4000 feet for the day. I’ll bet they were pretty accurate with their predictions. On the hike to Middle Tripyramid we made a brief stop at the Sabbaday Brook Trail junction but generally just kept moving. I think we were all intentionally dressed light, which meant we needed to keep moving to keep warm.
After Sabbaday Brook junction the trail starts climbing. Soon we were in the final approach to Middle Tripyramid. It’s only .3 miles and we had the wind helping us out. The final forty yards is along the west side of the summit cone and pretty exposed in a couple spots, which meant we had a little extra help from the wind to keep moving.
We all stepped onto the summit ledge and got some pictures. We were hiking in clouded conditions and there were no views at all. Keith asked about the views we were missing. I tried to explain what there was and where it was located so that Keith could put his imagination to work.
In very little time we made the u-turn and headed back out the way we came in. The persistent wind and cool conditions made things a little uncomfortable but I wanted to keep my extra layers dry for the next day. Since we would again be sheltered from the wind once we drop off the ridge past the Scaur Ridge Trail junction I decided to stick with the light layers a little longer. We did the re-climb to North Tripyramid, Keith pulled out a dry shirt for the hike out, and we kept moving. Descending from the North summit included the expected slipping and sliding along the way. I don’t think any of us had any problems with this upper descent. We passed Scaur Ridge Trail with another brief stop and were soon headed for less windy conditions.
The remaining steep descent was about the same as our exit from North Tripyramid. We all managed to stay on-trail all of the way down – nobody went over the edge. We reached the top crossing of the brook, passed through the final steep section on the descent, and were in the final 2.2 miles of mild hiking back to the trailhead.
The remainder of the hike went with no surprises at all. Even with the slightly later than planned starting time, we managed to reach the trailhead without the help of headlights. There was a pretty good snow squall underway when we reached the vehicles. They were loaded with everything that had fallen in the course of the day. We wasted no time in getting our things packed, the vehicles started, and the windows cleared. While we were clearing the snow and ice from the vehicles, the Good Samaritan that helped us out in the morning passed by headed the opposite way. I noticed he had Cannon stickers on the truck and assume he might work there. He was a nice guy for stopping to help and his assistance was really appreciated. In a few minutes we were saying our goodbyes and setting off.
Thanks for joining the fun Keith. Your W48 list is a little shorter than when the day started. I really hope we get together for more of this winter silliness soon.
Thanks Sue, January got a little shorter for us.
Pictures will follow.
