Raven
Well-known member
Independence Day (4 July 2012)
Mountains: North, Middle, and South Tripyramid, West and East Sleeper, Whiteface, Passaconaway.
Route: Short bike ride on Kanc, Pine Bend Brook Trail, Tripyramid Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail, Walden Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Oliverian Brook Trail.
After taking care of some responsibilities in the morning, I filled up my small hydration pack taking only what I would consider my “bare essentials” on this one. I had the 10 essentials with me, well, nine anyway. I’ll sometimes forego extra warm clothing if I have a bivy sack with me when I want to go a little lighter, especially on hot summer days when not going above the treeline. I tossed the mountain bike in the back of the pickup and was off. Onward toward the mighty Kancamagus, I flew. I pulled off into the Oliverian Brook Trailhead lot, got the bike out of the back, and grabbed my pack. A few others were milling about the lot, a couple headed into the woods and a few on the way out.
Seeing as how my bike tires were only about half inflated, I pulled my compressor out and took care of filling them. As I paid the parking fee, I was reminded yet again that I need to get another yearly pass, as mine ran out in May. With this and the usual volley of other mundane thoughts running through my mind, I was on my way. The stretch of highway between Oliverian Brook and Pine Bend Brook Trailhead is as flat as anywhere on the Kanc and the 3.5 mile or so ride was a nice warm-up before starting the hike. I stashed the bike in the woods, far enough to deter the lazy criminal, and then headed out. 11:30 AM. Sweet. Not only am I going to do most of the elevation gain through the heat of the day, I also realized I just parked in a pay lot and rode my bike to a free one. Smooth. Ah, but the sweet freedom of the hills was now underneath my feet and flowing upward through my soul. Three dollars be damned.
The start of the trail was nice and went along moderately for quite awhile. It passes into the Sandwich Range Wilderness before the climbing really begins. I have loved the Tripyramids since I first set foot on its narrow ridge back in the nineties. It’s got steep, sharp, fun to climb routes. Not unlike some of the neighboring ridges. Reaching the top, I jumped up on the rock on top of North Tripyramid before heading over to the view spot. It was a nice day out with some interesting clouds and I fully expected thunder storms at some point in the day. For now, all was good. I followed the ridge to Middle Tripyramid before hearing some voices. Confirming they were indeed coming from outside my head, I listed more closely. Sounded like hikers ahead. Soon enough I passed what I presumed to be a father and son who had come up the North Slide. There had been some heavy rain in the early morning but they found the slide in good shape. We both started down the South Slide around the same time; they continued on down the Tripyramid Trail while I took a left on the Kate Sleeper Trail. I think it’s very cool that this trail begins on the slide. I had never been on the section of this trail from here to East Sleeper, although I had hiked East Sleeper from the other end before. I always like hiking sections of trails I’ve not done before. This one did not disappoint. The treadway was soft, the ups and downs moderate, and the woods peaceful. I took the side trail to the summit of East Sleeper when I reached it. It's relatively flat and wooded with a cleared area near the summit sign which is posted on a tree. The only other time I had been here was 10 years ago when hiking the NEHH. It was cold and had lots of snow on it then, so it was nice to see in a different season.
I passed through the col and up the side of Whiteface to the Rollins Trail before going over the summit. Rollins is a trail I really like. I thought of Black Flag and smiled. As the trail arcs its way along the ridge between Whiteface and Passaconaway, it does so often right up against the edge of The Bowl, a beautiful, wild, steep ravine southeast of the ridge. I stopped briefly at a few lookouts along the way. This would not be a trail to do at night. Some of the short spurs that led to views had some dramatic drop-offs that would likely give little warning at night, even with a headlamp. By now, the rumbles had started in the distance. I picked up the pace as I hit the Dicey’s Mill Trail, partly to try to get over and down before the storm, partly from the freaky chill I got in that area. I’m not sure if that was real or if it was from recalling that legend of a woman’s ghost near Passaconaway searching the night for her husband who had left her never to return. I ain’t your husband lady. A scene from The Shining comes to mind. Eerie.
I approached the summit and vowed reluctantly to skip the view spot down 0.3 from the ridge, choosing life instead and wanting to quickly get below as the storm was now a bit more, shall we say….pressing. I did a 5-count between a flash and the thunder which followed. One very low, very loud, and sudden “shot” of thunder and a brilliant white flash in the clouds suggested that perhaps Passaconaway, child of the bear, had been angered. I moved along on the Walden Trail then the Square Ledge Trail as quickly as my legs and the treadway allowed. The storm had settled a bit, and the rain had yet to be strong enough to need rain gear. That “warning blast” near the summit and some rumbling was about the extent of it. It appeared to be moving away. I was happy to start down the Passaconaway Cutoff, and even happier as the trail eased and the treadway became more and more pleasant. The Oliverian Brook Trail was an easy end to the day although, in one spot it does appear it is about to be reclaimed by the surrounding water. I reached the lot about 8 PM, fired up the truck, and headed down the road to get the bike, happy I had started with the bike ride this time.
Overall, this turned out to be a fun route, and with the addition of the bike, made for a pretty good loop option. It came out to be about 17 miles hiking, 3.5 riding, and maybe 5,000 feet of gain. 8.5 hours put me at 2 mph (hiking) on the nose. I doubt I’m much faster on the bike. No pics on this one - camera stayed in the truck.
Mountains: North, Middle, and South Tripyramid, West and East Sleeper, Whiteface, Passaconaway.
Route: Short bike ride on Kanc, Pine Bend Brook Trail, Tripyramid Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail, Walden Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff, Oliverian Brook Trail.
After taking care of some responsibilities in the morning, I filled up my small hydration pack taking only what I would consider my “bare essentials” on this one. I had the 10 essentials with me, well, nine anyway. I’ll sometimes forego extra warm clothing if I have a bivy sack with me when I want to go a little lighter, especially on hot summer days when not going above the treeline. I tossed the mountain bike in the back of the pickup and was off. Onward toward the mighty Kancamagus, I flew. I pulled off into the Oliverian Brook Trailhead lot, got the bike out of the back, and grabbed my pack. A few others were milling about the lot, a couple headed into the woods and a few on the way out.
Seeing as how my bike tires were only about half inflated, I pulled my compressor out and took care of filling them. As I paid the parking fee, I was reminded yet again that I need to get another yearly pass, as mine ran out in May. With this and the usual volley of other mundane thoughts running through my mind, I was on my way. The stretch of highway between Oliverian Brook and Pine Bend Brook Trailhead is as flat as anywhere on the Kanc and the 3.5 mile or so ride was a nice warm-up before starting the hike. I stashed the bike in the woods, far enough to deter the lazy criminal, and then headed out. 11:30 AM. Sweet. Not only am I going to do most of the elevation gain through the heat of the day, I also realized I just parked in a pay lot and rode my bike to a free one. Smooth. Ah, but the sweet freedom of the hills was now underneath my feet and flowing upward through my soul. Three dollars be damned.
The start of the trail was nice and went along moderately for quite awhile. It passes into the Sandwich Range Wilderness before the climbing really begins. I have loved the Tripyramids since I first set foot on its narrow ridge back in the nineties. It’s got steep, sharp, fun to climb routes. Not unlike some of the neighboring ridges. Reaching the top, I jumped up on the rock on top of North Tripyramid before heading over to the view spot. It was a nice day out with some interesting clouds and I fully expected thunder storms at some point in the day. For now, all was good. I followed the ridge to Middle Tripyramid before hearing some voices. Confirming they were indeed coming from outside my head, I listed more closely. Sounded like hikers ahead. Soon enough I passed what I presumed to be a father and son who had come up the North Slide. There had been some heavy rain in the early morning but they found the slide in good shape. We both started down the South Slide around the same time; they continued on down the Tripyramid Trail while I took a left on the Kate Sleeper Trail. I think it’s very cool that this trail begins on the slide. I had never been on the section of this trail from here to East Sleeper, although I had hiked East Sleeper from the other end before. I always like hiking sections of trails I’ve not done before. This one did not disappoint. The treadway was soft, the ups and downs moderate, and the woods peaceful. I took the side trail to the summit of East Sleeper when I reached it. It's relatively flat and wooded with a cleared area near the summit sign which is posted on a tree. The only other time I had been here was 10 years ago when hiking the NEHH. It was cold and had lots of snow on it then, so it was nice to see in a different season.
I passed through the col and up the side of Whiteface to the Rollins Trail before going over the summit. Rollins is a trail I really like. I thought of Black Flag and smiled. As the trail arcs its way along the ridge between Whiteface and Passaconaway, it does so often right up against the edge of The Bowl, a beautiful, wild, steep ravine southeast of the ridge. I stopped briefly at a few lookouts along the way. This would not be a trail to do at night. Some of the short spurs that led to views had some dramatic drop-offs that would likely give little warning at night, even with a headlamp. By now, the rumbles had started in the distance. I picked up the pace as I hit the Dicey’s Mill Trail, partly to try to get over and down before the storm, partly from the freaky chill I got in that area. I’m not sure if that was real or if it was from recalling that legend of a woman’s ghost near Passaconaway searching the night for her husband who had left her never to return. I ain’t your husband lady. A scene from The Shining comes to mind. Eerie.
I approached the summit and vowed reluctantly to skip the view spot down 0.3 from the ridge, choosing life instead and wanting to quickly get below as the storm was now a bit more, shall we say….pressing. I did a 5-count between a flash and the thunder which followed. One very low, very loud, and sudden “shot” of thunder and a brilliant white flash in the clouds suggested that perhaps Passaconaway, child of the bear, had been angered. I moved along on the Walden Trail then the Square Ledge Trail as quickly as my legs and the treadway allowed. The storm had settled a bit, and the rain had yet to be strong enough to need rain gear. That “warning blast” near the summit and some rumbling was about the extent of it. It appeared to be moving away. I was happy to start down the Passaconaway Cutoff, and even happier as the trail eased and the treadway became more and more pleasant. The Oliverian Brook Trail was an easy end to the day although, in one spot it does appear it is about to be reclaimed by the surrounding water. I reached the lot about 8 PM, fired up the truck, and headed down the road to get the bike, happy I had started with the bike ride this time.
Overall, this turned out to be a fun route, and with the addition of the bike, made for a pretty good loop option. It came out to be about 17 miles hiking, 3.5 riding, and maybe 5,000 feet of gain. 8.5 hours put me at 2 mph (hiking) on the nose. I doubt I’m much faster on the bike. No pics on this one - camera stayed in the truck.
