Lovetohike
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- Dec 7, 2003
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On Saturday, 9/10, I did the Tripyramids, up Livermore, then the North Slide and down the South Slide. What a beautiful day it was for any hike, brilliant blue skies, incredibly clear and perfect hiking temperature. The road walk for the 3.6 miles to the turn off for the North Slide is pleasant but does seem to go on and on. Walking a similar distance on a winding trail just doesn’t seem as long. Oh well, I got it done pretty quickly. Then the slide was everything people said it was: steep and a serious scramble for much of its length. I was fortunate in that it was quite dry, even at the bottom, so I had good traction on those slabs. Route finding was a bit of an issue, given the sparseness of blazes, but this added to the allure and adventure.
I take some issue with the book description that says the trail tends to the right of the slide as you get up. Maybe this is true at times, but not as much as I expected. In fact, right about in the middle, there were a couple of very steep “v” shaped slabs to choose from and I went to the left, up what was, in my mind, pretty much the crux of the slide, and then as I paused to assess my position, there at my feet was a blaze, at this point directing me to the right, back to the center of the slide. From this point I pretty much stuck to the center, staying on the upward tilting slabs, until I came up over the steepest part and the top portion of the slide kind of opened up a bit. I did notice a path up the right side with lots of loose rock and small talus, I was more comfortable on smooth slab in the center where I could establish good friction.
I was all alone on the slide, I had passed one other hiker way down on the trail to the base of the slide, but didn’t see him at after that. It struck me that I was glad there was no one close behind me, or, in front of me, since the danger of rock fall seemed pretty high.
I found this slide definitely in the category with classic scrambles in the Whites. I’ve done Huntington many times and I think the North Slide of Tripyramid is different, but every bit as tough. It’s kind of like many repeated instances of the first part of the Huntington headwall where you have to scramble up those steep slabs. The North Slide is more slab and less hand and foot scrambling, but I certainly used my hands in many spots.
The summits were a bit anti-climatic after the exciting trip up the slide, but very pretty. I realized too late that I should have stopped for lunch on the middle peak, that’s were there were the nicest views, but oh well, lesson learned.
Coming down the South Slide was also exciting, with it’s steepness and tons of loose rock. Came upon several groups going up this way. They were doing o.k. It was a bit nerve wracking once or twice as I slid along here and there, but basically fine. I found there were enough solidly planted, decent sized rocks among the loose gravel that I could stay in control.
Once the slide ended, it was a long walk back to the Livermore parking area, both on the trail and then the dreaded road, but certainly worth this exciting and satisfying trip on an amazing day.
One question: how are these two slides in winter? Are they commonly hiked and can they be done with just snowshoes, crampons and ice axe, or do they require more technical skills and gear?
I take some issue with the book description that says the trail tends to the right of the slide as you get up. Maybe this is true at times, but not as much as I expected. In fact, right about in the middle, there were a couple of very steep “v” shaped slabs to choose from and I went to the left, up what was, in my mind, pretty much the crux of the slide, and then as I paused to assess my position, there at my feet was a blaze, at this point directing me to the right, back to the center of the slide. From this point I pretty much stuck to the center, staying on the upward tilting slabs, until I came up over the steepest part and the top portion of the slide kind of opened up a bit. I did notice a path up the right side with lots of loose rock and small talus, I was more comfortable on smooth slab in the center where I could establish good friction.
I was all alone on the slide, I had passed one other hiker way down on the trail to the base of the slide, but didn’t see him at after that. It struck me that I was glad there was no one close behind me, or, in front of me, since the danger of rock fall seemed pretty high.
I found this slide definitely in the category with classic scrambles in the Whites. I’ve done Huntington many times and I think the North Slide of Tripyramid is different, but every bit as tough. It’s kind of like many repeated instances of the first part of the Huntington headwall where you have to scramble up those steep slabs. The North Slide is more slab and less hand and foot scrambling, but I certainly used my hands in many spots.
The summits were a bit anti-climatic after the exciting trip up the slide, but very pretty. I realized too late that I should have stopped for lunch on the middle peak, that’s were there were the nicest views, but oh well, lesson learned.
Coming down the South Slide was also exciting, with it’s steepness and tons of loose rock. Came upon several groups going up this way. They were doing o.k. It was a bit nerve wracking once or twice as I slid along here and there, but basically fine. I found there were enough solidly planted, decent sized rocks among the loose gravel that I could stay in control.
Once the slide ended, it was a long walk back to the Livermore parking area, both on the trail and then the dreaded road, but certainly worth this exciting and satisfying trip on an amazing day.
One question: how are these two slides in winter? Are they commonly hiked and can they be done with just snowshoes, crampons and ice axe, or do they require more technical skills and gear?
