The Tripyramids - NH

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at lunch break enjoying my peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I received a text from my friend Tim.  “If you’re not working Saturday, I was thinking of hiking the Tripyramids”, it said.  Unfortunately, I had to do some overtime that weekend.  He followed up with “Two of the 4000’ers in NH.  It’s an 11 mile hike with a section that is supposed to be one of the hardest in The Whites.  At one point it goes up 1200ft in 0.5 miles.”  Instantly, I knew that these were going to lead off my Northeast 115 adventures.

We got on our merry way Sunday, July 6, 2014 early in the morning.  The hike starts with a 3.6 mile casual stroll next to a river, but once you hit the trailhead, the intensity spikes.  After crossing the river, you start climbing steadily through some thick lower brush, and with a turn, you hit the north slide.  This is the section that Tim was talking about: 1200ft gained in 0.5 miles.  All the while, you have great views behind of Osceola and Tecumseh.  The north slide is not for the faint of heart.  To put the 1200ft gained in 0.5 miles into perspective, there were many occasions when Tim and I had to channel our inner Spider Man to move forward.  At one point, I grabbed a place on the trail for leverage and realized I was standing rather straight.  Although brutal, the ascent went rather quickly.  Once we reached the top of the slide, it was another 15 minutes or so of hiking up a trail until we reached the summit of North Tripyramid.  The summit area was rather small and, with a few other parties there, quite crowded, so Tim and I decided to mosey on over to the Middle Tripyramid summit.

After a short descent, a conversation about how badly the Red Sox are playing, and a quick climb, we found ourselves on the summit area of the second 4000' peak of the day.  This summit had slightly better views and wasn't nearly as crowded, so we decided to stop for lunch: the best tasting sandwich and some GORP.  Fully energized, we made our way to the south summit to start our final descent.

Similar to the north slide, the south slide was very steep.  However, the south slide was mostly gravel so traction was hard to come by.  Before too long, the trail leveled off and slowly worked its way back to the main trail.  Another 2.6 miles and we were back to the car and on our way home.  I would highly suggest following the same route Tim and I took (although there is a trail that goes around the north slide for those who are afraid of steepness).  The footing on the north slide was much better and not once was I afraid of slipping and/or falling.  That being said, if the weather is at all unfavorable, you should probably avoid the rock slides.  They become very slippery when wet and you are fully exposed to the elements.

Unfortunately, all of the summits are closed, but there are still lookouts and plenty of views from both of the slides:

 

North Tripyramid in the distance

The ascent

Tecumseh to the left and the Osceolas straight ahead

At the summit of North Tripyramid

At the summit of Middle Tripyramid

Overall, this was one of the most fun hikes I have completed.  When I hike a steep trail that forces me to use my hands, I almost forget that I am exhausted.  Even better, the loop trail provides two 4000’ summits and different scenery with every step.  The Tripyramids were definitely a great day hike.

Most impartant, this hike was brought to you by Samuel Adam’s Rebel IPA.  Rebel IPA is a West Coast IPA; 6.50% ABV.  I found this a very tasty, refreshing beer at the summit of Middle Tripyramid.  It was hoppy, but not aggressively so.  There were also some sweet notes of fruit that mixed in delightfully with the bitterness of the hops.  In short, would I drink it again?  Of course!

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