23 October 2015: Mount Tripyramid, North and Middle peaks

To close out 2015 I climbed North and Middle Tripyramids with Bob the Love Goat and Boomer on this chilly fall day.

History: Not finding much on the origin of these peaks, but given that they're 3 peaks that resemble 3 pyramids next to one another, we'll assume that might be it.

Peak Elevation: North - 4180 ft. ; Middle - 4140 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~3500 ft.
Trail: Pine Bend Brook Tr., ridge trail
Length: 9.0 mi.
Time on Trail : 0751
Time off Trail: 1453

This was touted by BTLG as a fun but strenuous hike up to the Tripyramids. While wooded they were pretty promenant in the area and supposedly there were a few looksouts near the top of the ridge. I made it to the trailhead well before BTLG and took in some scenic views along the Kanc before getting there. Such a fun drive! The Pine Brook trail is right along Rt 112, and was jsut about what i expected it to be given the topo maps i had scoped out prior to hitting the trail. The north slide was strenuous but manageable with frequent breaks to allow my muscles to recover a bit. After nearing the top of the slide there were some nice but limited views before the top's wooded peak swallowed you up. We had a tough time finding the summit of North peak but thats a normal experience as there tends to not be a cairn on some of these wilderness peaks. We passed the Sabbaday Brook Trail junction on our way to Middle Tripyramid; South Tripyramid isn't NH48 so we turned back as it got to be in the low 20's at the peak and Boomer was getting antsy. The descent wasn't all that problematic. I think BTLG and I both had a spill with some wet leaf covering rocks we stepped on. Not a bad trip, I welcomed my car's heated seats as I began driving home.

Photos:

Mt Tripyramid, North and Middle peaks   23OCT15

Link to BTLG blog post

19 October 2015: Mount Osceola, Mt. East Osceola

Today me and Bishop X ventured out to bag the Osceolas from the trailhead along Tripoli road. It was getting late in the month and we knew we were racing time until snow and frost would mean stopping for the season this far up north.


History: Unclear as to the origin of the name for these peaks - Osceola was a Native American of the Seminole tribes in the southeast US.

Peak Elevation: Osceola - 4340 ft. ; East Osceola - 4156 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~2000 ft.
Trail: Mt. Osceola Tr.
Length: 8.4 mi.
Time on Trail : 0851
Time off Trail: 1500?

This hike was sold to me by Bishop X who said that the Chimney between peaks was a cool experience to hike up. I figured that having survived my slide down the Flume slide trail, that i would be able to handle this steep rock feature without issue.

We began the day on Tripoli Rd and quickly got on trail. It wasn't all that long before the mud turned to frost and "snow". As we neared the summit of Osceola, there was a nice big open ledge offering great views on this clear day. The ledge used to be home to a fire tower, which still had footings present to provide for good places to slide your pack off for photo ops. From there we briskly walked to the summit of Osceola and onward to descend the chimney towards East Osceola. Both peaks having wooded tops, we took in the views where possible. The chimney was ok going down but kind of fun going up. Bishop X gave me some space to get up and down - a smart move in case i slipped. There are a few spots along the way with broken views - the ledges offered the best of all so we made another stop there to fuel up before we descended.

Photos:

Mt Osceola, East Osceola 19OCT15

10 October 2015: Mount Waumbek, Mount Starr King

This fine, cool day I went to hike Mt. Waumbek and Mt. Starr King with my roomie. I had not yet ventured this far outside of the normal cluster of the NH48, and my roomie was game to join me on what is touted as an easy hike for a 4000 footer. We were not disappointed.

History / random facts: Mt Wuambek, previously known as "Pliny Major", has little information about it's name meaning or significance. I imagine it is a nod to a Native American culture or person, though. Mt Starr King is named for Thomas Starr King, a minister who lived during the Civil War era. At its summit sits the site of a former lodge, built in the 1940's, that was removed in the 1980's. The fireplace still resides there, loosely marking its location next to an open view eastward.
The Starr King trail is part of the Cohos Trail, a 162 mile trail that spans from Crawford Notch to the Canadian border, where it connects with the Sentier Frontalier's trail to Mount Megantic and Mount Gosford in Canada.

Peak Elevation: Waumbek - 4006 ft.; Starr King - 3907 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~2700 ft.
Trail: Starr King Tr.
Length: 7.2 mi.
Time on Trail : 0925
Time off Trail: 1346

This was a pretty easy hike, the mileage and elevation change made it pretty evenly graded for most of the way. Being mid-fall in northern NH there was already some rhyme ice and standing ice on some portions of the trail. We took our time so as to not have a fall. The summit of Starr King sneaks up on you but has a great view towards the Presidentials. From there, the trail descends a bit before you ascend to the wooded peak of Waumbek, which is inhabited by a colony of Gray Jays year-round.
The gray jays were out there with the people, adventurous and sociable. They were not much of a bother to me or the others who tried to enjoy lunch atop Waumbek at a blowdown-curated viewpoint that seems to be up-kept by hikers. The way down still had ice on it as the mid-day sun was only beginning to melt the sheets of ice encountered on the way up. My roomie dinged up her knee on the way down, luckily only about mile from the car.

Photos:

Mt Waumbek, Mt. Starr King   10Oct15

I would love to tackle this one again, perhaps if I ever do the Cohos Trail?

05 October 2015: Mount Tom, Mount Field, Mount Willey, Mount Avalon

Admittedly I have been slacking this year on hiking the 4000 footers, and here was a chance for me to bag a few in one pass. I persuaded Bishop X to come with me on this one, the selling point being that we were going to not only bag 3 of the NH48, but a 52WAV as well. The Willey range has a nice drop-down to Mount Avalon as well, which was a worthy sidetrip on the descent.

History: Mount Tom is named for Thomas Crawford, whose family had a number of inns in the area of Crawford Notch during the 1800’s. Mountt Willey was named for Samuael Willey, whose family lived I the area in the 1820’s and were killed in a landslide in Crawford Notch. Mount Field is named for Darby Field, the first European to climb Mt Washington back in 1642. He was also known for his ability to translate between the Native and Settler populations. I was unable to find a naming etymology for Mount Avalon, but Avalon was a mythical place from the Authurian era, so it could be related to that.


Peak Elevation: 4052ft (Tom), 4327 ft (Field), 4255 ft. (Willey), 3442 ft (Avalon)
Elevation Gain: 2358 ft
Trails: Avalon Trail, A-Z trail, Mt Tom Spur, Willey Range trail
Length: 10.2 mi.
Time on Trail: 0920
Time off Trail: 1630ish


The trip started out at Crawford Depot on the west side of US-302, parking is free here. Crossing the tracks you can see the herdpath to the Avalon trailhead sign pretty clearly. After just over a mile you reach the junction of the A-Z trail, having ventured past the Beecher and Pearl cascades with not a lot of elevation gain to this point (maybe 800ft). Continuing on up the A-Z trail to get to the Willey Range trail for another mile of so, gaining just shy of 1800 ft in elevation gain until you get to the Mt Tom Spur trail. The trip to Mount Tom from here is just over a half mile, and at this point we were glad to have the hefty elevation gains out of the way. Ok I was gladder than Bishop X was because he’s in far better condition than me, and today i was exceptionally slower than he.


Moving on we ventured onward to the Willey Range Trail junction and moved on toward Mt Field, crossing paths with our descending point, the upper terminus of the Avalon Trail. Mt. Field has a side path with a small outlook, but the weather was kind of blah so we did not stay there long. The next stop was Mount Willey, which also has a viewpoint from an unmarked side trail. I find it peculiar that this range is named for Willey but is not the highest mountain on the range, granted there is only a net 20 foot elevation drop here. After bagging the 3rd 4000footer of the day I was keen on getting down and home; Mount Avalon was on the way and we decided that if we made good time we would bag it, but if not we would leave it for another day.


Having made good time we trekked up towards Avalon, which offers great views of the Southern Presidentials and to the southeast of the Willey range. The quick sidetrip (a few hundred yards, maybe?) was worth it for the brief view we took, as there were 2 dudes just taking a nap up there when we arrived, kind of weirded us out so we just snapped a few pictures and moved on. The descent was pretty tame after that point.


Photos:

Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Avalon 05OCT15

This entry was backdated, written in 2017.