Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Tripyramids!!! Which actually only counts as two.

Hi!!!
Livermore Trail


Team Locomo took on the epic Tripyramid loop for two more peaks off everyone’s list! I know these big-mountains are called the Tripyramids but only two get to count on the 4,000 footer list. It sounds like false advertising. North and Middle count but poor South Tripyramid doesn’t get any love. (Laura Note: It is on the Trailwrights 72)
Loop junction!




Our Trip started on the Livermore Trail. But you know what? It’s not really a trail. It is a ROAD! A nice, smooth, dirt road that my car could drive on. But did we drive? nope. We walked 3.6 miles on a ROAD. I mean, it’s not hard but it is kind of boring. The loop starts at 2.6 miles but you have to go clockwise-north first so still another mile before the real trail!

Ready to climb







At a sharp turn in the ROAD the Mt Tripyramid Trail starts! If you don’t like climbing don’t go this way. Or if it’s raining. Take the ROAD to the Scaur Ridge Trail. We wanted to do the traditional Loop so we went the hard way.

Climb time
First you go down to cross Avalanche Brook. Drink up and fill up! You hike like a normal hike for a little bit with the anticipation building and then STEEP SLIDE! The bottom is smooth rocks with moss that stays wet so it is slippery. I’m pretty good at climbing but a few times I needed some help. You have to pick which way to go carefully. I saw another dog try to go around us and then he got stuck because he couldn’t go up anymore. He had to go down and back up.

The top half of the slide was easier because it wasn’t slippery or mossy. You can see a lot from up there. It was supposed to rain later that evening but there was already a cloud ceiling. Some mountains were touching the ceiling! We made friends with some girls who climbed up at the same time and traded photos. We kept passing each other on the trail. At North Tripyramid we took victory photos and ate first lunch. It was hard work rock climbing a mountain. We met a local who said it wouldn’t rain.
Hello mushroom

After snacking (TurboPUP I love you), we continued on which meant going down and then back up to Middle Tripyramid. There was a friendly summit-mushroom welcoming us. We ate more food and met a Forester taking care of the forest. She said it wouldn’t rain.

We continued to South Tripyramid as the clouds were covering the mountains. we looked back at the pointy peaks and could just see them through fog. The South summit wasn’t much, probably because it doesn’t get the love. But guess what? It started raining! I need a raincoat. My Laura and Moriah have red raincoats. I should have one too. We took our time going down the South Slide because it was wet and slippery. It rained steadily for a while down the top half of the slide. It was steep but not as bad as the North side. It is more rocky-sandy instead of big slabs of rock. We kept taking our time and eventually got back to the trees and the not-steep part as the rain slowed down.

Misty Mountain

When you’re done all the hard stuff, it is actually a long hike back. There are streams to drink and it is not steep but it takes a while. When you finally get back to the loop it is 2.6 miles on the Livermore ROAD back to the car. We ran a little bit on the ROAD because it is flat to speed it up. All together  the hike is 11.1 miles but it actually doesn’t feel like that much because half of it is on a ROAD. But remember, half of it is STEEP STEEP STEEP. (Three steeps for three peaks!)

Bye!

~Frisco

North Tripyramid & Middle Tripyramid (& South Tripyramid)
Elevation: 4,180 & 4,140 ft (& 4,100 ft)
Trails: Livermore Trail, Mount Tripyramid Trail
Distance: 11.1 miles


More photos!

Tripyramids

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Three more big-mountains! Plus a bonus mountain!

Hi!!! 
The correct side of the tracks is the woods side.

This trip was me and my Laura’s first together-solo hike! We didn’t want to hike on the holiday but no one wanted to hike on a Monday. This trip got 3 more mountains off my list PLUS bonus Avalon! Mount Avalon has the best views but it is too small to be a 4,000 footer. It is on the 52 with a View list which we will work on after I get my NH 4,000 footer club patch. I have a head start on my 52 though!

We started at the parking lot with a train station. Make sure to get on the right side of the tracks to start. There is some water to cross and drink for the first part of the trail. We went up the Avalon Trail first on this loop and when you leave the junction with A-Z Trail, there is no more water to drink. There was some wetness on the steep, rock trail to Mt Avalon so I liked that we went up first even though the best peak is first instead of last.


Avalon Summit
Field Summit pile-of-rocks
Avalon is 100 yards off the main trail and it requires climbing but it is so worth it. You can see the other side of the Crawford Notch which is all mountains I still need to climb. Webster, Jackson, Pierce, Eisenhower, Monroe, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Monroe… Oh yeah the presidentials! Actually, I don’t think you can see all of them from here. Washington is big and gets in the way. If you turn around you can see the three big-mountains for the rest of the trip!

om nom nom

When you’re done with Avalon, keep going up more until the Willey Range Trail which means just around the corner is Mount Field! #16 for me! It is a pile of rocks in the woods but there is a place for views where you can see the Mount Washington in hotel form and have LUNCH! This lunch was new stuff: TurboPUP. It is my new favoritist thing in the world. Besides my family and hugs and tag. Well, maybe more than hugs. TurboPUP then hugs when I’m done.

From Field you have to go down to get back up to Willey. That’s the rule. It felt like there were three times where you think you are at the bottom of the col (I learned this little word means low point between mountains!) but it wasn’t true. Then after going steadily up you go down one more time but it’s okay because just up and around the corner is the summit! #17! Another pile of rocks in the woods! But what you need to do is go 50 human-paces past to a little side trail with an awesome view of Webster cliff.

Webster Cliff from Mt Willey outlook

For the record, people keep saying that the other way up Willey (and why do some people call it Wiley?) has ladders so I couldn’t go that way. But they lied! It is stairs! I’m a stair master! I guess lots of stairs are boring and if you go up that way and down Avalon you have to walk the road. I like the woods so going back to Field was ok. More TurboPUP!


Heading back down
It’s a nice walk down Field to where you get to Mt Tom spur. This trail is not hard or steep except for one piece which was like giant stairs. Near the top it was confusing but I think we went left to find the - guess - pile of rocks in the woods! #18! It is underwhelming, especially for short people and dogs because the “view” past the pile of rocks in the woods is over trees. That would be a good reason to do this trip the other direction and save Avalon for last.

At least the A-Z trail is only steep for a little bit and not as bad as the Avalon Trail. I got some water in streams on the way down these trails. At the very end we passed a group of girls from a camp and they adored me back at the parking lot. Yes yes, I am a ladies-dog.
Bye!

~Frisco

Tom, Field, Willey
Elevation: 4,051 ft, 4,340 ft, 4,285 ft

Trails: Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, Mt Tom Spur, A-Z Trail
Distance: 10.3 miles




Tom, Field, Willey, and bonus Avalon!