The Ying & Yang Trail: the Tripyramid's via the North Slide

The view from the North Tripyramid Slide

The north slide of the Tripyramid loop has a reputation. It is known as one of the most technical sections of trail in the White Mountains. But getting there on foot is the opposite sort of hiking, a broad path of hard pack easy terrain. The contrast between the approach from Livermore Road and the climb itself could not be more extreme. Last Sunday my 2 little mountain goats and I hiked the Tripyramid loop to find the beauty at both ends of the trail.

hiking up Livermore Road

Livermore Road is not a hiking trail. It is a Nordic ski trail in the winter and an old highway through the mountains in the summer. The path is so broad and firm that trucks can drive up it with ease. It is also the most direct route to get to the Tripyramids from Waterville Valley. I am very familiar with this trail since I've been a Waterville Valley Nordic pass holder for over a decade. My son & I know every bridge and landmark on the 2 miles up to the trail head. Some hikers choose to ride bikes up the first miles of Livermore Road. We saw a couple of guys riding down with backpacks as we hiked out. But traversing from the trail head other than on foot violates the "Underhill Rules" and invalidates a peak for the sake of any AMC list. So we followed the rules & swift walked the wide gentle path to the Tripyramid Loop trail.

finding footholds on the slabs

After 3.5 miles of easy walking in the woods this route crosses a creek and goes straight into narrow steep single track. The remaining approach to the North Tripyramid slide is not long. We said hello to the WVTA volunteer clearing brush on the single track. I lashed my poles to my pack as soon as reached the start of the climb. The slide requires so much scrambling that trekking poles become a hindrance immediately. I expected to need both hands up much of this section, which indeed I did. I wore my Salomon X-Alp LTR boots since they edge almost like climbing shoes. My two little mountain goats took to the slide like bees to honey. They picked their way up the cracks and slabs almost like it was level ground. I thought something about kids and rock climbing from a tender age watching them ascend.

Fear is a limiting reaction. It often leads to tunnel vision on a route. Many of the reports I've read about climbing the Tripyramid north slide for the first time have concluded with "never again". While I certainly avoid this trail in wet weather, it is still one I enjoy immensely. The slow pace of a hard scramble allows me to fully enjoy the mountain. The east side of the Osceola's make a bold impression from across the valley. The sight of the Pemi Wilderness peaks come into view only after the half way point. The slide is also covered with gorgeous pink granite. On a sunny afternoon it sparkles under foot. But when one is consumed with fear it is near impossible to take in the beauty of this trail. Admittedly though, this slide has plenty to be fearful about in exposure, grade, and narrow foot holds.

pink granite on the Tripyramid Slide

approaching the scree field

No fear for these kids though. After they charged through the scree at the top of the slide we re-entered the woods for the last 200 meters to the summit. I was almost disappointed that the North Tripyramid summit is tree covered. But we enjoyed our lunch and the look out view of Mt. Tecumseh. The traverse was easy compared to the ascent. The return descent on the south slide was far from easy. Although it is shorter and shallower than the north, it is still loose and requires sustained scrambling. We were rewarded with the views of the Sandwich range and lake Winnipesauke on the horizon. I worried that the long hike back down Livermore Road would be a chore. But when I asked my son if he was bored he replied "no, I can find plenty of things in the woods to look at". So we took the diversion down to the "Tall Pines" near the end of Livermore Road. I had never taken this 1/4 mile path down to Flume Brook despite passing by hundreds of times. We found the geo-cache there and enjoyed a sit by the brook under the 80 foot pines.  Perhaps the lesson of the day is on a long meandering hike make sure to stop and see the diversions. Certainly when I climb the Tripyramid's again I hope to enjoy the ascent, the views, and the diversions as much as I did last weekend.

Mt Tecumseh from Middle Tripyramid