May 25 & 26, 2014: Tripyramids & Cabot (#42, 43, 44)

It's been a while.  Since my last trip to the Whites, I moved to North Carolina which makes hiking in New Hampshire a bit more difficult.  I was very excited to travel home for Memorial Day and return to my favorite mountain range.  The mountains down South may beat the Whites in terms of elevation, but the Whites win hands down in terms of scenic beauty and sharp, rugged topography.  Size doesn't matter after all.

Mt. Tripyramid as viewed from Mt. Osceola.  The North Slide is clearly visible.

Named for the dramatic triple peaks that bare a remarkably symmetric appearance, Mt. Tripyramid is perhaps more interesting to look at than to look out from.  That's not to say the peaks are viewless, and they make up for what they lack in views in the steepness of the climb.  Only the North and Middle Peak qualify for the official 4,000 footer list.  The South Peak rises over 4,000 feet above sea level, but does not fulfill the requirement of being 200 feet higher than the col (low-point) between Middle Tripyramid and itself.  The North Peak is home to the infamous North Slide, visible for miles and traversed by a hiking trail that is not for the faint of heart.  A respectable mountain despite its elevation.

The weather was perfect on Saturday for a hike.  I would have liked to climb the North Slide, but opted for Pine Bend Brook since it is still early in the season and the climb may have been complicated with ice and wet rock.  The low forests are greening up nicely and the temperature was mild and enjoyable.  The route up Pine Bend Brook soon entered a rugged creek bed and began an unrelenting climb to the North Peak.

First view of the season.  Mt. Carrigain towering above the Pemigewasset Wilderness with Carrigain Notch at right (the sharp peak, Mt. Anderson, forms the eastern wall of the notch)

The summit of the North Peak is wooded but there is a vista nearby that offered proof that spring is in full bloom.  Passing storm clouds added color to the canvas before me.

Ominous view of Mt. Carrigain

After enjoying the vista and catching my breath, I continued across the ridge to Middle Tripyramid.  I enjoyed the vistas here better than those at North Peak because there were views in multiple directions.  The summit offered a view of Passaconaway and there was a nearby overlook to Waterville Valley and Mt. Tecumseh.

Mt. Tecumseh and Waterville Valley Ski Area.  Mt. Moosilauke is to the right and distant.

Mt. Osceola (left) and the Franconia Ridge (right)

From Middle Tripyramid, I descended down Sabbaday Brook Trail.  This was an extremely steep descent and the trail was difficult to follow in many places.  The hike down seemed to take a long time with plenty of water crossings, but it was a nice treat to see the falls at the bottom.  A unique place.

On Sunday I decided to hike Mt. Cabot.  Mt. Cabot is the northernmost of the 4,000 footers and is one of few other peaks on the list that is not located in the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire.  The isolated peak lies in the Pliny Range, an isolated and seldom-visited range in the vast Great North Woods Region.  This is the largest region of New Hampshire by land area, but the most sparsely populated.

No matter what way you look at it, Mt. Cabot is out of the way.  From the small town of Stark it is a 4 mile drive down a dirt road to the Unknown Pond trailhead.  I arrived at Unknown Pond at twilight and set up camp.  Unfortunately I did not get much sleep because I was hassled by curious raccoons all night despite hanging all my food in a tree away from the tent.

As soon as there was enough light to navigate the trail I started toward Cabot.  I made the side-trip to The Horn and took in the magnificent view for only a brief moment because as soon as I stepped onto the open summit, a storm engulfed the mountain.  The view was remarkable, stretching all the way to the northern Presidentials which spiked up dramatically from the surrounding landscape.  I could also see Mt. Cabot - separated from me by a long ridge and a significant wooded subpeak known as The Bulge.  Given the rain and my lack of sleep, I had little interest in continuing on to Cabot but I certainly did not want to devote a future trip to the mountain.

I pushed on and arrived about an hour later.  The climb was unforgiving and rough.  Because of the heavy fog and rain, I didn't even stayed long enough to take a summit picture.  I tagged the marker and began the long descent.  I completed the 5-mile exit hike in a little under 2 hours and headed home.

An experience that I think needs some time to ferment.

+3, 4 to go.