HockeyPucks hiking and highpointing: North Tripyramid (4180 feet), Middle Tripyramid (4140 feet)

Mt. Washington from North Tripyramid

STATE: New Hampshire
TOWN: Waterville Valley
DESTINATION: North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid
ELEVATION: 4180 ft, 4140 ft.
SUMMIT COORDINATES: North Tripyramid = N43 58.386, W71 26.568
SUMMIT COORDINATES: Middle Tripyramid = N43 57.870, W71 26.406
TRAIL: Pine Bend Brook trail, Mt. Tripyramid trail
DISTANCE: 9.6 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 3110 feet
HIKING TIME: 5 hours
SEASON: Fall
DATE: November 21, 2015
WEATHER: 35 degrees, high cloud cover

PARKING: Parking can be found at the Pine Bend Brook trail head on route 112 (Kancamagus Highway) 1 mile west of the Sabbaday Falls parking area. Roadside shoulder parking is available for several cars. Drive time is approximately 90 minutes from Manchester. If one intends to perform the loop you may want to consider parking at Sabbaday Falls and hiking the road at the start of your journey rather than the end.

USGS QUAD: Mt. Tripyramid Quad

MAP: (North Tripyramid) (Middle Tripyramid)

DESCRIPTION: The Pine Bend Brook is a beautiful trail through open hardwoods as it follows and makes minor tributary crossings. The soft grade continues as it turns right after approximately one mile then makes two quick and rock hop crossings of Pine Bend Brook at its tributary. Several small crossings continue and the incline becomes slightly more moderate and at 2 miles, crosses the Sandwich Range Wilderness boundary as it soon becomes steep and rough paralleling a stream and rising up through a birch forest. The trail makes a sharp left makes a final crossing and steeply gains the ridge soon reaching the height of land. Experienced hikers may want to consider climbing Scaur Peak. The bushwhack begins here (right) and follows the ridge line 0.3 miles (15 minutes) to the Scaur Peak summit. The Pine Bend Brook trail dips slightly then turns south reaching the junction of the Scaur Ridge trail after 3.2 miles. Continue south as the terrain becomes rocky and steep often requiring hand holds on the slippery slabs for 0.8 miles to the North Tripyramid summit. The summit is wooded and marked with a cairn on the tallest rock and offers directional views from several side trail outlooks.

The Mt. Tripyramid trail begins its descent starting rocky and steep but the first few tenths of a mile then becomes more gradual reaching the junction of the Sabbaday Brook Trail after 0.5 miles. Middle Tripyramid is a long and difficult 0.3 miles away over very steep terrain that finally becomes easier as it pops out onto the summit. There is a cairn at the summit and directional views in several different directions.

Return the way you came or make a loop trail via the more gradual Sabbaday Brook trail. From the Sabbaday Brook Trail junction the descent to Pine Bend Brook is 4.5 miles but requires you to ascend North Tripyramid. Descending Sabbaday Brook is 4.9 miles, with a 1.0 mile road walk but is much less strenuous on tired and sore legs.

TRAIL DISTANCES:

*HIKING DISTANCES*
*DESTINATION*	DISTANCE	*TOTAL DIST.*
Pine Bend Brook - Wilderness Boundary	2.0 miles	2.0 miles
Wilderness Boundary - Scaur trail jct.	1.2 miles	3.2 miles
Scaur trail jct. - Mt. Tripyramid trail jct.	0.8 miles	4.0 miles
Mt. Tripyramid trail - Mt. Tripyramid summit	100 feet	4.0 miles
Mt. Tripyramid summit - Sabbaday Brook trail	0.5 miles	4.5 miles
Sabbaday Brook trail - Middle Tripyramid summit	0.3 miles	4.8 miles
Middle Tripyramid summit - Sabbaday Brook trail	0.3 miles	5.1 miles
Sabbaday Brook trail - Sabbaday falls Parking	4.9 miles	10.0 miles
Sabbaday Falls parking - Pine Bend Brook trail	1.0 miles	11.0 miles

HIKING TIMES:

*HIKING TIMES*
*DESTINATION*	TIME	*TOTAL TIME*
Pine Bend Brook - Wilderness Boundary	40 minutes	40 minutes
Wilderness Boundary - Scaur trail jct.	45 minutes	1 hour 25 minutes
Scaur trail jct. - Mt. Tripyramid trail jct.	30 minutes	1 hour 55 minutes
Mt. Tripyramid trail - Mt. Tripyramid summit	5 minutes	2 hours
Mt. Tripyramid summit - Sabbaday Brook trail	15 minutes	2 hours 25 minutes
Sabbaday Brook trail - Middle Tripyramid summit	10 minutes	2 hours 35 minutes
Middle Tripyramid summit - Sabbaday Brook trail	10 minutes	2 hours 45 minutes
Sabbaday Brook trail - Sabbaday falls Parking	1 hour 15 minutes	4 hours
Sabbaday Falls parking - Pine Bend Brook trail	15 minutes	4 hours 15 minutes

NOTES / COMMENTS:

At 4180 feet and 4140 feet, both North and Middle Tripyramid are on the New Hampshire 4000 footer list. This was my 3rd ascent of both North and Middle Tripyramid however my notes for the original two ascents are randomly scattered over hiking books and excel spreadsheets. My goal for today's hike was the nearby bushwhacks of Scaur Peak and The Fool Killer but wanted to include both North and Middle Tripyarmid, taking detailed notes to prepare an adequate trip report for the site. The summits do not have any signage or official markings (probably due to their location within the Sandwich Range Wilderness) but are marked with small cairns and the obvious height of land. Both peaks offer directional views. North Tripyramid has a couple spur trails leading to open views. Middle Tripyramid is slightly more open with directional views.

I startled a moose cow and calf 0.1 miles before the Scaur Ridge Trail junction.