| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Pine Bend Brook Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 25, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking spots on side of Kancamangus Highway were not plowed when we arrived at 6 AM, but were almost completely melted when we returned at about noon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some remaining snow bridges were rapidly deteriorating throughout the day. Mostly involved rock hopping to cross the 15+ small streams on the route, feet had to get a little wet. More melting snow could raise the levels in these streams, however, and make things more difficult. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Bounded by time constraints in the afternoon, we decided to arise early and attempt to summit both North and Middle Tripi following the bit of snow last night. After arriving around 5:45, we were a bit disappointed to discover that the snow had become not much more than an inch or two of slush at the base. That being said, we had no problems at all hiking up all the way up to both peaks in the early morning. The trail was covered almost entirely by hard-packed snow, with occasional patches of ice, making microspikes perfect all the way up.
The bit of slush that had accumulated actually made the ascent up the super steep sections much more manageable, and although there were no footprints ahead of ours, we had no problems following the trail at any point along the way. Towards the summits, the trails hardened and became a bit icier, with a few sketchy spots, but nothing too steep or dangerous. We were in great spirits upon reaching the summits. No views and a bit of wind, but both summits had nice protected areas to sit and enjoy some food.
The descent presented such completely different conditions that it seems like a completely different hike: we began by butt-sliding down large portions of the upper trail (which was loads of fun, if a bit dangerous), before it warmed up lower down and the trail became completely covered by ice that was falling down from the trees in large chunks (the size pieces of ice you'd put in a drink). These chunks basically covered up everything on the ground and erased all of our footprints through the steep middle section, making the descent pretty precarious and causing mini ice-avalanches with every step. We were thanking the heavens through this whole section that we were not going up in these conditions, as it would have been nearly impossible. I'd imagine that with the warm weather we were having, these ice chunks would have melted pretty quickly later in the day, however.
Past the steep section, the final two miles or so to the road had become largely snow-free in even the few hours we'd been up on the mountain. Plenty of snow remained in some sections (with some signs of a forming monorail), but large portions had already turned to slushy/muddy patches. We decided to take off our spikes and bareboot the last mile or so to prevent them from being damaged on all the exposed rocks.
Returned to the car after almost exactly 6 hours, spirits high. Overall, a great hike with a ton of variable conditions and challenges. As it stands right now, this hike is definitely in early-spring mode - muddy and slushy at the bottom, with lots of remaining snow and ice at the summits. More warm weather and/or more snow could definitely change the conditions. Encountered nobody else while hiking, no sign of other cars in parking lot either. |
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 | Name: |
JumboTortoise |
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 | E-Mail: |
djmeakem@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-03-25 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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