7/16/21
I planned to hike Livermore Road Trail to Mt Tripyramid Trail, up and over North, Middle, and South Tripyramid returning via South Slide and back to Livermore. Best laid plans right? The North and South Slides are on the Terrifying 25 list, named what it is for obvious reason. I have done a few of those including Airline Trail, Wildcat Ridge, and Blueberry ledge. Suffice to say, the North Slide trail needs to be on a list of one, alone.
I left home at about 4:00 am and arrived at the trailhead around 6:00 and was hiking by 6:15. The first few miles on Livermore Road are pretty flat. It’s a wide old dirt road. Appears to be a popular mountain biking destination as indicated by the many trail signs. I did see a few bikes but I was early and it was a workday.
There were a few side trails on the way up that I decided to explore on my way down. At about the 3.5-mile mark Livermore Road Trail becomes Mt Tripyramid Trail and dips down over an easy water crossing. You can also go left at this point and take Scaur Ridge to Pine Bend Brook Trail which takes you to the summit of the North peak (alternate summit route). The trail becomes a typical narrow trail with some boulders and ups and downs. At about 1.5 miles the trail bends to the right and begins to go up. Shortly after, it goes WAY UP when you enter the North Slide area of the hike. THIS SECTION OF TRAIL IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD ONLY BE ATTEMPTED BY VERY EXPERIENCED HIKERS. You have been warned.
The North Slide is about a half-mile of 45-degree climbing. It is VERY steep and VERY challenging. About a quarter of the way up I found myself on the right side of the slide. This is not where I ultimately wanted to be as the trial would continue to the left at the top of the slide but I could not find a good spot to cross. I continued close to the edge where I had some scrub and small trees to use to help me ascend. The section I was in was covered in wet moss and where there was not moss there was loose stone and gravel. I was not comfortable with this at all. I tried a lunge to the tree and missed losing my footing. I was sliding down and could not self arrest the slide. I was able to grab a small tree and stop myself. If I had stayed on the left side of the slide, I would not have had the moss issue to deal with and would not have slipped. I decided I needed to head down. I was only about 100 yards from the end of the slide. Feeling a bit defeated but happy with my decision, I attempted to get to the security of the woods along the side of the slide. The undergrowth made the woods descent very difficult. With deep scratches and an eventual realization that I had lost a hiking pole, I made it near the bottom of the slide where I was able to scramble back down to the wooded trail that led me here.
I got my map out and determined that the alternate route was about 2 miles back down the trail. I was determined to make it to both North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid. I made my way back to the Livermore, Mt Tripyramid and Scaur Ridge Trails junction. About a quarter of a mile past the junction I took Scaur Ridge up. This was not nearly as steep as the North Slide but still pretty steep. It could be because I had just done most of the slide but I was really feeling it. I eventually found myself transitioning onto a high ridge and Pine Bend Brook Trail. This trail is a welcome relief from ascent for the first three-quarters of a mile or so. I then learned that there is no easy way up Tripyramid. This trail got pretty difficult for the last 700 vertical feet to the summit.
Feeling somewhat vindicated I reached the summit of North Tripyramid at 11:00 am. I earned that one! I took off my pack, had a snack, and checked my water bladder.
With break time over, it was now time to head to Middle Tripyramid and perhaps South Tripyramid as well. The descent, traverse, and eventual ascent of Middle was pretty steep. Almost as steep as the summit of North.
On the way down I make a point to see some of the side trails. Of note was the short trip to Norway Rapids. I would have enjoyed more time exploring these spots and will be back in the future.
A very eventful day. I do kind of regret turning around on the North Slide. I could have completed it but just didn’t feel secure. I never really did hit that hiking groove after descending the slide. I’m going to call it a lesson in perseverance. No matter the route you take, the summit is the goal.
| Miles | Elev Gain | Time |
| 16 | 4500′ | 8 Hours |
Mountain Mike 