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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, South Tripyramid, West Sleeper, East Sleeper, Mt. Whiteface, Mt. Passaconaway, NH
Trails
Trails: Pine Bend Brook Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail, Kate Sleeper Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail, Walden Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Passaconaway Cuttoff, Oliverian Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, September 13, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: 20-30 car parking lot at Oliverian Brook trailhead. The lot is off a short dirt road that is well signed on Kangamangus Hwy. Pine Bend Brook is a short shoulder skirt directly off the ‘Kanga. 3-4 cars max. Recommend parking in the larger nearby trailhead parking areas and walking the short distance to the trailhead. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Very few water crossings. This time of year things are more dry. The largest water encounter was at the end on Oliverian Brook. This was rock hopable. Note there are few water replenishment sources on this Loop. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: There are some thick muddy spots just after the rock slide (descending from Square Ledge Trail) on Passaconaway Cuttoff where it looks like the drainage system below got clogged by fallen trees and debris. Otherwise these trails are well maintained. Good work on putting Kate Sleeper back together! That must have been quite an effort!  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: The rock slide that had to be descended coming off South Tripyramid to access the start of Kate Sleeper is supper steep and exposed. A dog may have some trouble with this. It is a blessedly short section (0.3 miles or so). 
Bugs
Bugs: Very few.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Nice 18 mile jaunt to gain some 4000 footers. All summits are wooded with only Whiteface and Passaconaway offering some good viewpoints. There were carins at each summit. No geological markers found.

Pine Bend appears a less used trail than Sabbaday as evidenced by lighter foot tread on mossy rocks. It is rocky and steep. It had suffered some erosion in places where trail maintainers have appeared to ferociously attack with reroutes, brush and rock barriers. It is blue blazed.

Then the rock slide... The traverse from North Tri to South Tri is a nice ridge walk. After South Tri be prepared. You are dumped at a VERY STEEP angle down the summit cone on a rock slide. VERY STEEP. And exposed. Persons afraid of heights or uneasy with exposed rock climbs are discouraged from taking this trail. You may come unglued. I will say this portion is less terrifying than South Baldface as the slide has been modified by humans to provide some good solid flat footing no more than a body length apart. You descend this part (maybe about 0.3 miles) until you see a sign for the Kate Sleeper Trail nailed to a tree on the left. There is also a piece of yellow string on the tree.

There is another short steep traverse across another part of the aforementioned rock slide at the start of Kate Sleeper. This is marked with carins and faded blazes. It is a very short section.

Other than these rock slides these trails provide a wonderful walk through the woods from one peak to another. The route taken above, I think, is the preferred direction if desiring to attain these peaks. It puts the bulk of the ascent at the start of the hike and ends with a nearly flat 3 mile walk out of the woods at the end. On soft ground too!! Good choice for tired throbbing feet!

Thank you Wonalancet Out Door Club for your hard work!  
Name
Name: Remington34 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-09-14 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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