Thursday, April 13, 2023
Miles: 8.83
Start/End: Pine Bend Brook TH
Elevation gain/loss: 3474′
Peaks: Middle and North Tripyramid
I headed to the trailhead in the afternoon and got started. There was snow immediately, and I put on my traction. The water was running very high and the snow was fairly soft. I made decent time until I came to the steep section of the climb, up the ravine and then across to the left at the top. The snow in the ravine was unstable – I felt through to my waist multiple times. Higher up, the packed trail was a bit better, holding my weight so long as I stayed on the most packed section. I made the summits before sundown, but couldn’t pick up much time on the descent due to the soft snow. I had to control each foot fall, reducing the impact, and being ever alert for the snow to give way, drop me a few feet, and catch my knees and ankles. I jarred my right hip and my left ankle at different times, all of which made for an unpleasant descent. I made it back to the car around 9pm and was glad to see it; the temperature was 43, exactly 40 degrees cooler than it had been when I started.
Transcending Mountains 