The walk out to the South Slides of Mount Tripyramid is a favorite of mine at any time of year. It's especially rewarding during foliage season since most of the approach is through a glowing hardwood forest, as seen here on the smooth and easy Livermore Trail.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Foliage & Tripyramid South Slides: 10/3/24
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Hellgate Brook & Guitar Slide: 10/1/24
Early October is my favorite time to venture into the western lobe of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The preponderance of hardwoods in the valleys and on the lower slopes makes for great foliage viewing and gold-tinted walking along the trails. This journey took me up into the Franconia Brook valley and then on a long bushwhack out to the big westernmost slide on the steep south slope of West Bond, popularly known as the "Guitar Slide" due to its resemblance to a rock band electric guitar. The Guitar Slide is prominent in the view from Bondcliff.
It was a fine fall morning for a stroll up the Lincoln Woods Trail.
Foliage along the East Branch.
First view out to Mounts Flume and Liberty and the south end of Owl's Head.
Bondcliff, robed in birch gold.
Looking down the eastern prong. There are six fresh-looking slides on West Bond, including this one, on a 1939 aerial photo, suggesting that the trigger was the September 1938 hurricane or perhaps the epic November 1927 rainstorm.
Most of the wide main part of the slide is covered in loose rock, making for tricky footing, but there are some ledge slabs along the west side.
I made my way up to the longest ledge slabs at a pitch of 30-31 degrees for some fun scrambling. On this day the granite was dry and grippy, even for worn hiking boots.
Looking down the slabs.
I found a seat next to the top of the slabs (3500 ft.) and sat for an hour enjoying the show, including a break of sun lighting up Bondcliff.
Spotlight on Bondcliff's western spur ridge and the floor of the Hellgate Brook valley.
Zoom on Bondcliff's crags.
Looking up to the top of the wider lower part of the slide, which forms the "body" of the guitar. The narrow "neck" of the guitar extends above a strip of woods to an elevation of 4050 ft.
One reason for revisiting the slide, aside from the magnificent scenery, was to see if any white pines had taken seed here. I was delighted to find this diminutive specimen just above my seat. On the way back down I found three more white pines of about the same size.