How to write about Coffee

I've been reading John Thorne's collection, Serious Pig, off and on since... February, at least.  I believe my brother Joe gave it to me for my birthday in November.  It is a monster of a book, especially considering it is a food book—not a cookbook, though there are recipes—at just under 500 pages.  It is this size that has kept me from blasting through it like I did with other food books (Thorne's Outlaw Cook included).  And I think this is really the better way to read a food book; pace yourself and allow certain bits to soak in.  With writing this good, you don't want to let any wash away in the rush of flipped pages.

I could go on about the different sections and why Thorne's writing has been such a great comfort and educator for me over the past year or so, but instead I'll just let him do the talking:

From his essay "A Cup of Coffee":

To acquire a taste for coffee doesn't mean you have to learn to love its flavor—though, obviously, you can.  What you do have to love, though, is the ritual. 

And I mean all of it, from the way you take your coffee—straight black and scalding hot or modulated with cream and sugar—to the way you blow into it and wrap your hands around the cup, to the way you lift it to your mouth.  This is our culture's way of allowing us to orchestrate a moment's worth of personal space.  Whether you sigh and sink into a stupor at the counter with your cup untouched before you or drink its contents down in a flurry of agitated motions—for that instant everything has stopped.  If someone happens to walk in as you pour yourself a cup, they know to hold their fire.  "Stand back and let me have this," these gestures say.  "I need it."

When I read John Thorne, two words come up over and over for me: "Aha!" and "Exactly!"

BRIAN OUT.

The Tripyramids

This is the first of hopefully many posts dedicated to 4000+ footers in New England, a challenge I started yesterday with Amy, Tim, and Leela.  I'm going to document it for myself and also try to provide some helpful information on the route we took in case anyone comes across this entry researching for the hike.

Our first two 4000 footers were North Tripyramid (4180 feet) and Middle Tripyramid (4140 feet), two peaks that meet the AMC criteria for 4000 footers.  South Tripyramid is also over 4000 feet, but it lacks the required 200 feet of prominence. 

Climbing the Tripyramids by looping from the Kancamagus Highway (Pine Bend Brook Trail to Sabbaday Brook Trail): 

• TIME: 7 hours, 40 minutes
• DISTANCE: 10.5 miles
• ELEVATION GAIN: 3,450 feet

Elevations Profiles (click thumbnails for larger version):

Pine Bend Brook Trail

Mount Tripyramid Trail

Sabbaday Brook Trail

View Mt Tripyramid Loop via Pine Bend Brook Trail and Sabbaday Brook Trail in a larger map

Here is a view of the North Tripyramid from a spot on the Kanc:

North Tripyramid is in the center; it's the peak that is almost directly above Tim's right sleeve

Since we were starting from Conway in the morning, we decided it made the most sense to do the hike from the Kancamagus Highway, rather than the other, better documented end, accessible off of Livermore Road/Tripoli Road from Rt 93.  We wanted to do a loop too, so went with Pine Bend Brook Trail to get to the top and Sabbaday Brook Trail to get back down.  We parked at the Sabbaday Falls parking lot and walked the mile over to the Pine Bend Brook Trail to begin.

Amy at the start of Pine Bend Brook Trail

Pine Bend Brook Trail is supposed to be the quickest way to the top with an estimated round trip time of 6.5 hours (as described on a few sites we researched).  It took a while to get to the first real incline, around 1 hour I believe.  A lot of signs of moose activity on the trail before it starts getting steep.

Shortly after passing the sign identifying the Sandwich Range, the hike is nice and tough, with long stretches of steep climbing that required a few breaks for me, but occasionally leveling out.  There were not many great views on the way up, though at points it was worth taking a moment.

Looking back from Pine Bend Brook Trail, about 15 minutes from the summit of North Tripyramid, 2.5 hours from the trailhead

The summit of North Tripyramid is not much to enjoy, aside from the accomplishment of reaching the highest point on Mount Tripyramid of 4,180 feet.  We arrived at around 10am, making it about 2 hours and 50 minutes of hiking from the start of Pine Bend Brook Trail.  There is a spot to get some nice views from if you climb over a rock to get to a tiny trail, which is right at the slightly cleared area at the top.  If you are coming up the Pine Bend Brook Trail like we were, it will be on your left.  Here is a panoramic I took:

Panoramic at top of North Tripyramid

After pausing and chatting with two other hikers who had camped on the Saddle (the area between the North and Middle Tripyramid) the night before, we carried on to the Middle Tripyramid to complete our 2nd 4000+ foot summit.  The hike over is fun, with some big rocks to go down without much constant steepness to wear you down.

Amy and Tim on our way down from the North Tripyramid heading over to the Middle Tripyramid

Before you start climbing back up you will reach a few signs, which caused some debate amongst our group.  Here is what we figured out: If you want to complete the loop between Sabbaday and Pine Bend, this sign is where you stop to go up the Middle Tripyramid, via the Mount Tripyramid Trail (also goes to the Kate Sleeper Trail and Livermore Trail).  Then you turn around and come back to the sign to either go down Sabbaday or go over to the North Tripyramid.  There was a trail continuing from the Middle Tripyramid summit, which likely takes you to the South Tripyramid along the Mount Tripyramid Trail.  The signs:

The summit of the Middle Tripyramid offered the nicest views of the hike for us.  There are two spots that open into views.  It was pretty cloudy (and occasionally rainy), but we were satisfied with what we could see. Here are a few photos from that summit.

View from Middle Tripyramid facing Southwest

Tim at the Middle Tripyramid summit, with a 10+ foot drop surrounding him

View to the Northwest

Tim took this nice photo of Amy, Leela, and I at the summit of Middle Tripyramid

Decent views of Chocorua as you head down from Middle Tripyramid on the Sabbaday Brook Trail

Heading down Sabbaday Brook Trail started off pretty nicely, with some easy and fun rock hopping turning into very difficult drops on rock slabs, which were a little damp.  We each had different approaches to the problem of getting down these: Amy went down on all fours, right down the middle, Tim stayed upright using his poles and went down the middle and occasionally along the side, and I stayed on the sides, grabbing onto trees and branches when necessary to aid my footing (though I got lots of sap on my hands and many pine needles down my shirt).  Oh, and Leela just ran right down, no problem. 

Much steeper than it looks here

We made it down without incident!

About 1 hour 45 minutes after beginning our descent, things got relatively flat, with occasional declines which were nothing to worry about.  This is where the hike got pretty obnoxious, with seemingly endless brook crossings and straight, boring trails.  We had done so much already that day, and then we found ourselves stuck with about 2 hours of monotony.  Leela kept herself happy with a stick she found and had us throw for her.

Waiting for me to throw her stick at one of the brook crossings

The end of the hike was bittersweet, with the roaring falls not only a nice sight, but also an indication that we had just a short walk to the car, which held a full bottle of Gatorade and a change of clothes; but as it was a summer afternoon on a Sunday, there were hoards of tourists, with yelling families and several people smoking and stinking up the nice area.  I was very tired by this point and did not have the patience for these happy, energetic (well, some of them anyways) people, so I didn't bother to look at the falls for long.  Total round trip from the car and back, including breaks was about 7.5 hours using Pine Bend Brook Trail up and Sabbaday Brook Trail down.

Final Thoughts on the Tripyramids:

All in all, I'm glad we did the hike.  First off, it was the biggest hike I've done, so on top of checking off two 4000 footers, I also managed to make it through 7.5 hours of hiking without enduring too much damage (sore muscles and blisters are only a slight nuisance as I write this the next day).  The views when you hike from the Kanc side do not seem to be even close to those possible if you take the Livermore trail over the rock slides from the other side.  But there were still views to be had, and the hike was tough enough for it to be a physical accomplishment.  We only ran into two groups of hikers, one pair of guys at the top who had camped, and a trio of gentlemen on their way up who we passed just after we finished with the slabs.  Otherwise, it was a long peaceful hike with my fiancee, brother, and dog, completely alone in the wildnerness.


Other information:

Step by step:

1. Park at Sabbaday Falls on Kancamagus Highway.  
2. Walk west on the Kanc (go left from the parking lot) for approximately 1 mile until you get to the Pine Bend Brook Trail, which is on the left and marked with a sign.
3. Take Pine Bend Brook Trail to North Tripyramid (not marked)
4. Continue on Mount Tripyramid Trail (may not be marked, but it is the obvious trail to take from the north summit)
5. At intersection of Mount Tripyramid Trail and Sabbaday Brook Trail (to left) you will see a sign.  Continue with Mount Tripyramid Trail in direction of Middle Tripyramid (also towards Livermore Trail and Kate Sleeper Trail, as shown on sign).  Basically, continue going straight.
6. At the top of Middle Tripyramid, turn back the way you came and go back to the sign for Sabbaday Brook Trail
7. Take Sabbaday Brook Trail down to Sabbaday Falls and the parking lot.

Distances and Timings for each segment:
(these include any breaks we took)

• Pine Bend Brook Trail to North Tripyramid: 3.5 miles, 3 hours
• North Tripyramid summit to Middle Tripyramid summit: 0.7 miles, 40 minutes.
• Middle Tripyramid to the Sabbaday Falls parking lot: 4 miles, 3.5 hours.
• Total round trip time, including breaks and walking on the Kanc for 1 mile to start the loop: 10.5 miles, 7 hours, 40 minutes (6:50am to 2:30pm) 

Click here for my 4000 footers progress.

BRIAN

Ayo!

Took a long walk with Leela around town, showered the sweat away from my face, and now I'm reading about cornbread with Rebirth Brass Band playing, a cool glass of water, and a new fan keeping me cool.   I'm embarrassed to have turned my computer on!



BRIAN OUT.

dozing dog

perfectly centered;
you occupy the minimum space,
end to end.

watching the outside
but never free to leave,
you allow your lids to meet.

BRIAN OUT.

...just as on all those nights

Now, it's all right now
even to fall asleep
just as on all those nights.
--Suddenly the bus driver
stops with a jolt,
turns off his lights.

The above is from what is said to be a perfect poem, The Moose, by Elizabeth Bishop. I love it. Read the whole thing here. I read it aloud earlier and it was a good experience.

That's a moose up in Pittsburg, NH, that Tim and I saw while camping up there with Amy over the 4th of July weekend.

Also, I am a terrible blogger these days. Too much goes through Twitter and Facebook for me to feel like this is necessary. But I think I'll try to get back on task. Maybe write some poems or something.

BRIAN OUT.