Flags Weekend: The Tripyramids and The Osceolas

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Every year flags are flown on each of the New Hampshire 4000 Footers in commemoration of the 9/11 victims. This year it happened on Saturday the Ninth. For the ninth straight year I headed the crew raising the flag on Middle Tripyramid. On Sunday I climbed the Osceolas. The weather was very nice both days.

Saturday 9 Sept.: Middle (and North) Tripyramid

When I left Connecticut in the wee hours of Saturday I thought I was going to be solo again this year (which I had been once a few years ago). However, when I was gearing up at the Livermore Trailhead a guy, whom I now know by the trailname Headblade, asked me if I was Cumulus. He had signed up at the last minute, and luckily caught me before I started up the mountain.

So we both hiked up the South Slide. This was Headblade's first time on the Tripyramids, and I occasionally reminded him to turn around and look at the view while climbing the slide. After the slide we hiked across South Tripyramid and over to Middle, where we set up the flag with lots of time to spare.

There wasn't a lot of wind this year. For most of the time we were there the flag hung limply. However, there was an occasional breeze now and then, so I got some good pictures of the flag flapping.

The N.H. National Guard helicopter flew by twice.

We had, if I counted right, 27 people come by.

After 2:00 we took down the flag and went back down by way of North Tripyramid and Scaur Ridge Trail. On the way we met Wardsgirl and the rest of the North Tripyramid crew.

Middle and North Tripyramid were numbers 39 and 40 (out of 48) in Headblade's quest to hike the New Hampshire 4000 Footers.

Sunday 10 Sept.: Osceola and East Osceola

I spent the night at Waterville Campground. On Sunday I hiked the Osceolas from Tripoli Road. This was my third time hiking the Osceolas, but the first time from that direction; both other times I'd done it from the Kanc. It seemed easier this way, but that might be because the first time I'd done it I wasn't as experienced a hiker, and the second time it was winter.

There were lots of people on the trail Sunday, and lots of people at the Osceola summit lookout both times I was there. One of those people, whom I met on the return trip, was Bob, who had been on my flags crew in 2015.

Both other times I'd done the Osceolas I'd taken the bypass instead of the chimney, which is a short but very steep section on the Osceola side of the col between Osceola and East Osceola. This trip I took the chimney, both ways. It wasn't too bad going up. Going down was trickier, but I did it.

Osceola and East Osceola were numbers 55 and 56 (out of 115) for my project of redoing the NE111 in my sixties.

Here are the pictures for the Tripyramids (Sat.).
Here are the pictures for the Osceolas (Sun.).
Here is the Flags on the 48 site.

--

Cumulus

NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 56/115 (44/67, 11/46, 1/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 88/100
LT NB 2009; CT NB 2017

"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
 
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