I hiked the Tripyramids this last weekend.  I'd heard and seen some
pictures online of some big White Pines on this little spur trail
called Big Pines Path located just off of the Livermore Trail.  I
stopped there on the way back to the trail head and was not
disappointed.  There are four big White Pines there along the banks of
the Mad River.  I carry a rope with paint marks every 12" that I used
to measure the tree's girth.  They measured 9', 9', 10', and 11'.
They are grouped closely together.  Three, including the big 11
footer, are within 30' circle.  The fourth, the 10 footer, is off by
itself about 40-50 feet fromt he others.  There are two good size
blowdowns well in to decay, been there 10 years or so???  It was late
in day so I didn't have time to cruise the area much.  There didn't
appear to be any other specimens near by.  These trees didn't have
much in way of big side branches so I'm guessing they once had
neighbors and are not old field pines like I often see.  The
surrounding forest is pretty young compared to them.  For reasons
unknown, they must have been left behind by the loggers.

Tripyramids Hike 09222007

Waterville Valley was heavily logged, but not as systematically as
other areas in Whites.  The part of the valley where these are located
is something like a broad valley with rolling sand and gravel and
glacial till.  It was probably farmed.  The Mad River Valley becomes
narrow as it proceeds down to Route 93 and Pemigiwassestt River.  The
broad valley where these trees are located must have been prime
habitat for White Pines prior to human settlement and being logged.
These trees are good indicator of the growth potential for big trees
in mid-to-northern New Hampshire.

Visit my Webshots photo albums to see pictures of them.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2240591590088087945CeBPZJ

Ray Caron