Road Trip, Part III – The Road Home. June 26, 2011
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Cathedral Ledge, Kancamagus Highway, Pemigewasset Wilderness, Saco River, Swift River, White Horse Ledge, White Mountains
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So after we both had stupendous omelets at a breakfast place in North Conway, Lizz went off to scout Autumn foliage shoots for some friends who would be coming by in October, and I set about noodling my way home.
Being in North Conway, and having frittered away the better part of my youth rock climbing there, I was drawn to the two big ledges looming over town. I started with Cathedral Ledge:
…four hundred feet of splitter cracks and corners, providing some of the most satisfying climbing in the East. There were plenty of Young Bucks (and Does, presumably) engaged in The Frittering this day, including a party on The Prow, a steep line up the tallest feature on the cliff:
I did this route too many years ago to recall much besides the weight of the load in my pants and the exhilaration of flowing upwards with the trees below looking like moss. The top-out was a mixture of relief and disappointment, with the last step signalling both safety and the end of the adventure:
But on this day I was only an observer. I took the photo and moved on, driving to the top with clean shorts and a diminished appreciation for life.
A short hike took me to a view of White Horse Ledge, another of my old haunts. It’s totally different in character, slabby rather than steep, but lacking anything like positive holds and requiring delicate balance and precise footwork:
I’ve found the climbing here to be much more Zen-like, with the finality of a misstep mitigated by the focused flow of upward motion. No thoughts about the terminal road-rash of 800 feet of Dynamic Retreat are allowed as one balances upward on unseen bits of friction.
But then it was time to head out and begin the Southward trek. I headed down past Conway, where the Swift River flows into the Saco:
…beneath a scenic covered bridge:
…where butterflies played on hawkweed:
…and dragonflies warmed their wings in the cool summer sun:
… then headed up the Kancamagus Highway through the Pemigewasset Wilderness toward home:
The trip was short but sweet, with good company, great memories and the rejuvenating essence of Nature all around.
Then it was back to the Real World of work and home.
And that’s OK too. 😉
On Ice. February 10, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in climbing, Love and Death.Tags: Cathedral Ledge, ice climbing, Ice Fest, Mount Washington, Repentence, rotator cuffs
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Last weekend was the Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival, a great excuse for ice climbers from throughout the Northeast to get together and socialize, attend slide shows by well traveled professionals (this year, Steve House who is, besides being very entertaining, a climber of extraordinary ability and admirable humility,) and perhaps even climb a bit.
This year also marked my return to some measure of climbing after a couple of years away from it, due to an absolutely total lack of rotator cuffs and a failed surgical attempt to remedy that situation.
My shoulders are, in fact, junk. They say I’m lucky to be able to comb my non-existent hair, but you know, the dysfunctional combination of my passion for climbing and the fact that I’m a wicked slow learner found me strapping on crampons and ice axes along side the guides and students at Cathedral Ledge this past Saturday afternoon.
Our friend Chris lead up what should have been easy terrain for experienced climbers:
That’s close to thirty feet of what passes for vertical ice up at the top, and it was exciting watching Chris take it on, especially because he didn’t bother to place any ice screws ’till about where he is in this photo, and a fall at that point would have been disastrous.
But Chris is a strong young man and kept his cool, finishing the climb without incident:
Both Lizz and I worked our tails off in our attempts to follow. I’ll admit to employing 35 years of experience to get up the thing in relatively good style, no thanks to my non-compliant shoulders.
This is a far cry from the “good ol’ days,” say ten years ago, when I climbed Repentance, an area test-piece which is exceptionally thick in this photo taken Saturday:
That’s nearly 400′ of thin, vertical ice choking a crack system, with a couple of red-clad climbers visible about 300′ up. In case you can’t see them in this little photo, here’s a telephoto shot, courtesy of my little Canon point-and-shoot:
This is considered to be exceptionally “thick” conditions, and therefore “easy,” compared to the shape it was in when I did it.
This weekend convinced me that I’m not done, not gone by, not ready for a rocking chair. I’ve procured a gym membership and am working my way back. I’m going to climb Repentance again, or perhaps Remission, its more difficult twin a little to its right, which had been on my wish list for decades.
Yes, Remission will do. It’s back on my list.
With or without my damned shoulders.
Back. August 19, 2009
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Ammonoosuc River, Cathedral Ledge, White Mountains, Zomboid Tourons up the wazoo
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From New Hampshire’s White Mountains, on a beautiful summer weekend.
Here are a few shots from along the way.
Followed the Ammonoosuc River up valley:
…to its source, high up on the western flanks of Mount Washington, the loftiest peak in the Northeast:
That’s the Mount Washington Hotel, by the way. I’ve only admired it from a distance; they say if you have to ask, “How much?” you can’t afford it.
I first became aware of this area at the age of ten, a little young for Boy Scouts, but my Dad was an Assistant Scout Master, so I got to go along for the summer fun. I remember we swam in the Ammonoosuc River, at a roadside swimming hole which is now miles from the nearest pavement (think “road relocation.”) It’s prettier without the cars, though it still draws plenty of visitors:
I had to work to get clean “nature” shots without my fellow tourists in them:
Not that I minded the work. 🙂
Anyway, I was soon off to Cathedral Ledge, a 500′ monster overlooking North Conway:
Again with the tourists – sheesh!
Nearby Whitehorse Ledge is similarly scenic, though without a road to the top, it’s left to climbers and hikers:
I’ve climbed both of these faces more times than I can count (as has my buddy Frau B.,) but this trip was just for looking; perhaps in the future I’ll get back on the rock.
I love this area. The White Mountains are somewhat of an anomaly for the Northeast, having relatively large areas above treeline and hosting remarkable swaths of sub-alpine eco-niches.
I expect to get back up there as autumn approaches; it should be spectacular if the wet weather continues into September.
Little Bang Theory 