Like reading the White Mountain Report every week? Why not get it delivered to your e-mailbox every Thursday? All you have
to do is subscribe. It's fast, painless, and best of all it doesn't cost you
a dime!
This weekend looks as if it's going to be a decent one, capped off with a Strawberry Moon that will be great if it's clear at night. Hopefully the predictions for somewhat cooler temps will be realized 'cause it's been pretty darned hot up here this week. When I say hot I really mean it too - almost 100 yesterday. I rode my bike to an appointment in Conway and by the time I got there I was wringing wet. Playing around on the slabs felt like I was in a reflector oven. Now if it would only rain a little to take the edge off. All of the thunderstorms have been passing us by.
I thought we were going to get one yesterday. Around 6 or so it got really dark over behind the Moats. I was out on the deck grilling burgers before the wife came home from work. The light over Cathedral was kind of rosy with a greenish tint that was creepy. Then the wind died and it got completely still except for some thunder I could hear bouncing off the distant hills. Of course the bugs took this as an indication to go crazy, swarming all around me. That was just the calm before the storm as within minutes the wind picked up. I had just taken the burgers & buns off the grill and turned it off when I felt a few drops start to come down. We sat down to eat fully expecting to have a gully-washer of a rain, but then the wind died, the raindrops stopped and the thunder marched off to the south. Another day with no rain, go figure... At least we're not in the same situation as California or Texas with the fires and floods.
Speaking of fires, we all got a little worried night before last - Tuesday. Starting in the late afternoon everyone in the neighborhood started smelling smoke. After the episode with the fire up in the Moats a couple of years ago and what's going on in Tahoe, we were all kind of nervous. One neighbor even woke up thinking that her house was on fire. Fortunately it seems to have been someone over at Echo Lake with a camp fire. I have never read anything about a major fire taking place in the woods right around Cathedral or Whitehorse, but it would be a real drag if that occurred. Let's hope it never does.
Let's talk about helmets for a minute:
In last week's Report I mentioned that the person who was involved in the accident on Fun House/Poo had a head injury. According to a posting on the NEClimbs forum "he is home and recovering, and we are not expecting him to have any permanent damage". This is very good news. While thinking about this and the fact that he was not wearing a helmet, I was poking around the web and found an interesting blog entry on Dougald Macdonald's site here:
It's in a posting from Friday, May 11, 2007 so you will need to scroll down a little, or look in the archives. The picture alone might be one of the better incentives you can have to wear that helmet! BTW
Dougald writes some good stuff and it's worth checking in there every once in a while to see what he has to say.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective March 21, 2024
I can't actually say that there is nothing out there that can't be climbed. That would be foolish. But for the average, or a little above average climber, that's probably correct. That said, I did hear that there is climbable ice on Parasol in Dixville Notch. Not sure how that will be after we get a foot of heavy wet snow on Saturday. Regardless, here's a few pix I took today just to document things.
Huntington Ravine
AVALANCHE
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OUT
Dracula
OUT
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
Bug Report:
It looks as if we've gotten through the black fly season pretty minimally. There are still mosquitoes out there, but they aren't too bad. Keep an eye out for ticks on yourself & the animals and keep the bug dope handy, but it's not too bad unless you are in the deep woods or out after dark. Right now I'm using more sun screen than bug spray!
Free Music Saturday Night:
This Saturday night is the annual Jackson Dance at the covered bridge. They close off the bridge and have a band playing from 7-11PM. This year I'm playing along with several friends including my good friend blues guitarist & singer Tony Sarno. If you haven't seen Tony you definitely should. He's the real deal. The same band, this time with Tony up front, is playing at Horsefeathers on Sunday evening at 8:30. Both gigs should be great. If you're looking for something to do on the weekend, this is definitely it.
Rumney Climber's Association Meeting:
They are tentatively shooting for a Saturday evening meeting after climbing, either at the Rock Barn or The Calm Post. Check on line in the Rock Climbing: Sport section of the NEClimbs forum for more details, times and location. A proposed agenda is:
1. Current status of the RCA...funds, officers, etc.
2.Membership and whether we should have a small fee
3. Protection of our MOU with the Forest Service
Mobile Version Of NEClimbs:
Up on one of the Mount Washington Valley's finest crags and want to know what that climb you're looking at is? Or maybe you're on your way up from Boston and want to check out the Ice Report for your upcoming weekend plans. Or more likely, you're at work just want to daydream about your next adventure. Well if you have a smart phone handy, you can get to NEClimbs from anywhere you have cell service. While it doesn't offer every single feature of the site and it's not an "app", in mobile form, it does do a whole lot and is very useful. Here is the live link to the mobile version of NEClimbs:
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
NEClimbs & White Mountain Report On Facebook:
Join us and LIKE us on Facebook. I'll try and post interesting pix every Thursday and the latest Ice Report in the season, tho certainly not the whole Report. Here's where you can check it out:
Climbing is a very dangerous sport. You can get hurt or even kill yourself. When you go climbing, you do so of your own free will. Everything on this site is to be taken with a grain of salt. Don't blame us if you get up some totally heinous route, in over your head and fall and hurt yourself.
