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June 2, 2011
Hi Folks,
2 tornados touched down in Springfield Massachusetts, tearing through the downtown and killing at least 3 people. The same set of storms came through New Hampshire and triggered a small tornado that touched down in western Maine and rained golf-ball sized hail in a lot of the north country. We had heavy winds and lightning here in the Valley, knocking down some trees but not causing any significant damage. Today, Thursday, was very windy and temps barely crawled into the upper 50's.
With temps below freezing in the upper summits, there is talk of mixed precipitation in the higher elevations! While we are definitely used to variable weather in new Hampshire, I gotta say that this is pretty unusual for early June. Interestingly enough, although the weather predictions were for showers all weekend, it really wasn't too bad. There were isolated scattered showers, but they were not widespread at all. On one afternoon it poured for a short time at Humphreys, but never rained at Whitehorse. Go figure…
I usually avoid climbing over the weekend because of the crowds, especially on holidays. Surprisingly this Memorial Day wasn't a very busy weekend, for climbers or tourists. Maybe it was the threat of weather that kept folks away, but it turned out to be nice. I managed to get my annual 97 mile bike ride on Monday, and saw surprisingly few cars! If you had come up climbing, you likely would have found a similar situation. Heck - sometimes you just have to take the chance and figure it's going to work out.
Alyssa is thrilled to have joined the year-round staff team as the Executive Director. A public educator for the past 10 years, Alyssa is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature and an MAT from Tufts University. Alyssa has taught in Philadelphia, PA and most recently in Gorham, NH. In addition to teaching, Alyssa has also worked as a nonprofit grant writer, guided teenagers on month-long backpacking trips, and spent time learning Spanish. Alyssa lives in Jackson with her fiance Brian Walker, whom she will marry this upcoming May 14! She enjoys running, backpacking, hiking, skiing, and anything else in the outdoors. She is looking forward to leading Kismet to new and creative successes, and is anxious to improve her climbing skills!
Kismet Rock Foundation (Kismet) is a North Conway, New Hampshire based non-profit that enhances the physical, intellectual and emotional development of well-functioning but economically disadvantaged children by providing access to the immense value of a comprehensive education in technical rock climbing. By developing students’ potential, Kismet prepares students to positively contribute to their communities and their cultures throughout their lives. For more information about Alyssa and Kismet, go here:
http://www.kismetrockfoundation.org
In the past week the bug situation has gone from not-so-bad to absolutely terrible. The blackflies and mosquitoes are so bad in the deep woods that even the serious DEET bug-dope has a hard time coping. I've heard folks say that this is the worst it's been in years. In addition there are lots of ticks out there. I was climbing with a friend last week. We were 2 pitches off the ground and I looked at her and there was one crawling up the front of her shirt! If you're going to be outside keep the DEET handy and be sure to check yourself for ticks when you come in.
Join us and hopefully LIKE us on Facebook. I'll try and post some 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:
http://www.facebook.com/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:
http://www.neclimbs.com/mobile
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
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:
http://www.facebook.com/NEClimbs/
Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
| I stared blankly at my fingertips. The ends were black and desiccated, hard to the touch. |
| Ed Webster |
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