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I'm really glad that I live up here 'cause I can usually grab an hour or so to get outside when the weather cooperates. And I still gotta say that it hasn't been all that cooperative lately. [sigh] Last week things basically sucked, and the early part of this week was the same. I just gotta hope that we don't have one of those dreary wet summers. I'm not sure I could manage dealing with that.
My old friend Martin came over from Portland on Sunday and fortunately that was the cherry day of the weekend. Clear, close to 70 degrees, and with just enough of a breeze that it kept the bugs away once you got off the ground. I hadn't climbed at Humphrey's this season, so I figured we could go over there. Even if the Geriatrics were wet, as I suspected they would be, I knew that the main wall would be fine, and it was. We managed to get in 5 pitches in about 3 hours. Not too bad for a young guy and a geriatric. [wry grin] It went basically like this:
Wanderlust P1: Martin
Above & Beyond P2: Al
Above & Beyond P2: Martin
Wanderlust P2: Al
Run Don't Walk P2: Martin
All in all a wonderful day with an old friend and good partner. There were quite a number of folks in the same area with the same idea in the middle of the day. Lots of fun for everyone for sure.
And I spotted a very interesting member of the moth community in my compost heap on Thursday. Apparently it's a Hummingbird Moth. It's amazingly big for a moth and it's wings were moving at hummingbird speed! It's related to the Sphinx moth and I've never seen one of these before.
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20170601/moth.jpg
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective January 16, 2020
These pictures and today's Report is actually from 1/15, Wednesday. I knew it was going to be snowing almost all day today and I would not be able to take any pictures, so I went up to the Notch yesterday, figuring that 24 hours would make very little difference. I was pleasantly surprised at how much ice survived the 3 days of record temps and rain. In spite of everything the weather threw at us, there is still ice to climb and while the Frankenstein Amphitheater looks even worse, there are still options. This is a time to be cautious due to possible delamination, but if you want to get out and climb, you can. Just be aware that the next several days will be VERY cold, so dress appropriately and beware of what will likely be some very brittle ice.
Huntington Ravine
options - beware avalanche danger
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OK but top is a mess again
Dracula
kind of OK but top out bad!
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
BELAY LOOP:
Marc Chauvin brought this to my attention the other day. I gotta say that I thought this was all done and settled already. Check it out:
VALLEY CYCLING:
I've grabbed a ride here & there when there's been a break in the rain this past week, nothing too big. As you can imagine the upper stuff is drier than the lower. Marshall is mostly OK, Sticks & Stones OK, Outer Limits pretty good, Pillar To Pond and Swamp as expected. I'll be happy when we get some consistent dry weather so I can ride some different stuff.
INSTANT BUG REPORT:
I gotta say that it's at LEAST a 3 out there, maybe higher - depending on where you are. I was out riding the bike today and it was literally impossible to stop for more than a few seconds without getting swarms of mosquitoes all over you - even with DEET. I was also sitting in my office listening to some music yesterday and found 2 ticks one me, one in my hair! The bugs are BAD!!! Bring that DEET or whatever you use if you're going to be out. The ticks are out too, so be sure to check yourself thoroughly.
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 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:
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
As I hammered in the last bolt and staggered over the rim, it was not at all clear to me who was the conqueror and who was the conquered. I do recall that El Cap seemed to be in much better condition than I was.
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.
