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Well folks, here we go BANG into winter. Sure we've had some cold weather and a little snow up here before, but now it's more or less real. The snow in the Happy Valley didn't really start until around 3 AM, and at 6 we had only gotten about 1.5". But it's picked up quite a bit and we're now pushing 3". I gotta figure that we're going to be on the 6" side of the 3-6 that was predicted. At least it's the light & fluffy stuff that will make for easy cleanup this time. To the south and west things are quite different. Down in Litchfield NY they are reporting a godawful 40", and Binghamton NY has almost 34, all before 8 AM! My friends down in Wolfeboro are already reporting a foot, which is on top of a foot+ from the last storm. SHEESH...
When I saw the predictions, I figured that once again it would be a good idea to get out yesterday to take my pictures. And I wasn't wrong. There wouldn't have been any way to get pictures the way things are right now. Looking out my back window, I can't even see a hint of Cathedral Ledge. And not to mention it wouldn't be a great idea to be driving up into the Notch today. Even tho all the pictures were taken yesterday, I gotta figure there isn't a huge difference between yesterday and this morning. And what difference there is, will be on the positive side. Check out the pictures in the Ice Report below.
MOUNT WASHINGTON VALLEY CLIMBERS' COOPERATIVE:
The Mount Washington Valley Climbers' Cooperative is an organization working to create an accessible and inclusive space for indoor rock climbing, training, and community growth in the Mount Washington Valley. The dream is for every single local and visitor to have equal opportunity to experience love for (and excel at) climbing.
To date the group has raised $36,000 through donations from individuals and small local businesses. $13,000 of that has been raised in the past THREE WEEKS! Yeah, you read that right. Three weeks. $13,000. There are currently 175 registered lifelong members eager to purchase access passes and get to training!
The organization is currently beginning a "final push" fundraising campaign to reach our goal of $60,000. This will allow them to begin the official build-out as well as cover the costs of operating for the first year. Help to get across the finish line.
INSTANT ICE REPORT:
Things have gotten a whole lot better this week for sure, but it's still early season ice. And who knows just how long it's actually going to hang around. In many years there is often a late-December or early-January warmup or rain that can both knock things back and often refresh the state of the ice. So let's just enjoy what we have right now. And with all this dump of snow, let's be careful out there. This is the light stuff than can slough easily.
As always the full set of pictures are on Facebook and NEClimbs.
MOUNT WASHINGTON AVALANCHE CENTER:
A storm tracking North East overnight and into Thursday will bring snow, gusty winds and an increased threat of avalanches. Due to the current thin snow cover, the consequences of being caught in even a small slide can be very high with rocks and ice cliffs still exposed. Watch for new snow drifted into slabs, which could be dangerous on steep terrain regardless of size.
HARVARD CABIN NEWS:
The Harvard Cabin on Mt Washington operating plan for the winter season has been altered due to the Pandemic. Season will run from Dec 15th through the end of March (instead of starting Dec 1st). This season's caretaker will be Erik Samia. Lodging at the cabin will be possible ONLY in tent sites No one except the caretaker will be allowed to stay within the cabin itself. Tent site fees will remain $10 per person per night, as in the past.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective December 26, 2024
We sure made a big jump in the state-o-the-ice in the past few days. While things are a LOT better, they aren't fantastic quite yet! But if we hold to this warmish-days and cold night pattern we are in right now, things will be really happening by early next week. You know things are on track when you actually see the Frankenstein Amphitheater looking good!
Huntington Ravine
ther eis ice BUT avalanche danger
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
looks good overall
Dracula
looking good
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC THOUGHTS:
2,977 souls perished on 9/11/2001. We're now loosing more than that number of people on a DAILY basis now! A week ago CDC Director Robert Redfield said that in an upcoming stretch of time we will likely see more deaths from the corona virus each day than from the Sept. 11 attacks or Pearl Harbor!
“We are in the timeframe now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days we're going to have more deaths per day than we had at 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Redfield said during an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
As of 12/17 the United States has endured 301,536 deaths. To me, this is a staggering number. And with the daily increases we are seeing, it's hard not to imagine loosing half a million people, almost before we know it. New Hampshire alone saw 21 deaths on Wednesday, our largest number per day since May, bringing the total deaths to 625. NH officials announced 928 new positive cases, spread out over the past several days. In addition there are currently 6,680 cases in the state and 286 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19, also a record.
Back in April I posited that before long, everyone would either know someone who has the virus or someone who has died from it. We're well into this now. I know many people who have gotten the virus, and several who have died. And this is not going to get better any time soon.
Yes, there are now vaccines and they will help - eventually. But they are not an instantaneous magic bullet. Even with the Maderna vaccine coming on line, it will likely be April before we get enough individuals vaccinated to make the difference we need. And even then, we will still need to be cautious. If we pay attention and are lucky, we might be close to back to normal in the fall. But we need a lot of people agreeing to be vaccinated and even those doing what needs to be done. It's going to be a long winter for sure. But I know we can get through it if we try. I cannot tell you just how much I'm looking forward to guiding again, getting together with my friends and playing live music.
I find JHU's Daily COVID-19 Data in Motion report to be very informative. It shares critical data on COVID-19 from the last 24 hours in a short 1 minute animated video format.
WEAR A MASK, SANITIZE AND STAY PHYSICALLY DISTANT FRIENDS!
REMEMBER - WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
VALLEY CYCLING:
This snow dump is definitely going to change the biking for a while. I've been riding the 27.5+ bike up till now because the trails have been clear and pretty dry. With this snow, it means I need to get out the fat tire bike. However, it does much better on trails that are hard packed from snow machines or hikers. And of course that's not going to happen right away. Oh well... The pics below are all from Tuesday's ride in the Albany Town Forest. It's a flat favorite that has some really nice riding along the Swift River. There is also a nice new loop across the street that has some pretty good climbing. Enjoy...
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.
