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I had plans to climb 2 separate days this week, but either the weather or partner didn't cooperate. [AARRGGH] What a bummer... At least I got in good rides Friday, Saturday and Monday. I'm wasn't feeling great last night or today, and that makes for a somewhat bummed Al. When I can't climb, ride or work out I have a hard time. Plus any time I don't feel good, I worry about Covid!
I had a gig at the Sandy Martin Gallery in Wolfeboro Sunday afternoon with my friend Carolyn Ramsay and 2 other folks. Not a full band, but fun. I went down early so I could stop in for brunch with George and Jean Hurley. I wish we'd been able to go climbing, but the timing didn't work. Plus I try not to climb and play music on the same day!
The Hurley's look good and as always it was great to see them. I have to get down there again in the next week or two. He told me that the Longstack Crag has apparently been sold to a private owner. If this is true, it's a real bummer. He indicated that the Access Fund had tried to make a deal, but it couldn't happen. Longstack is a great place, with some great views of the Lake from the top. Most likely it will be developed. [sigh]
I'm starting to scavenge wood for the next winter. My buddy Shawn, who took down the huge tree in my back yard last spring, dropped off some hardwood logs. It's going to take some work to cut and split them, but it's going to be OK. I did it over the past 2 years and it's worth the effort.
I have a deer that's been coming into my yard regularly over the past week or two. It's eating stuff from my garden and some of my lilies and hosta! I like deer, but this is getting darn annoying. I'm going to have to do something about this. Coyote pee or the like...
CATHEDRAL LEDGE ROAD CLOSURE:
Cathedral Ledge Road has been paved over the past couple of daze. It's looking a lot better and this afternoon they were dealing with the shoulders. I spoke with the crew this afternoon and they said that they should be all finished today or first thing Friday morning.
PEREGRINE CLIFF CLOSINGS:
I hadn't heard anything yet from Chris Martin about the list of closings for Peregrines this year, so I gave him a call. I participated in about 10 years of banding on the Painted Walls and Cathedral Ledge. The birds are incredible and well worth the relatively minimal time and inconvenience of protecting them. Here's a list of the primary areas that are currently restricted.
Rumney: Main Cliff
Cathedral Ledge: Repentance & Remission
Franconia Notch: The Eaglet Spire
Holt's Ledge: all is closed
Band M: The Steps area
Woodchuck: right side of cliff
Russell Craig: Main cliff
Frankenstein: none
Painted Walls: none
Whitehorse Ledge: none
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
INSTANT BUG REPORT: 4+
Bugs BAD! Nothing else to say...
SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC THOUGHTS:
With COVID still circulating, the slightest cold or allergy cough or sniffle, and I get all worried. The numbers here in New England are going up once again, so I'm taking precautions again. My biking buddy just tested positive a couple of days ago, and I don't feel great. I tested negative this morning and will test again tomorrow. What else can I do?
New Hampshire:
7 New death(s) reported
3,658 Active cases
84 Current hospitalizations for COVID
2,542 Total deaths due to COVID-19
United States:
Confirmed: 84,510,540
Deaths: 1,007,894
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.
OUR ONLY WAY OUT IS IF YOU GET VACCINATED, WHERE RECOMMENDED PLEASE STILL WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS!
REMEMBER - WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
VALLEY CYCLING:
I got in a ride up Jefferson Notch Road on Friday and another up Cathedral Ledge Road on Saturday. I bought a season downhill pass for Cranmore and got over there on Monday. The regular downhill trails are fun, but the cool thing is that from the top of the bike park lift, you can traverse left all the way over to connect to Kettle Ridge and then come down Tornado. This is a very cool thing to do and a super addition to the local riding. If you're into that kind of thing, check it out.
I am seriously considering picking up a full face helmet and some armor tho. This stuff is cool, but pretty tricky!
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:
Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
Climbers seem to forget that we said in our introduction that there were simply '50 classic routes', not 'the 50 classics'. We chose 50 from a list of about 120. Only a torturer will ever pry loose from our lips the names of those other 70 classics...
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.
