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It's early Thursday afternoon and I'm sitting here in the office/studio staring out at the rain still coming down. Trust me, I'm not one given to deep philosophical dives, pondering my life, the unhinged state of world and the tilt of all things... But the past week has kind of put things into a bit of a different perspective.
First off, I should say late last Thursday I tested positive for Covid! I had felt kind of crappy Wednesday night around 10, and figured something was going on. I thought it was probably allergies due to the massive pollen, but that was not to be the case. [sigh] after many PCR and antigen tests over the past 2+ years, this time it was in fact the real deal. As I have stated here before, I have been consistent to mask in places like the grocery store, Lowe's, coffee shop etc. Plus I am vaxxed and double boosted. I'm overall quite careful, but I gotta figure that I got it from my gig on Sunday afternoon since the Hurley's, who I saw earlier on Sunday, thankfully are just fine. I remember that two people hugged me at Sunday's gig, before I could back away as I always do, and it turns out one was positive! [boo] Very frustrating to have gone over 2 years and not gotten it, to then been caught!
I know that some will jump in and say "LOOK, this proves that vaccination and masking doesn't work!" I call BALONEY! First off, I am out and around more people than most, often in places where lots of folks are unmasked. It's simply the nature of the work I do. And tho I did get the virus, BECAUSE I am vaccinated it isn't all that bad. Make no mistake, it is NOT great. But it clearly could have been a LOT WORSE! I know some unvaccinated people who got this virus and were quite literally a single step away from dying! And unfortunately this variant is far more contagious than the others have been. I know at least 6 people who have gotten it in the past few weeks and it has absolutely affected them. The shit is everywhere! Be wise...
After talking with my doctor, he recommended taking one of the antiviral drugs called Paxlovid. I started a 5 day, 2x a day course of one of the antiviral meds on Saturday and within 24 hours I could tell a real difference. My fever went down and it felt as if the virus was being knocked back. I think these treatments are a game-changer and if you get the virus I ABSOLUTELY recommend getting them.
As I have said many times since this started, at my age (74) I'm taking no chances. I want to do all the things I love to do for as long as I can and I stack the decks in my favor as much as possible. I liken it to putting in that extra piece of pro on a climb. Sure I COULD run it out, and I've done my share of that. But I honestly feel I have nothing to prove to anyone. I've started doing a lot of downhill/gravity mountain bike riding. Fun stuff, but there can be real consequences. So I'm looking at getting a full-face helmet and knee and elbow pads as soon as I can manage it $$. Again, just stacking the deck so I will be able to do what I love a bit longer.
If you're not vaxxed, there's probably nothing to say. If you got the first 2 doses and aren't boosted, get boosted. There has been talk about waiting till the fall to get the second booster. NO... All the doctors I know say to do it now! There may be another booster this fall and if that happens, get that one. This is nothing to screw around with. You wear a helmet, you use a harness and rope, you put in protection! Look at getting vaccinated the same way. Don't screw around. And if you do get it, ask your doctor for an antiviral or one of the monoclonal antibody treatments. They are all available and out there. Be your own best advocate folks.
And FYI I am feeing a lot better and plan on getting out on rock and the bike by the first of next week. Stay safe and well friends...
NEW VERMONT GUIDEBOOK:
This rebranded 2nd edition of Tough Schist is said to be the state's definitive guidebook, providing detailed information of VT's best climbing areas. It includes over 500 new routes developed or discovered since the publication of the first edition.
Over 1,000 routes and variations at 30 different crags—including 9 new and 7 significantly expanded areas
Action photos, full-cliff photo topos, belay topos, and contour approach maps
Graphs of grade and sport / trad distribution for each area
QR codes provide Google Map driving directions to every crag
624 full-color pages, 5.5" x 8.5", high-quality, 95 gsm gloss art paper
THE SANCTITY OF SPACE - The Colonial Theatre in Bethlehem NH, Friday, June 10th at 7:30pm:
A live introduction of the film and a brief post-show Q&A with director Freddie Wilkinson! Climbers/filmmakers Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson retrace the steps of pioneering mountaineer and aerial photographer Bradford Washburn. Inspired by Washburn’s iconic images of Alaska, Ozturk and Wilkinson attempt the unprecedented traverse of the Moose’s Tooth massif. Brad Washburn was the greatest aerial mountain photographer of all time. Hanging out the open door of an airplane, he flew above unmapped mountain ranges capturing iconic images with which he could make maps, pursue scientific inquiries, discover first ascents, and inspire people. More than eighty years after Washburn first photographed Denali from the air, climbing buddies Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson look at some of Washburn’s images and have this crazy idea: rather than go up, their dream is to go sideways across the range’s most forbidding peaks, the Moose’s Tooth massif. It’s a decidedly new school way to explore the same landscape Washburn first discovered.
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
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
VARMITS:
It started with chipmunks, which I trap and relocate. Then move to deer, which I chase off with stick, stones and an air horn! Unfortunately things have progressed to a groundhog/woodchuck that's devastated most of my garden! He has made a home under my shed, near the garden. I can't shoot him because I don't have a gun, plus I live in a neighborhood and don't want to risk injuring someone. So I just ordered a large trap and we shall see how it goes. Yes, I know that I live in and amongst nature, but this is pissing me off. I will report back...
INSTANT BUG REPORT: 4+
YUCK
SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC THOUGHTS:
I think I've said enough about this for today in the paragraphs above.
New Hampshire:
2 New death(s) reported
3,658 Active cases
90 Current hospitalizations with COVID
2,555 Total deaths due to COVID-19
United States:
Confirmed: 85,217,725
Deaths: 1,010,525
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 haven't been able to ride this past week, so really nothing to say... Trails have all been good.
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.
