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The weather has been funky, but it all blew away and the sky is downright lovely. There was a glow early this morning that was pretty special. I took a walk and was blown away, but of course I forgot my phone so I haven't got any pictures. There are lots of great ones on social media tho. There is a stout breeze and it's chilling down, so it will likely blow off the remaining leaves. It's supposed to get very cold tonight. perhaps the coldest night so far this fall.
I don't have a lot to say this week as I was away for the past 10 daze visiting family and friends to the south: Westchester NY, Brooklyn, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Maynard MA in that order. It was great seeing my sister and her family, a music friend that I've known for 50 years, one son in Brooklyn and another in Philly plus a quick stop in Maynard to get my bass setup by TJ Thompson, an outstanding luthier. Other than the drive back from Philly the weather was surprisingly good for the whole trip. Unfortunately it rained the whole day and night I was in Philly, plus the drive back north from there was all rain and fog. [sigh]
I spotted a big rock Gym near Park Slope in Brooklyn, but I didn't have time go check it out. It's definitely on my list for the next trip sometime in April. I also only heard about the climbing in Great Falls VA after I got to DC, with no real climbing gear other than shoes and chalk bag. Unfortunately with the rain in Philly I couldn't do my go to ride out to Manayunk or climb that great boulder off the parkway near downtown. [scowl] Fortunately I did bring the road bike, so I got in 3 good rides on the "W and OD" bike path in DC. I gotta say that's every bit as good as the one in Philly, and probably longer. While there I bought 3 day passes to the One Life Gym in Reston, just to keep the body feeling good. It's a huge gym with every machine and weight setup you could want and at $10/ day the price was right. All that sitting and driving really can do a number on my back and I'm kind of addicted to the gym these days. I'm actually going 3-4 days a week now and it really does help keep me feeling good.
Speaking of the gym, I've been hitting the one here in North Conway for the past 6 months. Someone gave me a bunch of routines that should do me good for ice season, plus I'm also doing a 15 minute stretching routine at the end of my workout that seems to help keep the muscles feeling good. My massage therapist was a climber and she has recommended a number of things to do that seem to help. At 75, you have to keep going. As they say once you stop, it's all downhill.
THE SANCTITY OF SPACE::
The new film by acclaimed filmmaker and writer Freddie Wilkinson is being shown at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center in Fryeburg Maine on October 28th. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center
18 Bradley Street, Fryeburg, ME, 04037
SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION:
I'll playing duo at the Majestic Theater Cafe in Conway Village on November 11th with master guitarist Randy Roos. Randy is a nationally acclaimed player who has performed with Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Club d'Elf band and numerous other artists. He also teaches at Berklee. Don't miss this show.
In addition I will be playing with my band at the Wildcat Tavern in Jackson on Nov 3rd 7-10pm-ish for the occasion of my 75th birthday. WOO WOO. It's going to be a fun time, so swing by if you can.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective February 19, 2026
Just as you would expect following Ice Fest AND a week of truly balmy temps, going to be upper 30's today, the ice can be a mixed bag. I saw someone post about how things are terrible. But digging into it, I realized they were talking about places like the North End that are very well used. It probably gets the most use of all. There are only a few places that have really easy access to moderate climbing and where you can set up a bunch of top-ropes. So that's not unexpected. And of course the climbs that are getting a lot of full sun are getting somewhat punked-out. On my way back from Wolfeboro mid-afternoon a few days ago I took a look at Rainbow Slabs which look as if they are getting pretty funky. And I watched a hunk of the bottom of Way In The Wilderness fall down! IMO it's really the time to start paying attention to what you're walking underneath, any time of the day. Enjoy this weather, but keep paying attention...
Huntington Ravine
numerous options
Repentance
iffy
Standard Route
GREAT conditions
Dracula
IN & very fat
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
VARIOUS OF INTEREST::
Matt Bowman's latest video of last year's ice season. If this doesn't get you psyched up for ice season, nothing will -
New Hampshire:
1 new deaths reported over the weekend
138 New cases
32 Current hospitalizations being treated for COVID
2,737 Total deaths due to COVID-19
United States:
Confirmed: 97,376,353
Deaths: 1,069,822 - UP 3,000!
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!
VALLEY CYCLING:
There's been a lot of rain over the past week and things are definitely muddy. The rain has also made a mess of much of the work that was done on the downhill trails in the Hurricane Zone. If you ride over the next several days as things start to dry out, please be aware that slamming around can make things worse, even on the normal cross country trails. RESPECT the trails...
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.
