April 8, 2004

Hi Folks,

The adage of March coming in like a lion never materialized, but April certainly has. We've had multiple days of rain, snowfall up to a couple of inches everywhere except here in the Happy Valley and very high winds. And when I say winds I mean consistent gusts in the 30's culminating with a 44 mph gust on Monday at 5:45 PM. That was the strongest gust I've recorded in 4 years. Hey...I thought winter was over!

That said, it definitely is spring. There are more acceptably nice days than bad. The rock is drying out and there is a lot less ice in the nooks and crannies that there was a week or two ago. Even on the cooler breezy days there are a lot of places that are in the sun and protected so that the rock feels warm. Sometimes it reminds me of the late fall or early spring days of my childhood. There were cold days when I would get thrown out by my grandmother and admonished to stay out for at least an hour. I would hunker down next to a tree out of the wind but in the sun and feel so wonderfully warm. Climbing the first pitch of anything on the left side of Humphrey's can be like that on a chilly but sunny morning. And you know, with no bugs around it's a very special time to be up here. Grab it while you can. It's a great time to get out and get in shape for the upcoming rock season.

Dark Places Revisited:
Quite a few folks wrote in this week to thank me for writing about fear and colonoscopies. I was a bit worried about bringing up the subject, but it seems to have been well received. I sincerely feel that taking care of yourself is the best thing that you can do for you and for your family, yet something that an amazing number of people put off. If my comments have helped any of you take an action that will help you be well, then I have done my job. <grin>

New England Bouldering Guide:
Tim Kemple's comprehensive bouldering guide to New England's best areas will be out next week. New England Bouldering has the beta on all the current problems at Lincoln Woods, Pawtuckaway and Blair Woods, Hammond Pond, Rumney, Smugglers' Notch, Western Mass, and McKenzie Pond. Pete Ward illuminates each area with insightful and humorous historical sections and scores of action photographs by Tim will inspire you! The book will be available next week and we will start taking orders in a few days. Stay Tuned.

State O The Rock:
Most of the South and West facing rock has dried out well. You still will find snow in the woods on the hike-in so be sure to wear your hiking boots. The top of the Whitehorse Slabs from Beginner's Route all the way left to Echo Roof has some snow and ice still on top so you might want to avoid these places for another week or so. Goofer's on Cathedral fell out last week, so that is clear. There is still ice in the Standard chimney, at the top of the Mordor, in Recompense and Remission and on the Unicorn Ledge above the North End so watch out when walking in these areas.

Mystery Crag:
Lots of people have asked about the little cliff that I have been mentioning in my last couple or Reports. Isn't it amazing there is still some unexploited territory on Cathedral Ledge? I'm planning on including it in my new guide and putting it up on the site, but that's in the future and you surely should check it out, so here's the directions. There are actually 2 crags - the Glory Wall and the Hidden Wall. You can access them either from the top of the cliff or from the logging road/trail that goes between Cathedral and Whitehorse.

From the bottom, hike the trail to Whitehorse until you come to the large boulder on the right with the graffiti on it. Hike directly uphill past the first small crag you come to, the drip in the words area. There are a couple of short routes here. Go up a short right-angling gully and hang a left at it's top. You're now at the Glory Wall. From the top you hike down the trail as if you were going to the Barber Wall. Continue down the trail another 100 yards until you see a small crag on your left. This is the Hidden Wall. There are several bolted and trad routes on the Hidden Wall with grades from 5.6r to 5.9 on the left side and a nice bolted 10b arete on the far right. Go downhill another 100' and climber's-right to get to the Glory Wall.

The Glory Wall routes have a mix of trad gear and bolts and range from 5.6 to 5.10. One particularly nice one is a crack climb with one 5.9 move near the top. If you like you can climb all the way up to the trail that runs past the Barber Wall. From the Glory Wall you can hike left & slightly uphill to get to the Hidden Wall in 3-5 minutes..

State O The Rock:
Most of the South and West facing rock has dried out well. You still will find snow in the woods on the hike-in so be sure to wear your hiking boots. The top of the Whitehorse Slabs from Beginner's Route all the way left to Echo Roof has some snow and ice still on top so you might want to avoid these places for another week or so. Goofer's on Cathedral fell out last week, so that is clear. There is still ice in the Standard chimney, at the top of the Mordor, in Recompense and Remission and on the Unicorn Ledge above the North End so watch out when walking in these areas.

Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,