September 2, 2004

Hi Folks,

As I've been spending evenings putting in routes into the database on the site, I am continually surprised about the number of times I come across certain names. It almost seems as if for a period of time there was no one on the cliff other than these guys. Chatting with Joe Cote recently, he aid that in fact it was pretty much that way. Basically there was so much incredible rock everywhere you looked that it was easy to put up a FA on Ventilator, while ignoring Bombardment!

John Turner, Joe Cote, Ed Webster, John Strand, Henry Barber, George Hurley, Paul Ross, and many others are names you see in the guidebooks all the time. Some are still living in the Valley and climbing, some have drifted away from the area or in some cases from climbing altogether. That said, if you know what they look like, you would be surprised at who you'll run into on the cliffs or the bike and ski trails. Michael Hartrich is one who has spent probably over 30 years in the Valley - climbing, back country skiing, hiking and mountain biking. While many classic area routes have his name on them, there are probably just as many that were never recorded. He is a classic back-country climber, putting up tons of routes, not always recording them. The following quote by another great climber, Chris Gill, really put it into perspective -

"I always lived in fear of discovering some new routes I had so proudly done had been soloed in the rain by Michael Hartrich in EB’s while he carried his dog in one hand." - Chris Gill

This is probably the case for many area climbers who put up routes around here. Just because a crag is mossy & looks untouched, the odds are that Michael or someone like him, has climbed there.

That said, if you are looking for some really different climbing in interesting places, keep your eye on the Routes section in NEClimbs. We've added a bunch of new routes that aren't in any quidebook and are in wonderful places like Sandwich Notch, Lost Ledge, Crack In The Woods Cliff, The Bluff (left of Humphrey's) and most recently the 100 Acre Woods (one of 2 crags on the Moats). That's right, you don't have to climb Fun House again! If you're up for an adventure, check out some of the new stuff. And this is just the tip of the iceberg folks...there's lots more to come.

Insect Warning:
Several people have mentioned that there is a large bee/hornet/wasp nest in the flake on the second pitch of Lost Souls. This is right after you finish the face climbing portion of the pitch and is right where you would put your hand. A number of climbers have been stung so please beware. It is possible to climb out left at that section, joining with the upper portion of Creole Love Call just below its bolt.

Quincy Quarries Climbfest - September 18, 2004:
After a five-year hiatus, the Quincy Quarries Climbfest is BACK!  Everyone is welcome, seasoned climbers, friends, and anyone curious about rock
climbing. The historic Quincy Quarries, once over 200 feet deep and filled with water, have recently been drained and filled with 710,000 tons of "Big
Dig" dirt. Gates open at 9 AM and there will be a Speed Climbing Competition starting at 1 PM. For more information and directions check out the website.

Mark Synnott Slideshow:
The Quincy Quarries ClimbFest 2004, in conjunction with Bob Smith’s Wilderness House, is pleased to host Mark Synnott as he recounts his stories from three of his most memorable big-wall climbs. Through his slides and stories, Mark escorts his audience up the North Face of the Polar Sun Spire on the artic Baffin Island; to the heights of the Northwest Face of Great Trango Tower at Karakoram in Pakistan; and then up the Scorpion Wall, one of the barely explored big walls hidden in the Amazonian jungle. Each climb, thousands of feet high, is found in starkly different and remote parts of the world. His stories introduce us to the peoples of each of these regions as well as the climbers who shared in the expeditions, including Alex Lowe, Jared Ogden, Warren Hollinger, and Jeff Chapman.

Mark is a senior contributing editor for Climbing magazine and a technical consultant to product development at The North Face, where he is a member of the Climbing Team. He makes his living as an author, a climbing guide, a speaker, and a photographer. His writing and photography has appeared in numerous issues of Climbing magazine, Rock & Ice, National Geographic Adventure, and many other publications. His film work includes documentaries for National Geographic television, Warren Miller Films, and American Adventure Productions.

Friday, September 17, 2004 - 7:30 PM
Bob Smith’s Wilderness House
1048 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
(free parking available behind the store)

Admission: FREE

PLUS: Raffle with proceeds to benefit the Access Fun

It's Almost That Time Again - A.K.A. the Fundraiser:
Yup, it's September and that means that the annual fundraiser is getting ready to start. Beginning next week, and continuing for 4 weeks, we'll be asking you to support our efforts in maintaining the White Mountain Report and NEClimbs.com. This is just a heads-up, in hopes that you will put aside enough for a small donation to help us keep things cranking along for another year. Believe it or not we started putting the Report out on September 16, 1999, that's about 5 years folks! We'd love to be able to keep it going for another 5.

Married Couple Climbs Seven Summits (From the New Zealand Herald):
Jo and Rob Gambi became the first married couple to succeed at climbing all 7 summits when they summitted Mt. Elbrus last month. The English woman and her Australian husband spent 1 year, 38 days and almost $275,000 on the record! They managed to succeed at each summit on the first try.

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