| Like reading the White Mountain Report every week? Why not get it delivered to your e-mailbox every Thursday? All you have
to do is subscribe. It's fast, painless, and best of all it doesn't cost you
a dime! |
| CLICK HERE... |
July 15, 2021
Hi Folks,
I know, I know... It seems that all I talk about is the weather right now. While it's been brutally hot out west, we've had quite a bit of rain here. Now we're back to hot and humid and it looks as if that's what's in the cards for the next several days. That said, in spite of all the rain, the north country ranges between Abnormally Dry to Severe Drought conditions!
Ted Diers, administrator of the Watershed Management Bureau at the New Hampshire Coastal program at the Department of Environmental Services said: “Our message is, prepare for worsening conditions.”
When the state underwent extreme drought conditions in late summer a year ago, DES officials foresaw that without sufficient snowfall in winter and rainfall in spring drought conditions would linger for another year. In April, Tom Donovan, then director of the Water Division at DES, “said, We have not recovered from last year’s drought.”
Diers said that the deficit in rainfall has reached 15 inches, equal to a third of normal annual precipitation. Stream water levels, he said, are at historic lows while lake levels, which are managed by the state Dam Bureau, are at or near their seasonal norms.
Pretty much anywhere you are in the Valley right now you will see Gypsy moths. We all are hoping that they die down soon. If you look closely at the trees, you can see the caterpillar cocoons attached to leaves, mainly on oak trees. On the good side many of the trees are beginning to spout new buds which will eventually should turn to leaves. We all have our fingers crossed...
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/Moth_1.jpg
TEXT
A number of folks have asked me for beta on this area at the top of Cathedral Ledge. Since the road has been opened, access is particularly easy. It's a great place to grab a little more climbing after doing something on the Thin Air Face, doing a little moderate top-roping, practicing easy leading, and even on occasion hosting military or Mountain Rescue Service training. I thought I'd written it up on NEClimbs.com, but I guess it slipped off my to-do list. So here's the details:
The Wall Of The Hurley Morning Light/a.k.a. The Other Classroom (5.6-5.7):
A popular area, with easy access if the road is open. Drive or walk the road and near the top, ~200' from the circular turnaround/parking area, look for a small light brown slab on the cliff side of the road. If driving, make the turnaround and park here. Walk directly into the woods on a small trail towards the cliff to where it connects to the old climbers descent trail. Walk a few feet downhill (left) and look down and to your right to spot cliff, which faces uphill. You can access it by rappelling from trees near the trop, or by walking uphill about 40' to where you would come up from topping out on Thin Air.
The cliff features 4 bolted lines and 2 trad routes. The corner on the left and the crack to its right (The Desperado Crack) are probably 5.6. As best I remember, the bolted lines are 5.6, 5.7, 5.6 and 5.6. The one on the furthest right starts just right of the tree, foot-traverses right and slightly up, and then climbs to the top right at the right hand arete. IMPORTANT NOTE - DO NOT grab, pull on, or put gear in that obvious flake.!!! It moves...
Like many places in the Valley, the area had been bouldered on occasion over the years. One person known to have climbed there was John Haulopenskie (sp?). The initial cleaning and arete line was done by George Hurley and David Giampietro. Joe & Judy Perez, Jeff Lea and Al Hospers put in the other bolted lines.
Gear: If you're going to lead, 5 draws are more than enough for the bolted lines. I generally use a couple of smallish cams for the corner and just tricams for the crack, but YYMV. If you bring a 60m rope, you can butterfly it and TR all the lines.
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_1.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_2.jpg
Jeff Lea on the lead...
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_Desperado_Crack.jpg
I know, I know... It seems that all I talk about is the weather right now. While it's been brutally hot out west, we've had quite a bit of rain here. Now we're back to hot and humid and it looks as if that's what's in the cards for the next several days. That said, in spite of all the rain, the north country ranges between Abnormally Dry to Severe Drought conditions!
Ted Diers, administrator of the Watershed Management Bureau at the New Hampshire Coastal program at the Department of Environmental Services said: "Our message is, prepare for worsening conditions."
When the state underwent extreme drought conditions in late summer a year ago, DES officials foresaw that without sufficient snowfall in winter and rainfall in spring drought conditions would linger for another year. In April, Tom Donovan, then director of the Water Division at DES, "said, We have not recovered from last year's drought."
Diers said that the deficit in rainfall has reached 15 inches, equal to a third of normal annual precipitation. Stream water levels, he said, are at historic lows while lake levels, which are managed by the state Dam Bureau, are at or near their seasonal norms.
Pretty much anywhere you are in the Valley right now you will see Gypsy moths. We all are hoping that they die down soon. If you look closely at the trees, you can see the caterpillar cocoons attached to leaves, mainly on oak trees. On the good side many of the trees are beginning to spout new buds which will eventually should turn to leaves. We all have our fingers crossed...
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/Moth_1.jpg
TEXT
A number of folks have asked me for beta on this area at the top of Cathedral Ledge. Since the road has been opened, access is particularly easy. It's a great place to grab a little more climbing after doing something on the Thin Air Face, doing a little moderate top-roping, practicing easy leading, and even on occasion hosting military or Mountain Rescue Service training. I thought I'd written it up on NEClimbs.com, but I guess it slipped off my to-do list. So here's the details:
The Wall Of The Hurley Morning Light/a.k.a. The Other Classroom (5.6-5.7):
A popular area, with easy access if the road is open. Drive or walk the road and near the top, ~200' from the circular turnaround/parking area, look for a small light brown slab on the cliff side of the road. If driving, make the turnaround and park here. Walk directly into the woods on a small trail towards the cliff to where it connects to the old climbers descent trail. Walk a few feet downhill (left) and look down and to your right to spot cliff, which faces uphill. You can access it by rappelling from trees near the trop, or by walking uphill about 40' to where you would come up from topping out on Thin Air.
The cliff features 4 bolted lines and 2 trad routes. The corner on the left and the crack to its right (The Desperado Crack) are probably 5.6. As best I remember, the bolted lines are 5.6, 5.7, 5.6 and 5.6. The one on the furthest right starts just right of the tree, foot-traverses right and slightly up, and then climbs to the top right at the right hand arete. IMPORTANT NOTE - DO NOT grab, pull on, or put gear in that obvious flake.!!! It moves...
Like many places in the Valley, the area had been bouldered on occasion over the years. One person known to have climbed there was John Haulopenskie (sp?). The initial cleaning and arete line was done by George Hurley and David Giampietro. Joe & Judy Perez, Jeff Lea and Al Hospers put in the other bolted lines.
Gear: If you're going to lead, 5 draws are more than enough for the bolted lines. I generally use a couple of smallish cams for the corner and just tricams for the crack, but YYMV. If you bring a 60m rope, you can butterfly it and TR all the lines.
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_1.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_2.jpg
Jeff Lea on the lead...
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20210715/WHML_Desperado_Crack.jpg
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:
http://www.neclimbs.com/mobile
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
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:
http://www.facebook.com/NEClimbs/
Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
| If you want to climb it badly enough, you will. So... why bother ? |
| Doug Scott |
|
