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August 31, 2023
Hi Folks,
We've had several beautiful days this week, almost feeling like summer at last. But then, as has often been the case this year, yesterday was a day of off-and-on torrential rain. [YIKES] The early morning had actually looked decent and I was planning to get out for a quick run up a pitch of something on Whitehorse, when a cell slashed through around 10:30am, dumping almost 1/2" of driving rain in about 30 minutes.
Needless to say that put a crimp in my plans, so I decided that practicing for an upcoming concert was a good alternative. Around noon the skies cleared off, I grabbed a quick snack and headed off to the gym. At my age it's important to keep my muscles toned, such as they are. Fortunately my Medicare plan pays for my gym membership, so why not - right? I have a little rain parka that lives in the car, but when I went into the gym it was sunny so I left it in the back seat. Obviously you can tell where this is going... After an hour workout I walk out into yet another torrential downpour. This one more intense than the morning one, with a lot of wind to boot. As it started to slack off I jumped into the car and headed down the strip on the way home, discovering that there were places right on the main drag that had 6-8" of standing water. It looked forever like a street in FL after the summer monsoon. This brought the day's total up to just over 1" by only 2 storms. Pretty crazy...
I lived in Florida for close to 20 years: 5 in Jacksonville, 10 in Gainesville and 5 in Miami! While I have absolutely NO interest in EVER living there again, I still have many dear friends down there - a number on the Gulf coast. Two consecutive years of big hurricanes have made a real mess there. Cedar Creek was one of my fave get-away places when I lived in Gainesville, and it's now a real mess. Sure we had hurricanes during my time in FL, to my recollection the worst of which was Dora in '64. I seem to remember that it washed away the pier at Jax Beach and the power on the south side of town was out for close to a week. It made a real mess. However bad we had it up here with hurricane Irene, and it was 12 years ago this week, it was nothing like what they get down there. I have a lot of sympathy for the people going through all that.
So I've been splitting wood early this week and getting it stacked for the winter. Thanks to Paul McCoy for letting me use his machine to get all this done. Over the past 5 years I have been scavenging hardwood logs all through the spring and summer, bucking them up around this time and stacking them to use in my wood stove. This year Sean Lorway from Emerald Tree Experts (highly recommended) also dropped off several logs, which was great. While this is absolutely getting to be a bit of a chore, it sure saves me a ton on my heating bill. That said, it also gets me into the upcoming winter thought process. While the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a big winter, who the heck knows? I'd personally prefer a cold winter with just enough snow to give us a great ice season. But of course that's coming from someone who doesn't downhill ski and who does all the household snow removal on their own! So do take it with a grain of salt. [wry grin]
And speaking of winter...I just received my early copy yesterday. While always an interesting collection of articles and stories, this issue has one that's close to home - "Ice Evolution - Adapting to Risk and Opportunity in Warmer Times Ahead"; written by Jimmy Voorhis and local climber/author Michael Wejchert. If you saw the presentation at last years Ice Fest, you know what it's all about. Basically the effect that climate change is having on our favorite sport. The film those of you who were at the presentation saw should be released soon. As my data was the underpinning for this, I obviously found it very interesting. The new book should be available soon on the AAC web site. Check it out.
I also have several local friends who have gotten COVID lately! Some are folks who have both had it before and others who never had it. And all but one are fully VAXXED. The vaccinated ones fortunately have very mild symptoms. Needless to say this makes me a bit nervous, considering just how much I am out in the public these days. No, I'm not prepared to go back to masking. But I do make a point of washing and sanitizing my hands, as well as not hugging or shaking hands as much as I used to. Hey, at 75 I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. It's kind of like putting in a lot of gear. Who wants to get hurt, right?
This 3-day grassroots climbing festival brings climbers from all over New England to Rumney, one of the oldest premiere sport climbing destinations in the United States. Challenge yourself on the schist and get after some of the most iconic routes in New England.
https://americanalpineclub.org/rumney-cc\
In some places like Humphrey's Ledge in morning of late afternoon the mosquitoes are totally brutal. In other places they are non existant. I would say to bring the bug dope regardless!
Great biking now. Get out there...
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
| You put up with the grind of work or school as long as you can or is required. But then, one day, the phone rings one too many times, or the line at the gas pumps seems unending. The air smells bad. The food foul. 'Enough of this' you cry. You grab your ice tools and are gone. |
| Duane Raleigh |
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