Really fun day today climbing with this family from Austin, Texas! The Weaver’s are adventurers extraordinaire and were wrapping up a 3 week trip in New England before heading back south. Fresh off some intense downhill mountain biking the day before they were ready to rock. We started out day over at Whitehorse Ledge under the giant Echo Roof.
It’s been a great summer so far with lots of families & camp groups climbing with EMS Schools. I haven’t done as many individual trip reports as most of my free computer time has been spent on reviewing some of the coolest new packs & gear on the market. Hope everyone has been enjoying the summer!
This past 3 day holiday weekend had me guiding Yu Chih Chieh from Taiwan as he finished up 8 days of climbing instruction. Yu Chih, who goes by Brendan in the US, is in doctorate level program at Brown University in Rhode Island and is a die-hard botanist (and motivated aspiring alpinist).
Cathedral Ledge
We started the morning with a brief anchor clinic and I show’d Brendan a couple options for extending top-rope anchor setups. Anchor theory is a hot topic with this guy’s scientific mind! We then hiked down to the Barber Wall for a quick rappel and discussed some of the finer points of the process.
Rappelling the Barber Wall, Cathedral Ledge, Echo Lake State Park, NH
We then took a quick trip up Upper Refuse with a focus on seconding proficiently and transition efficiency.
Thumbs upTopping out Upper Refuse, Cathedral Ledge
After we got a little heckled by the tourists at the top (the frat party was a bit offended I declined the beer they offered me for climbing the cliff, but I was working, and I do not drink Bud Lite) we made our way over to the quieter Airation Buttress for some lunch. Then a quick drive over to Whitehorse Ledge for 600 feet of slab ascent/descent.
Whitehorse Ledge
After 4 pitches of Beginner’s Route we headed back to the shop to look at a quick demo/practice of a belay escape.
For Sunday, July 3rd, the weather forecast was the same as the whole weekend. Bluebird. Knowing every cliff would probably be a bit of a zoo I decided to do something rash and head to the biggest zoo of them all. Rumney.
It had been a few years since I last visited this mecca of sport climbing. We pulled into the lot right at 9:30am and spaces were starting to fill up. The Meadows wall wasn’t too busy and we grabbed “False Modesty” and “Rose Garden” while discussing sport climbing issues that crop up every year (rigging to lower, closed systems, belayer placement, clear communication, etc).
Brendan cleans “Rose Garden” at The Meadows
We then headed down the road and up the hill to the Main Cliff to check out some of the new 2 pitch moderates that have been getting talked up on Mountain Project lately. “Crowd Pleaser” had quite a long queue on it but an obvious local regular pointed out the nearby 2 pitch 5.8 called “Tipping Point” with no line on it. We hopped right on and greatly enjoyed this fun little route.
Brendan reaching the first pitch belay ledgePretty scenic spot
The next pitch was super fun 5.8 with a solid crux right at the end… felt a bit closer to 5.9 to me but I’m not that well calibrated to Rumney grades ATM.
We then headed across and up the hill once again passing hordes of climbers on the wildly overhanging and popular crags like Darth Vader & Waimea making our way up to the highest bluff, the Jimmy Cliff. Up here we did two 2 pitch cruiser routes and enjoyed a steady fresh breeze the whole time.
Brendan had quite a bit of lead climbing experience in the gym and no “second belaying” experience so we covered some of the multitude of ways to properly belay the second while enjoying the cool breeze and lack of crowds.
Clip a Dee Doo DahBrendan finishes the last climb of the day
We stopped by the Black Crack Boulder on our hike out for yet another anchor building session (a critical trad climbing skill), then headed back across the Kanc to Mount Washington Valley. Despite some concerns about hitting the busiest cliffs on what might have been the busiest weekend we managed 5 climbs at 3 areas with 8 pitches total (plus that whole area is a botanist dream according to Brendan, who would often disappear while hiking behind me only to be found crouched at ground level camera in hand).
For July 4th, the last day of Brendan’s 8 day excursion, I picked an objective that I thought would be a suitable way to finish and also prepare him for his home country objective, Mount Yu Shan, the highest point in Taiwan!
Mount Yu Shan, highest point in Taiwan: 3,952 metres (12,966 ft)
We headed to Mount Washington with sights set on the Henderson Ridge. I had never climbed this route and found it to be fun outing. It took us 3.5 hours car to car with a leisurely pace and many stops to examine the unique flora that exists on Mount Washington (Alpine Garden Trail). We only saw one other climbing party of two on Pinnacle Ridge, and greatly enjoyed the cooler than valley temps!
Electronics
After three days with Yu Chih Chieh I know he is well on his way to accomplishing whatever goals he sets for himself. An inquisitive scientific mind and desire will take him far in all aspects of his life and I look forward to the next time I share a rope with him.
Hope you all had a great Fourth of July weekend and spent a little time contemplating how lucky we are to have our freedoms!
Did you get out this past weekend? Let me know what you got on in the comments below!
It’s been a little quiet here since my last post but things have been happening. I’ve guided a couple days this season and gotten out to a few remote crags researching an article publishing with Wild Northeast magazine next month. I’ve also been reviewing gear from Petzl, La Sportiva, Garmin, and Suunto for both this blog and the Gear Institute. After returning home from a camping trip this past weekend I was surprised to hear that a relatively healthy looking (and well used) rappel tree on Cathedral Ledge fell to the base a little after noon on Saturday.
Having used this tree dozens of times in the last 10 years without much concern I decided I wanted to investigate the failure that could have been devastating if anyone was in the area when it fell.
First, the tree in question. This was a large live healthy looking white pine tree that was directly above Browns Fist/Lower Refuse (Pg 188, North Conway Rock Climbs). It was a convenient way to retreat from the Upper Refuse/Black Lung/Book of Solemnity area with a single 60m rope. You could just reach the ground in one rope stretching 30m rap from here, which was also mostly free hanging. During some guide training a few years ago I learned some pre-rigging tricks that would keep multiple clients more comfortable if the guide was going first off this tree as the stance below the tree was virtually non-existent and the rappel quickly goes over a roof and becomes free hanging.
Alternate single rope descents from this area are quite limited. From the 1st pitch of The Book anchor you can reach the thread anchor at the top of the 1st pitch of Browns Fist/Lower Refuse in 30m, and do another shorter rappel to the ground. You can scramble/down-climb to the Ego Trip anchor but that will require 2 60m’s, or one 80m rope as I discovered today (and a 2nd rap). You can descend Bombardment which will also require 2 60m ropes or a stop at the decayed tree a-top pitch one of Pleasant St with a single 60m and another short rappel.
In short, there is no fixed station in the vicinity that would allow a quick descent with a single 60m rope so “escaping up” is probably the best bet if you only have one rope (or reversing the Barber Wall approach trail).
I wanted to come in from above so we parked at the top and rapped The Book.
The scenic belay ledge at the top of the 1st pitch of The Book of Solemnity- Petzl Bug Pack Review coming soon
When we touched down on the Refuse Ledge it was obvious the tree took a lot of topsoil and debris with it. A smaller pine just below the the ledge took a hard hit and some “death blocks” are currently suspended in its exposed root system.
Looking down from where the rappel tree used to stand, loose blocks are held by the root system of this destroyed pin directly above Brown’s Fist
We briefly considered trundling these but realized there was no way we could be sure there were not people below (we could hear voices near the base of Recompense) and I’m sure they could reach the lower climbers trail when set loose. Spotters will be needed to make clearing these safe. It was impressive to see how the root system that failed loosened rocks 10-15 feet back from the tree’s original location.
Rocks loosened when root system pulled out
These are pretty stable in their place but the blocks in the previous photo are quite threatening.
After taking a couple quick pics and wanting to get some climbing in we made our way down to the Ego Trip anchor. My friend Dave Karl had loaned me a 80m Petzl Volta (review coming) to check out and I was curious if the length would get us down to the 1st pitch Ego Trip anchor. It did with little to spare, and another short rap had us on the ground.
Sue on Bombardment
Sue grabbed a quick on-sight of Bombardment, we cruised up Upper Refuse, and finished up Lookout Crack.
Sue tops out a one pitch Upper Refuse… easy to do with 80m of rope…#petzlSue finds the locks on Lookout Crack
Back at the top by noon we coiled gear and I grabbed a quick shot for upcoming gear reviews.
Petzl Bug & Petzl Volta
Gear reviews aside and back on topic… the falling of this tree cost me some sleep last night. It was a very solid healthy looking pine that I’ve trusted my life, and clients lives, to many times over the last decade. It did not budge when testing with climber loads and there was no red flags that would help me understand why this decided to fail at such a random time with no “event”. Usually “spontaneous” rock fall and tree “failures” like this can be traced to some weather or climber load event. In this case it was a nice, almost summer day with a seemingly light breeze at the cliff and many days without significant rain.
Checking with the local Mount Washington Observatory the highest gust in town over the period in question was only 18.5mph and while the cliff does see stronger orographic effects a few witnesses report relatively calm conditions during the failure. The soil in this area is a bit thin and quite compacted by climber traffic. Erik N. over at NEClimbs offered up some statistics for those who like numbers:
“A healthy root system should be roughly 1.5x foot per inch of the diameter of the tree. So a 10” diameter tree trunk at 4 feet high should have a root system 15 feet out in a circular area. If more than 40% of the root system is compromised it’s at a high risk of failure.”
I’m not quite picturing the math perfectly here as I am a visual learner but this tree was 50+ feet tall, and the roots that ripped out looked to only go out about 15-20 feet in a circular area (a result of thin cliff restricted soil). By the above definition most of our anchor trees would probably be considered to have a “high risk of failure”.
These seemingly rare acts of nature have me wondering if we shouldn’t pay a little more attention to our tree anchors on our beloved highly traffic’d front-country cliffs. I’d like to spend some time with a certified arborist (quite a few around here are accomplished climbers) and do a quick inventory/assessment of the most popular tree anchors. While preserving the character of Cathedral/Whitehorse climbing is important to me I also think we need to be proactive when it comes to our existing fixed anchor management. This information, when shared with with local climbing communities like Friends of the Ledges, will hopefully lead to thoughtful replacement strategies of fixed anchors where appropriate.
In the meantime don’t spend a lot of time below Lower Refuse/Brown’s Fist (or the climbers trail that cuts from the Recompense Trail over to Funhouse Area. I will update this post when the very necessary trundling is scheduled.
From the vantage I got today there are some teetering blocks being held up by the uprooted routes of a smaller pine tree. Other climbers nearby reported hearing significant rockfall around 8pm Saturday night which I think was tied to this event, so I would consider the area below Lower Refuse to be a bit more active with random rockfall until local guides/FoTL/MRS can get in there and clean it up a bit.
UPDATE 6/27/16: The ledge above Browns Fist/Lower Refuse were cleaned this morning by a combined volunteer effort including Mountain Rescue Service, local guides, and Friends of the Ledges. Both routes below have significant dirt/debris on them that will require some heavy rain to clean up. Use caution below the AP Treat area as a lot of the debris ended up in this area.
This is the 2nd year in a row I’ve gotten to work with the kids & faculty of the Connecticut based Marianopolis Preparatory School. These motivated teens loaded into a bus in the wee morning hours yesterday for a four hour ride up to Mount Washington Valley for their first taste of rock climbing. Keith & I took the group to the Thin Air Face and the kids & chaperons climbed the routes we set up as many times as their motivation and strength allowed them.
A student attentively belaysShowing some serious athleticism with that high stepMy first day testing the Ortovox Trad 25 pack, review coming next month
After everyone had their fill of climbing we had a little time to spare before the bus would return so we decided to bushwhack over to Diana’s Baths. It’s really a short walk over to this beautiful area and the kids had a blast.
We don’t need no stinking trailsExploring the fallsGroup picture
After the bus arrived a quick trip to the top of the cliff rewarded them with a nice rainbow over the valley.
We live in an amazing place
It was a pleasure introducing this diverse group of students to rock climbing (and bushwhacking for that matter). One of the students texted her mom in China to show her what she was doing and it was comical to see her mother text back so quickly with “put the phone away and pay attention!” I’m looking forward to the next time they come and climb with us.
The American Alpine Club recently released this video in relation to a “Universal Belay Standard”. It is really well done and will be included in my new “Skill Zone”. If you are a new or experienced climber it’s worth a quick watch.
Ever wonder what goes into making your climbing rope? Yesterday I had the opportunity to head over to Sterling Rope in Biddeford, ME with 6 other EMS Guides for a tour of their factory.
It is one thing to read a companies credo in a catalog or on their website. It’s quite another to experience it in person.
We left EMS North Conway around 8 yesterday morning and arrived at the factory at 9:30 where Sterling’s Market Manager, Matt, and head of Research & Development, Josh, greeted us and gave us a quick briefing before passing out safety goggles and leading us out to the factory floor. The first two things you’ll notice when passing through the factory doors are the immense size of the factory and the constant loud drum of dozens of machines producing some of the best ropes in the world.
#sterlingselfie
We started on the far end where huge pallets held tons of spider-silk-thin nylon, dyneema, and polypropylene awaiting various treatments and processing before they would be braided into different styles of core for dynamic and static ropes. We were reminded to keep our hands away from machines since you would not see this thin material being spun at such high RPMs.
Lots of spinning & whizzing
I got to climb up a small ladder and watch as the rope cores were treated with Sterling’s proprietary DryCoat Treatment. Many rope manufacturer’s only treat the sheath of the rope. Sterling’s treatment of both the core and the sheath greatly increase the water resistance of your rope, which effects just about every property of the material from strength to durability.
Next we made our way over to one of the coolest machines, the “braider”. After all the work that goes into making the core of our climbing ropes is finished, these machines artfully braid the protective sheaths over the core at a mesmerizing speed. This machine is off while we are shown the core strands.
Sterling Rope Tour Braider
Then I captured some slow motion video on a nearby machine to see the process. You can see the final product sliding out inch by inch, at probably about an inch every 2 seconds in real time…
We then got to walk though the final product areas. Who needs 700 meters of the amazing Fusion Nano IX 9mm rope?
700 meters of 9mm? It would retail for over $2000 if cut to standard lengths.
After touring the distribution center we made our way over to the highly anticipated Sterling Drop Test tower. This tower allows Sterling ropes to pass rigorous UIAA tests that simulate a really bad fall onto a rope. Most climbers notice when purchasing a rope how many of these “worst case” scenario falls their rope is rated for. Off the top of my head I’d say I have owned and used ropes that passed anywhere from 6-12 of these falls. The fall imitates a fall factor around 1.77 with a 80Kn weight (about 176lbs).
And again in slow motion:
On the 7th drop the rope failed (and I was not ready with the camera). The snap was loud and impressive. It was interesting to feel how flat and warm to the touch the abused rope had become after multiple test falls, especially since we did not let the rope rest between drops.
After that we made our way to the Pull Test machine. This hydraulic beast can exert over 222Kn (50,000 pounds!) of force on ropes & gear in a measurable and controlled environment. We were encouraged to bring old slings and gear to destroy here in the name of science. Well, maybe in the name of pure fun. But science too.
Our school manager, Keith, had a plethora of slings and belay loops to test, with an emphasis on investigating the different rappel extension options we choose to use on such a regular basis while guiding and recreating. We also wanted to see if worn belay devices could pose a threat when pre-rigged on a rope. Ian had brought a damaged fixed quickdraw from the last bolt on the classic hard Predator route at Rumney NH. Jeff had a pine sap infused sling he wanted to test. Over the next hour or so we broke about 20 pieces of gear in the machine.
Snapped Dyneema smells like burning nylonReady to testThat’s science son!
Some video of the tests:
The Results:
The Results
So what were the main take home points?
Most methods of rappel extension are more than strong enough.
The single girth hitched dyneema sling actually broke at a slightly higher force than the nylon. While strength isn’t the biggest issue with this method I will often choose to girth-hitch the enforced tie-in point of the harness rather than the belay loop, namely to increase the life of the harness. While belay loops are incredibly strong one well documented fatality from a belay loop breaking after prolonged wear always lingers in the back of my head. I would also keep in mind the lower melting temperature of dyneema and watch those rappel speeds when the rope is passing close to the loaded dyneema sling.
A well used belay device that has developed a relatively sharper edge on the “outgoing” side significantly reduces the load needed to cause failure
Tthough still under a relatively high load (more than 10Kn). Even so while pre-rigging 3 people on a steep rappel it would be a bit more comforting to know belay devices where in good condition and not heavily worn. No need to be the “first” to draw attention to this potential catastrophic failure. Replace your belay device when it develops an edge on the out-going side.
The frayed quickdraw from Predator failed under 4Kn
This definitely draws attention to the quality of fixed draws that might be hanging on your project. Inspect fixed draws!
Thanks to Jeff Lea I also now know that sap does not weaken my slings. It’s still pretty messy so I’ll continue to avoid it when possible.
This visit to Sterling was highly educational and informative. I’ve been climbing almost exclusively on Sterling ropes for the last 3-4 years. I have regularly used the Sterling Evolution Velocity for cragging and top-roping and reserve my Sterling Fusion Nano for leading waterfall ice. Sterling also happens to be the official supplier of rope for EMS Schools. If you are in the market for a new rope this is a company you should be considering!
Do you own a Sterling rope? Which one and how do you like it? What other brands/models do you like? Let me know in the comments below!
It’s definitely still rock climbing season in the Mount Washington Valley! Yesterday regular client Manny joined me for some fun on Cathedral Ledge. We started the chilly morning up at the classroom to review some anchoring strategies but the NW 15-20 mph wind combined with 40 degree temps had us heading down to the Thin Air face to get warmed up by 9:30. A visiting party was about to start and offered to let us jump on the route ahead of them. I was very gracious as I knew we would move fast and stay a lot warmer if we weren’t behind a party on-sighting the route.
Manny on the classic Thin Air Traverse, Cathedral Ledge
The clouds cleared out as we started the 3rd pitch and the sun kept us quite comfy for the rest of the route.
All smiles on the crux 4th pitch of Thin Air
We topped out at 11:15, had a quick snack, then made our way down to The North End for some crack climbing practice. We took a quick lap on Child’s Play (5.6), Kiddy Crack (5.7), and the unknown classic 1st pitch of Raise The Roof (5.8+), and called it a day.
Always a good time hanging with Manny, and I’m looking forward to introducing him to ice climbing in just a few months!
Reminder there are currently two gear giveaway contests running right now!
It was 1994 and I was 16 years old. I had been spending every paycheck I earned after school at the Salem, NH EMS on climbing gear. While cooling off one night at the long since closed Mill City Rock Gym I thumbed through a climbing magazine article titled “Ten under 10- Ten Classic Trad Climbs Under 5.10”. Number 6 on this list? Lakeview, Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire, Grade 3 YDS 5.6.
I was intrigued. Moderate multi-pitch climbing in New Hampshire? I had to do this climb. I started obsessing about it that summer. My first attempt was with my Assistant Manager Peg Foss. We drove up 93 in a light drizzle that ended right as we arrived in the iconic Franconia Notch. The cliff looked like it might dry, so we hiked up to the base. I took the first pitch, damp 5.3 climbing, but do-able. Peg started up the 2nd pitch, and at the first over-lap struggled, yelled “watch me” and slipped off.
It was her first leader fall.
It was my first leader fall catch.
She slid past me on the slab with enough time to make eye contact and ask “You got me!?”
Her only piece, an inverted pink tri-cam, kept her from going more than a few feet past the belay. Her ankle was bruised and she had torn through her nylon hiking pants to her underwear, but we somehow decided it would be a good idea to keep going. I volunteered to do all the leading.
2 pitches from the top the description in the guidebook confused me. Up this gully into a left facing book?
“Well this must be it.” I thought.
20 minutes later while sketching out in what I later discovered was off-route 5.8x terrain I finally admitted defeat, lowered off a suspicious horn, and we bushwhacked our way off the route to the north. After 20 years I still remember it as being one of the most heinous bushwhacks of my life.
My junior year of High-school started.
For my 2nd attempt I convinced a school mate to play hookie and “come try rock climbing”. I drove us north up 93 with a borrowed harness and convinced myself he would be fine following in sneakers. At the top of the 2nd pitch he declared he was terrified and didn’t want to continue, so I traversed out right into the shrubbery and embarked on the 2nd worse bushwhack of my life.
On my 3rd attempt I teamed up with “Tom”. We arrived at the base of the route just as another party was starting. I did everything I could to stay on their heels so I would find the correct finish to the climb. Finally, I stood out on the Old Man’s brow and tried to take in the amazing valley that sprawled below me, having just completed my first multi-pitch rock climb. In only 3 attempts. In just under 9 hours.
Top of the first pitch during a subsequent ascent, probably Summer of 1995We decided to take a break under the last pitch. Don’t ask me about my anchoring strategy here.Tom poses out near the top of the Old Man. This stance is still intact.
It’s been 20 years. What has changed? There was the 4 years in the Marines. 18 countries. 5 continents. Getting out and moving back to NH. Going back to work for EMS in Newington, NH. Transfer up to North Conway EMS. Retail. Waiting tables. Bartending. Seeing people die in the mountains. Avalanche courses. Guiding courses. The Old Man falls down! Get hired as a guide. More courses. A couple more deaths. Some… strangers in the mountains doing what they loved, others… much closer.
A girlfriend. A fiancee. A wife! A son! A daughter!
Here I am. 20 years later. Back at the climb that made me a climber. Leading Oliver, who started climbing a decade before I was born, and making his way back into the sport after a 30 year hiatus. Still using the 40 year old backpack he climbed with in Yosemite and the Cascades!
We leave the car at 10:35am, a late start for Cannon in my opinion but Oliver has showed endurance and skill over the last few weeks climbing with me on Cathedral and Whitehorse and I’m confident we can make good time.
Cannon Panorama
We reach the base of the climb in about 35 minutes. I mistakenly took us up the Moby Grape approach trail forgetting that the Lakeview trail requires taking a hard right on the Pemi Trail after crossing the bridge. No matter, this only probably cost us 5-10 minutes. We rope up and off we go.
Oliver climbing up the scenic second pitch
We make fairly good time up the first 4 pitches. The Old Man falling in 2003 has greatly altered the 5th pitch, and I choose to do the “uphill tree thrutching” bypass to the right to gain the traverse over to “Lunch Ledge”. Here, at 12:30, we take a minute to eat and drink.
Oliver at the “Lunch Ledge” 2 pitches from the top
Then up the two iconic last pitches… some of the best 5.5 & 5.6 climbing anywhere.
Oliver on the 2nd to last pitch
All day in the back of my mind I had been thinking about the memorable “Archival” Flake that guards the fun stemming corner at the top. This flake has frustrated quite a few good climbers, and for the leader it is a bit of a “no fall” zone due to the low angle slab below it. I had it mastered 20 years ago, and today muscle memory brought me up it via “monter a cheval”, or “mount the horse”.
Oliver finishing up the last pitch
At 2pm we were on the top. While the flake move had provided a solid challenge for Oliver the reward at the top was obvious.
“This may be the greatest climb I have ever done” says the guy who used to stay in Camp Four and lead friends on climbs in the Cascades in his college years.
It was at this moment I realized I first stood up here 2o years ago, a somewhat reckless teenager getting hooked on something that would steer my life forever.
Taking it all in
After a 30 minute break we make our way down the descent trail reaching the car at 3:15pm. I peak Oliver’s interest in some of the great climbing across the way.
Hounds Hump Ridge and the striking Eaglet, reflected in Profile Lake
Here’s to the next 20 years of adventure, and what life will bring. They’ll be plenty of ups, and a few downs, but I couldn’t be more excited to experience them.
The last couple weeks Oliver has been climbing with me to prepare for his Yosemite trip later this month. Having climbed Whitehorse and Cathedral with me over the last two weeks I wanted to get him on something a bit more committing and thought linking together Lost & the Sun and A Bit Too Short on Mt. Webster would be a great day out, especially considering how the foliage is progressing up in the notches. This plan would give us 13 pitches and about 1,600 feet of climbing.
Unfortunately Friday saw a fair amount of rain but early clearing plus breezy conditions and clear morning skies in the notches had me optimistic enough to make the drive up there. It was obvious from the road that both routes were still soaked; the morning sun glistening off the wet granite from bottom to top. We headed back to North Conway taking West Side Rd to get to Cathedral Ledge by 10:30am.
Oliver hadn’t yet climbed the classic Thin Air route, so we made our way up to the base. I wasn’t surprised to see a few parties on route considering it was a beautiful Saturday morning during a holiday weekend. We decided to take a number and I set up a top-rope to the left of the start to keep us occupied while we let the party of 2 ahead of us get established. Once the leader started the 3rd pitch we finished our lunch and climbed the first pitch right at noon. We followed behind the party of two as Oliver commented on how every pitch seemed classic.
Iconic traverse
It dawned on me that somehow I hadn’t climbed Thin Air once this year. It really is an all star classic route. I prefer the direct 5.8 finish which keeps every pitch of the route high quality, but I couldn’t quite see if that slippery slab had completely dried off yet so I opted for the slick pine-needle strewn gully finish. From there I could see the direct finish was dry, and since I had run the rope up the pitch with out any gear it was easy to walk over to above the direct finish and flick the rope over so Oliver could enjoy the cleaner finish to a great climb.
After chatting a bit with the couple we had followed we made our way down the bike trail to the base. While this is a bit of an un-official bike trail I have yet to come across a mountain biker on it on any of the dozens of times I’ve used it to hike off. It is definitely faster than the climber’s trail down and 1/4 the distance of walking down the auto-road. Obviously give way to any riders you encounter.
Cathedral Ledge Mountain Bike Trail, the quick way down
We had a little bit of time left when we got to the bottom and Oliver was up for one more route so we dropped a quick top-rope on the first pitch of Raising The Roof, 95ft 5.8+. This is my favorite route at The North End. It’s just SO good!
Oliver takes a run on the first pitch of “The Roof”, “The Corner”, or “Raising The Roof” depending on where you get your info 😉
We walked back to the car and started making plans for our last day before the big trip. If the weather holds steady we have our sights set on Cannon for this Thursday. Stay tuned!
