A Return to the Gunks

I decided to do my American Mountain Guide's Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) course. Taking the SPI course enables one to professionally guide clients at the single pitch level. Plus, it will also teach me some things about rescuing that I don't know, but that Rich and Matt do both know.

So I came up a day early. Wouldn't you?

The weather yesterday was awesome. Probably like 60 degrees, sunny (but not oppressive), and the rock here is still beautiful. We went straight to Smiling the Hard Way which is right next to CCK. It goes at 5.11c, with a 10b/c R before the crux. Definitely a very committing lead up beautifully clean sparkling white rock.

I handled the lower roof crux no problem, only hesitating for a moment. After you get past that section there is a wonderful little horizontal with a great rest. I plugged in three cams for a little 'nest of courage,' and rested for a while, sussing out the next moves. As far as I could see, there were no holds to speak of (I later confirmed this), so I figured it must be a feet thing. I did the old hand-foot-match, stood up using tiny dime edge crimps, and was now totally committed, with the gear at my feet.

And then Devin told me I was too far left. I was in the nevernever world of 'oh shit!' Other than once decent left hand, there wasn't really anything to hold on to. I tried smearing and laybacking, desperately trying to reach the horizontal that was juuuuust out of reach. And then the smear started to un-smear...slid...POP. I was off.

Luckily, when you fall, things slow down a bit. I had time to think several thoughts. First I thought, "Oh great, this is gonna be big." Then I thought, "Oh great, the rope is behind my leg." And then, "I'm turning upside down. It's cool to be parallel to the ground." And finally, "Here comes the cliff, better put my hands out."

All that in a fraction of a second. I ended up being completely upside down thanks to that rope-behind-the-leg thing. Luckily I didn't smack my dome on the rock. A few minor scrapes, and a little soreness in the fingers from catching myself, but other than that, unscathed.

We spent the rest of the day doing some more relaxed climbing. Devin tried to lead back up and fininsh the route after that, but took several falls. Then I went back up and bailed on CCK, which I'm not ashamed of in the slightest. After that we climbed Falled on Account of Strain and did some bouldering. I finished on the Buddha which I'm glad to see I can still do.

And now it's raining again (damnit) but the SPI course runs regardless. Should be ok methinks.

(pictures to come tonight from Smiling...)

The other day at Potter...

...Matt and I went up to try Leroy Brown again. Well, I was trying it again -- Matt was trying it for the first time. And like most of this season, it was raining a little. And it had been wet the night before. But, we went out anyway.

It just so happens that because there is a little roof that hangs over the crack for at least the first 60 feet, that first 60 feet stays dry (for the most part). So we set to projecting the route.

Matt got on first as I had been there before. Fresh perspective and all. The first 15 feet are, technically speaking, the hardest. Matt worked out the gear placements and some of the beta, but could seem to get around the first little bulge. After he came down, I went up to give it a try. After some tomfoolery, sassy highsteps, and double horizontal hand/fist jamming, the crux was unlocked.

After the crux, which is a traverse crux, the angle of the line changes. No longer a traverse, but a 45 degree overhung hand-to-finger crack. I guess I should be fare and say that it's really only a 45 degree overhang if you lay it back. If you jam, it's only slightly overhung. That said, there are times that you have to lay it back.

We made it another 20 feet or so up the crack, but the rain started to come down harder, and the crack started to seep a little more. At this point the hold were definitely wet, which is really too bad because we were starting to make some serious progress on the thing.

It will definitely go down soon. I just hope it doesn't happen while I'm away. Maybe it will be a next-summer-send.

The climbing season approaches its end...

It's raining again. What else is new. This entire summer has done nothing but rain. I'm not complaining. I'm not upset about it. I mean, there has been lots of climbing to be had. At Silver Lake, I have first ascent credits on 14 pitches of climbing. Not to mention I'm climbing some of the harder routes that I've ever climbed before, so can't really hate that.

But it's raining. And I'm not climbing today. And, as it stands, today and tomorrow are the potentially some of the last days of rock climbing I'll have this year -- tonight I'm leaving for New Paltz to take my SPI course. After that, I'm heading to my parents house to meet up with my Dad for a 2 week elk hunt in Colorado. By the time I'm back from that, it will be late October. I hear it gets cold in the Daks that time of year...

...But don't worry. If anything happens at Silver Lake, Rich said he would do some posting here. I would ask both Matt and Rich to do the posting, but Matt is already one post behind. In fact, I'll do that post right now too.

Afternoon Delight

The weather was good today. That's a change.

And to celebrate, Rich and I went out to the Chapel Pond Slab (some 800 feet tall granite boulder). We did two highballs there. The first was Empress 5.5, 835 feet and the second was The Regular Route 5.5 765 feet. Making a total of 1610 feet of technical rock climbing in a day. By far the most I've ever done. And the climbing up part of it probably took a grand total of 30 minutes (the climbing down was the hardest part!)

We also learned the descents today. We decided to try both the northern gully and the southern. We went down the southern first -- which was sopping wet, technical and manky. That's why we decided to try both. We met a friend of Colin's at the top of the cliff (Bill) after the second lap, and he advised us on the northern decent, which was way better.

What an awesome piece of granite. Woo hoo!

After that we went to PJ's for some twofer's and had ourselves some celebration brew.

A new route...but first...

So, things have been happening again. I've gotten a little behind here, so let me talk about yesterday first and then I'll tell you about the new route.

First and foremost, we saw snow for the first time on Whiteface. The mountain is covered all the way to mid-station. Woah. The weather here has been spotty, but since it is also so localized, we have been able to climb pretty much every day.

Yesterday Rich, Colin and I went to Poko. Rich had never been before so we started with the Sting, the classic crack line just next to Gamesmanship. He crushed it, no problems. Colin followed to warm up for Karmic Kickback which we had done last week. He wanted to lead it, having sent the other 5.11b dihedral (God's Grace) just next to it. Karmic is awesome. So sustained...all the way to the top. He got up past the eighth bolt, just one bolt away from sending, and just barely came off. Definitely a great effort though.

After that, Colin had to leave, so Rich and I decided to get some mileage in and planned on simul-climbing The Snake 5.4, 380 feet. We simuled the first 280 feet (awesome) until I ran out of slings. I belayed at a tree ledge, and spotted a sweet looking line of bolts. It looked doable, so I went for it. Such a fun climb. It felt like Kentucky sport climbing. Steep rock, good holds for the most part, sustained, with a definite crux. Really great. It even had a series of moves that involved three separate underclings. 'Dats what I'm talkin' 'bout. Turns out, we climbed the third pitch of Pandemonium (5.10b). Highly recommended pitch.

As for the new route. The day before yesterday, the weather forecast was bad. Rich had some life errands to run, and Colin had the morning off, so we went for a quick session at Beaver Brook. I climbed the last route I hadn't done (Good to the Last Drop), which was excellent, and Colin climbed Save a Tree...

When I got back to the house, Rich was already back from the DMV/bank. "Let's go up to Potter and do Leroy," Rich said. "Done," I said. It was already 2:30 in the afternoon at that point, so we needed to hussle. Furthermore, we had hear that this route was haaard, so we brought all the aid gear. Rich hadn't aided anything before, and it had been a while since we did and FAing, so we were both super psyched to head up there.

Leroy Brown is a crack climb in the "Ghetto" of Potter Mountain Cliff. It follows a right slanting crack system that also forms a little roof. Sustained, no feet, steep, sometimes good jams, sometimes not -- and a hard crux low. We only did one 100 foot pitch, but there is definitely more above. The 100 feet that we did do was awesome!

Aiding is slow. And we didn't get started until late. We had planned on Rich aiding and cleaning, and then I would try to second it cleanly. First of all, the climbing was too hard for me to onsight (but it will definitely go soon), and by the time Rich had finished, it was dark. Like, I put my headlamp on while Rich was still climbing. So by the time I was climbing, I couldn't see much. It's gonna be sick.

The Bird Dogs

My Dad came up on Monday with the bird dogs in anticipation for their nine days of glory. Every year since the 1960s, starting with my grandfather, my family has gone on an annual hunt in Croghan, New York. Mostly a hunt for grouse and woodcock, but occasionally we find some turkeys, duck, pheasants, etc. Anyways, the dogs are getting a bit older now, and consequently they are out of shape. So, they same up here before there hunt, to run a bit.

To get ready for their arrival, I cooked all day on Monday. And boy did I have a blast doing it. I made two loafs of bread to start -- a banana nut bread and a spiced butternut squash bread with nuts and raisins in it. The squash bread was supposed to be a pumpkin bread, but apparently they had a bad crop of pumpkins this year, and there was no pumpkin puree anywhere! After the breads, a made a squash soup that was equally as yummy as the breads...yummmmm.

They got here around 4:30, so we took a quick walk out at Silver Lake so my Dad could see what it looked like (that was the intended hunting spot for the next day.) After that, we checked out the elk farm (I'm going on an elk hunt in Colorado in two weeks). I cooked up some speedies in the broiler for dinner, and we called it a night.

Tuesday was wet again. Even so, we were headed out to hunt anyway. But first, we fooled around with the fire place. We got it all set up to run (which we have been doing, since yesterday there was snow on the top of Whiteface).

We ended up going to Potter Mountain to hunt. It poured on us the entire time, but it was still pretty fun. Gabby even pointed a grouse, and I even got to shoot at it. Of course, I didn't hit it, but still very successful day. (According to my dad, a normal grouse hunter will shoot 1 in 10 they he flushes and a great one will shoot 1 in 5.)

That night, after drying out a bit, we went to the Brewery -- they just tapped their new IPA which was very delicious.

Overall a good trip. The dogs got worked, shot the gun, drank some beer. Good times.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, my buddy Grant came up to visit, and with his friend Marc we all went up to the Summit Cliff. I hadn't been up that-a-way in some time, so I was particularly excited to get back on our "firsts."

We met at the trailhead and worked our way up what could be the worst approach in Silver Lake. That said, the approach isn't bad at all. For the first little bit its nice rolling clear logging roads. Once you start heading uphill though, the quality of the logging road deteriorates a bit, and the brambles start to get taller. And with a total of 45 minutes of approach, it isn't bad at all.

When we got there, Green Mountain Boys was wet (like usual), but Handlebarbarism was dry (like usual). So I convinced Marc to get on it, which he did, and ended up onsighting. His first Adirondack 5.10 onsight. 'Atta boy. Grant and I then toproped it. Such a good climb.

When I got to the top I belayed from up Marc and Grant, and we headed over to Tales of Weakness -- the summit arete crack -- which is one of the more obvious lines in all of Silver Lake. Marc led again, and Grant and I followed. What a day what a day.

Grant has pictures that look pretty good. I'll try to find those.

And today. Well, today I am cleaning the house.

7,000 Words

Beaver Brook

Yup, went. Rich and I got in two pitches. Rich led Old Men Shooting Powder, which is a pretty fun roof, followed by some sustained, balanced face climbing above. It goes at 5.10b and, like the other climbs at the crag, it felt a little sandbagged. The light was waning, so I hurried up Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver (5.10d). There are some good long moves between good holds, slightly reminiscent of the gunks. Oh, and mandatory foot cut.

Dat's what I'm talkin' bout.

Poke-o-moonshine

Colin and I went to Poko today for a few pitches of climbing. The sun is back, and the rock is dry! We were able to put away three excellent pitches -- three five-star climbs.

We left here around 9 o'clock this morning and went straight to the crag. Once there, we headed straight to C-Tips to "warm up." C-Tips, which goes at 5.10c goes straight up a blank, black water-streaked wall. The climbing is tenuous. Very balancey, with quite a few small holds. The route definitely requires a fair amount of footwork. Colin had climbed it many time, so he gave me the lead. It went down no problem.

Next we went to try one of Colin's long-term projects. This route, God's Grace (5.11b), goes up a wild corner, out to a sharp arete, then back to the corner again. It requires, again, really precise footwork. Lots of stemming, and pulling on tiny crimps. Colin had tried it last week and almost sent. Today, he crushed it. I followed cleanly, gave him serious props, and then we moved to climbs over to another classic corner climb.

Karmic Kickback (5.11b) is similar to God's Grace. Stemming up a corner, smearing, crimping, sharp aretes -- simply awesome. Colin gave me the lead. I struggled slightly at the crux, but other than that enjoyed the climbing to the maximum.

Just talked to Rich, I think we are going to go to Beaver Brook for a quick evening session. Yeheah.

Fire Wood

More rain, more wetness.

We got a load of firewood delivered today. The guy actually lives over at Silver Lake. I think he is one of those local land baron types. Owns a ton of property and rents several houses on the lake. The guy had a huge gut (probably from eating fine foods) and a little Jack Russell dog that kept kept eating grass and puking it up. And his father graduated from St Lawrence in '32. Certainly a nice enough guy though.

So, he missed our driveway, as there is no mailbox or number or other indication, turned around, and then tried to back into our driveway. Turns out "it's a little soft" at the end of our driveway. He backed up his huge trailer loaded with firewood into the drainage ditch, resulting in the necessity of a tow from his son. "Tell the boy to bring the four-wheeled drive and a chain."

Things eventually sorted themselves and they dumped five face cords worth of wood in our driveway. After they left, there was a huge pile of wood laying in the middle of our parking spots. I went to start carrying the wood over to the shed, and instantly realized there was no way I was going to carry a couple thousand sticks 50 yards back and forth. A search ensued and lo and behold there, behind the second shed, was an old, red, wagon/cart -- the kind you can attach to a riding lawnmower, only definitely hand built.

We spent the rest of the day doing many (like, many many) little (like, really little) wagon loads from the driveway to the shed, stacking under the overhangs of the roof. Yay chores.

Rain Rain...

Ugh. Shoulda taken the rest day today. It's grey and wet, and I don't really want to go a-scrubbing today.

On the plus side of things, I just finished a new book. It's called Bloodsucking Fiends; A Love Story written by Christopher Moore. It is about a romantic would-be writer named Tom Flood from the mid-West who moves to San Francisco for adventure. And quickly enough he meets Jody, a recently turned vampire. From there you follow the (mis)adventures of the two, as they struggle with the complexities of a monster/human relationship while battling a Fiend many centuries old. On the whole, a very satisfying book. Especially knowing there is more to come with the sequel You Suck; A Love Story. I just ordered it from amazon today!

I've also read The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Grove by Moore, and it is quite good to. Definitely a similar vane to Tom Robbins, only not quite is intricate and hard to follow. As one critic put it, "...the impatient man's Robbins."

Anyways, going to go do some bouldering in Colin's gym for a little while now. One must keep fit, after all.

A day of chill-axin'

Ahh the rest day. What a glorious thing to have.

Today I did a lot of nothing. Well, that's not entirely true. I basked in the sun, soaking in the views of Whiteface. I tossed the frisbee around for a while. I made some apple bread. I caught bull frogs with Cece, Colin and Henry. I ate a great dinner with friends. And we ate banana muffins that Rich made right before dinner that was still warm!

Twas a good day indeed.

Back to Center of Progress

Matt and I went up to the Center of Progress cliff, back to the same area as Oops...I'm Pregnant. There are actually a couple of really outstanding crack climbs in that area -- not just big chimneys and slopey face climbing.

So anyways, yeah, finished up cleaning this crack that cuts this otherwise blank face. As you get higher the crack splits into two cracks, so for a while you are sort of monkeying/bear-hugging. After that, the wall kicks back, the crack gets to small for fingers, and the feet completely disappear. On top of that, there are two cracks, and many possibilities to climbing the cracks, which makes it hard to figure out first where to go, and second how to do it. Needless to say it is awesome. Very cool. I've named it The Chipmunk Waltz and I think it will eventually go at 5.12 something. If not that, then very hard 5.11 -- potentially making this the hardest line at Silver Lake. As it stands, it goes at 5.11a A0.

Here are the preliminary pictures:

Potter Mountain Cliff

Alright! So, it frosted for the first time last night. And now it's really really cold in our house. Brrrrrr. But don't worry that hasn't prevented us from putting up somewhere in the vicinity of 15 pitches (with the help of a sizable crew) all within 100 feet of each other.

All the pitches on on Potter Mountain Cliff, and particularly this part of the cliff were remarkably clean. On top that, there are a series of water runs that have created the cooooooooolest holds ever. There are all these pock marked pinches and edges and finger pockets, toe dishes and the greatest exposure.

In a slightly different section of cliff, Tom and Joe spent the better part of the day scrubbing and doing some crack climbs. There is definitely more potential where they were working -- finishing routes to the top as well as more crack climbs at the bottom.

The setting and the climbing here are awesome. It is nice and remote. You feel like you are way way out, and while the approach is roughly an hour, there is a nice trail to follow (at this point). As soon as we can, we're going to do a serious photo shoot up there.

So, here is the break down of routes:

Stop Making Sense 5.7; four pitches
The Brazilian 5.10a; three pitches
Once in Lifetime 5.10d; one pitch
Groovitational Pull 5.10a; two (long) pitches
Brutus Ate My Sandwich 5.10a; three pitches
Zebra 5.9, one pitch
Leroy Brown 5.11+?
(Can't remember Joe and Tom's last route) 5.9+ one pitch

So yeah, good climbing out there, just as good as any other place we have climbed. Matt and I are off to the Center of Progress to clean up a few more cracks that look outstanding. Woo hoo!

Silver Lake

There has definitely been some action up there at the new Mountain. Yesterday I went out with a bunch of guys (Jim, Colin, Tad, and Tom) to a new area. We put up four new pithes in one day -- no scrubbing required!! There is a new route that is over 350 feet long and has three 5.10a pitches in a row. It's so gooooooood. Hopefully I'll have some more details later, as well as some more routes to talk about! I'm headed back to the same section right now.

Wallface Mountain

Rich, Matt, Rich's buddy Paul and I just spent Wednesday evening through early Friday at Wallface doing some climbing and camping. Pretty sweet to say the least. The weather was the absolute best we could hope for, the bugs were non-existent, the cliff was impressive and the climbing was remote, adventurous and classic.

We got a relatively late start on Wednesday, taking care of chores and things around the house. Once Paul rolled in (coming from New Hampshire), we packed up the car and headed out to Placid to get a couple of bear canisters and some high-calorie food. From there we took off and headed to the ADK Loj, in the heart of the High Peaks.

Wallface is, in the poetic words of David Henderson, "If Niagara be the prince of waterfalls -- [Wallface] exhibits the prince of precipices." The cliff itself is roughly 700 feet tall, with routes up to 1000 feet long. The climbs themselves, as I mentioned earlier are very adventurous. You have to hike more than six miles to get to the camp sight, with probably another 30-45 minutes of approach through scree and talus. (Sidenote: the boulders out there look awesome.) Once you find your climb, you can expect plenty of lichen, moss, and dirt -- and definitely no chalk to guide your way. Once you get above tree level, which won't take you very long, the exposure and scenery are fantastic -- simply sublime. We were warned before going out there that "the climbing itself isn't that good." That may be true, but if thats what you are looking for, go sport climbing in Kentucky or something. Wallface is definitely about the whole experience, of which there is none better.

So after our six mile hike, each sporting 40 pound packs, we set up camp, cooked a gourmet dinner of pasta and meatballs (quite the feat for the backcountry) and went to sleep with dreams of crushing.

Next morning it was on. We cooked up some instant oatmeal, drank a cup of tea, and racked up for the day. Rich and Paul set out for the classic Diagonal. It goes at 5.8, is 860 feet long and was first climbed in 1962, which is very impressive given the gear of the day. Matt and I opted for another classic, despite the fact that it is only 10 years old. It's called Free Ride and it goes at 5.11a.

The route itself is grade IV (my first), and it 750 feet tall. There are nine pitches in total, and the go like this: 5.11a, 5.10a(sandbag), 4th class, 5.10a, 5.9+, 5.10a, 5.11a, 5.10d, 5.10c. Jim Lawyer has this to say about the route:

This route has brilliant climbing, good-quality rock, good protection, and exposed situations...the exposure on the final pitch is jaw-dropping.

I'm inclined to agree. This route has everything from technical, beta intensive cruxes, to cracks, to steep face climbing to steep friction climbing. On top of that, the last two pitches are spectacular -- so much so that they get their own names: Endurance Pitch, and the Perverse Traverse.

Needless to say, both parties enjoyed themselves thouroughly. We both made it back to camp well before sundown. Once there we drank some whiskey, ate some food (backcountry pueblo stew, kung pao chicken and cheese cake -- yum), and crawled into our sleeping bags.

All-in-all it was a great success.

Wallface

The Gang with Wallface in the background

"The Shield" Pitch 4

Me on top of pitch 7

Me on lead on Pitch 8 -- Pitch 9 traverses out the big roof to the right.

The hike out.

Three new routes + one

Just put up three new routes with Rich and Mike on Thursday. A nasty gully that gets you to the top. 5.0+; A cool chimney called Cackling Spiders at 5.7; and then an unsuspecting slabby thing with sloooooooopers called Oops!...I'm Pregnant. I think that one is in the 5.11 range.

Other than that, started scrubbing this really steep crack. It looks like it's gonna be another classic.

More ADK

So, Rich and I have started to settle in up here. This new place is awesome.

This is mostly a teaser post. Three new routes have gone in. Tooth and Nail, 5.10; Oral Surgery 5.11b; African Barking Spiders 5.10+/11a. Will have photos and the like soon!

Adirondacks!

After a plate full of undercooked (as in half frozen) pierogies, I am ready to start writing a little bit about Silver Lake. Writing the words ‘silver’ and ‘lake’ next to each other puts a bit of a smile on my face, which given the amount of rain, coupled with this finger injury is always a good thing.

So what is Silver Lake anyway? Why should you care about whether or not I am smiling? Silver Lake is a climbing spot on the Adirondacks that has just recently been opened to the public (i.e. climbers) via a land easement. There are a series of cliffs ranging in 30 feet to 300 plus feet. The rock, like other rock in the Daks, is granite, and as such, the features and quality vary. Luckily the rock is mostly really solid. The features range from gentle and steep slabs, to vertical cracks in any number of sizes; there are overhung faces, and even some roofs to be pulled. And let me be frank. There. Is. A. Ton. Of. Rock. I mean lots. (To see what I mean, check this out: http://www.adirondackrock.com/silverlake/photo_key.htm .)

And there is lots of potential for first ascents of five star classics. There are well over a dozen cliffs in total. And while there are only 50 or so documented climbs so far, there is potential for ten times that much…if…you like moderately long, steep, bushwhacking approaches; poison ivy; black and horse flies, mosquitoes; scrubbing lichen, digging out cracks, and pulling rotten stumps off cliffs. This is the Adirondacks after all, and the cliffs are sometimes overgrown and dirty. But once you reap the fruit of your labor, it’s like being a pig in shit…pay dirt…sweet.

I have recently begun to learn about the process of ‘The First Ascent.’ Let me first say a loud “Thank you!” to everyone who has ever prepped a route that I have climbed. It’s hard work. The basic process (which is fairly obvious) is to first pick out a line that looks good, get to the top some how and hang a rope, clean, climb. Simple enough. But, given the sea-of-rock-that-is-Silver-Lake, there are so many awesome looking lines, it’s hard to pick one. And getting to the top can be tricky as well. I have recently learned how to aid, but more importantly, I’ve learned that usually there is a 4th class scramble to the top somewhere. I’ve also learned that the cliff looks way different from the top than it does from the bottom, and that cleaning a route can take several days and several wire brushes. And finally, I’ve learned that taking whippers on routes that you have cleaned is really, really fun.

So, the cliff officially opened on Earth Day this year, and with much excitement, my roommates Matt Way and Devin Berberich, as well as Rich Wilson, who is a college buddy of Matt and mine all headed up to our friend Colin Loher’s house the night before the opening. Colin’s home is nestled on a hillside in Wilmington with a spectacular view of Whiteface Mountain (home to the 1932 and 1980 Olympics). The day before the opening it rained but we still managed to get in a bit of scouting. And although the amount of rock seemed overwhelming, at the dinner table that night we decided that the Summit Cliff would be our target.

The Summit Cliff as a fairly long, tall cliff that is, as the name suggests, at the summit of Potter Mountain (Silver Lake climbing area is actually comprised of two mountain: Silver Lake and Potter). On the left end of the cliff is a very striking nose/arête with a beautiful right-slanting crack just next to it. This was perhaps the most striking feature we had come across while scouting, and it was that crack that drew us to the Summit Cliff.


The Summit Cliff(©Lawyer)

After an hour or so of hiking/gawking we arrived at the base of the cliff, hoping to find a line up to the arête crack. To our amazement's, there were three obvious cracks that lead up to a ledge. Devin and I decided to tackle the laser-cut gently overhung finger crack, and Matt and Rich took the left-most tips-to-offwidth vertical crack. Since this was our first day of free ascents, we decided to do everything ground up. Out came the aiding gear and two and a half hours later I had managed to climb 70 feet! Devin ascended the rope, and then free climbed the next pitch to the base of the arête crack. I followed, and gave the final lead to Devin. Despite a healthy amount of lichen, the crack climbed beautifully. Add on a bit of Adirondack mountain-scape and another bit of wild adventure climbing, and you have the makings for non-stop fun.

We have since gone back and cleaned all three cracks at the bottom of the cliff. Matt and Rich called their route Handlebarbarism. The middle crack, which Matt cleaned had seen a previous ascent and it’s called Green Mountain Boys. The crack Devin and I climbed had also seen an ascent, and it is called Great Northern Pillar. Rich freed Handlebarbarism at 5.10, Matt got Green Mountain Boys at 5.9, and I freed Great Northern at 10+. On a subsequent trip, Matt and I put up one more pitch from the ledge. An amazing 5.10 changing corners/roof/crack/stembox dubbed Hair Upper Lip Drip.


(Green is Green Mountain Boys; Red is Great Northern Diver; Yellow is Harry Upper Lip Drip; Aqua is Handlebarbarism.)


Devin on pitch one of Great Northern(©Littleton)


Colin finishing pitch one of Great Northern(©Way)


Rich on Handlebarbarism (©Littleton)


All five pitches are stellar, and they are all within fifty feet of each other on one small section of one of a dozen cliffs. And there are at least two more climbs in the same section – a traversing finger crack/sloper rail, and a chimney named Lost Boys Chimney – both awaiting first ascents.

I am so excited about the potential at Silver Lake that I am moving to the Adirondacks. Rich and I just signed a lease on a house a few miles from Colin’s, and we will be moving in August 16th. Hopefully I will be spending most of my free time at Silver Lake. Woo Hoo!