A quick trip to N. Conway and the Gunks! If only certain northeastern tectonic plates would put them closer to Maine!
I don't know what these trees have been injecting their veins with, but they're really looking great these days. The colors are popping out, especially when the sun's rising or setting, which is most of the time, so that they drop shadows and their dimensions and true colors pop out even more. Anyhow, to really get a better view of autumnal Maine, I went climbing. Before arriving in the Gunks without a climbing partner, I stopped in N. Conway, NH and ran a lap on Funhouse and Upper Ref. I snapped the photo above when I was held up by my first of two partially beginner parties who were on the route. It gave me a nice time to reflect on the changing of seasons.
And then I drove to New York. Found a free camping spot. And went to bed! The next morning I was staring up at Frog's Head, thinking of rope soloing it to warm up, when Jeff and June, pictured above, approached me and invited me to join them on Maria. We climbed the rest of the day together and it was great fun.
After Maria we managed to squeeze in Morning After, with a surprise unrecorded ascent third pitch that I led, thinking it was supposed to be a 5.4. This was a huge laugh because June, with 20+ years' climbing experience ended up aiding the crux. We plan on returning because she might have done it using a figure four!
The views were stunning, and the climbing was smooth and Gunksy, with roofs that are easier than they look and traverses that sneak into your pocket if your hand's not in it already.
Instead of wet ground, the leaves were slippery. Here Jeff pauses before the crux: leaf-walking! It was great spending a day getting acquainted with two fun previous-strangers. They were great companions and didn't mind when I somehow forgot my belay/rappel device and noticed when we were heading up the 2nd or 3rd pitch of a climb! There's nothing quite like rescue-rappeling through trees! 
Well, more soon! Until then, enjoy some adventures for me! It's starting to get cold here in Maine and soon I'll have too many work hours to get out so much anyhow! -n8
Gunks 2
Gunks Trip
The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. I’m not talking about world peace. I’m not talking about the apocalypse, either. I’m talking about having chocolate for breakfast, courtesy of my buddy Wes. You see it used to be I was the sugar-mongering fiend, supernaturally craving exorbitant quantities of this magic crystal. But now that I have cool control over my hunger habits, Wes has lost it altogether! The tables have finally turned!
But really, this is just one small example of the almost nonstop laughter we had for two consecutive days. Fear not: mostly the fun was had at the expense of one another and no one was seriously injured in the construction of the jokes. Wes, his girlfriend Arianne who I finally got to meet, and I spent these days in the sunny pocket of the pants that are the week. And in the Gunks! Climb, climb, climb, sleep!
We only climbed classics. We saw a lot of routes we wanted to climb but did not have the daylight for it. Arianne had never done multipitch before and so this was an awesome expansion for her experience and knowledge. Wes onsighted his first V4 to the astonishment of a crowd. And I sat back and enjoyed it all, occasionally getting questions and compliments regarding what I was wearing.
Here are some tidbits about the routes we did. Frog’s Head was the first of the 3-star, 2-pitch routes that we did. I think it was a 5.5. It was very relaxing and a good introduction to the style of climbing at the Gunks. Wes was nice and gave me the leads on this!
Next up was Bloody Bush. I wasn’t overly impressed with its first pitch, which had a lot of rocks I would have loved to have thrown off the route had the Gunks not been swarming with nearly as many people as millipedes. What’s the deal with those buggers anyhow? Wes led both pitches, the second of which was definitely the more challenging of the two with the memorable move in it. The second pitch is primarily a traverse right under increasingly higher roofs that you get gradually closer to, eventually bumping your head if you aren’t careful!
To finish our first day off, we went over to Arch. We had 30 minutes before darkness closed in on us, so I tried to make quick work of it. It’s actually a very interesting and varied first pitch. The second pitch is a 5.0 gateway to the third pitch, and given our time constraint and lack of headlamps we did not execute it. We were, however, told the third pitch is the best. For that reason I would love to climb this route in its entirety on the next trip there. As it stands, we did laps on it until it was dark!
Then we went for a walk on the carriage trail and down the stairmaster. Day two we get a late start thanks to packing our campsite into our cars at the Multi. And then we get in line, waiting and watching for High E – E is for Exposure – to open up. When it does, it’s righteous. After climbing the first pitch with all of the mighty rope drag that two ropes could muster, I belayed Arianne and Wes up the corner and jug-haul traverse and face. Then began the real fun. The high exposure of High Exposure comes when you’re higher up. I would describe the move as a crouching tiger hidden dragon move. That is, you shouldn’t underestimate your own inner tiger or the route’s dragon-sized holds. Without being able to see the face you are about to climb, you have to commit to it from a roof underneath which you are crouching. Once you pull the move, look down and around. The exposure extends vertically all the way to the ground. It’s awesome and the route has bomber holds the entire way. It might just be my favorite 5.6 lead ever.
The climbs were nothing less than superb and the company couldn’t’ve been better. I hope to have another set of days play out similarly soon!
More pictures to be posted soon (from Wes + Arianne's camera). Now stop reading and go have fun!
New Blog
I have started a new blog focused on developments in Cochamó, Chile. This does not mean that I will stop writing for this blog; it only means that I have decided that my connection with Cochamó is one that I wish to maintain and is duly deserving of its own blog. Thus, I present you with The Cochamó Project. Thus far I have written an introduction to Cochamó. Readers can look forward to updates on specific route and trail developments that occurred in the 2009-2010 season. With more hard work and income, I hope to return to Cochamó at least once every two years in order to continue development (as a person, a global citizen, a part of a community of climbers, trekkers, Chileans, Argentineans, norteamericanos, Europeans, and so on). For general information on Cochamó such as how to get there, lodging, and activities, please visit cochamo.com, the website of Refugio Cochamó's owners: Daniel Seeliger and Silvina Verdún.
I would love to hear feedback regarding the new blog, as I hope to not only cater to my own aesthetics and journalistic tendencies but also to the desires and preferences of my readers. As always, questions, comments, and queries can be directed to nathan.conroy@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Your Landescaper, n8
Climbing at Cannon Cliff
Sunday, September 5, 2010.
Today I drove all the way to Cannon Cliff to climb. I'd never been before, but the description of "The Northeast's Only Big Wall" lured me in like a moth hyped up on E, frappuccinos, and motivation to a psychedelic rave of fire. Of course, I was a party of one moth. I found the place alright, after 3 hours - think I did it in 2.5 on the way there - of driving. Parked. Signed in at the red box for climbers registering; they requested emergency contact information, so I said that I get itchy if I touch poison ivy; they also asked for the exact date and time of arrival and departure, so I put question marks next to my exact dates, like 09/03?/10. Good thing - today was the 5th, not the 3rd! I also put 'evening' as my expected return time, and 'same day' as the date. I was correct on both accounts. Go me! [Below I am on Pitch 2 of Lakeview with the lake and parking lot far below.]
I had a spectacular day, in case you were wondering. It wasn't that I crushed the routes or did many of them, or shared it with others, or found Buddha in a crack, or that I actually managed to tan while climbing. Nope. None of those things actually happened! I climbed alone. I didn't finish the route I planned to. I did 3 pitches of it, which I truly enjoyed. The first pitch I free soloed. The second and third pitches I rope soloed. The fourth looked less interesting but I was happy to try it, until a refreshing rain dropped by! We both got soaked, the rope and I. Luckily, I had my Camelbak backpack, which sports a waterproof cover of blinding yellow color. I rappeled and downclimbed.Alone, I took in the view. I took in the wetness of my pants, especially my thighs, which were soaked more than the rest of me because the wet rope running through the belay device squeezed most of the water out of the rope and onto my thighs. I perhaps should have extended it, so it would drip and be higher up. But no harm was done. And not extending it saved time. [Third pitch pictured below.]
Time that I spent hiking southward again towards the Whitney Gilman ridge end of the cliff. I found Reppy's Crack. Great crack, 'tis. In fact, it is dubbed by some as the best crack in the Northeast. It runs harder than I'd like to do solo, but heck, I have time, right? I make it up. Some climbers hike by to get to a different climb, I assume. And they pause numerous times to see what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and to see on my face why, or so I assume. I tell them I'm good and make a tired high pitch noise, like if Chris Sharma makes lion noises, I made a tired house cat noise. Me entendiste?
Standing again on solid ground, content after some good cracks and solos, I'm happy. It really has been an excellent day! But wait - I forgot a #2 cam. That's not good. I definitely don't have it on my harness, and I definitely remember running it up the crack a lot. Crap. I'm way too tired to climb the crack again. But isn't Reppy's Crack an alternative first pitch to Moby Grape? I check the side of this feature and find a steepening gully. Remember it's rained. So some spots are wet. And in the gully, what isn't well can very well be chossy (read: loose). I figure it's worth a shot to rescue my #2. I'm frugal now. Misplacing an expensive piece of gear was not on my itinerary. I start soloing again. Maybe 20 meters up I find myself at a crossroads again. My only two options don't seem to be solid rock. I don't trust either very much, especially with my life. So, I put in a #9 stopper with a bail biner I had found, and rappelled.
Bummer, huh? Well, it was a great day. I got better at rope soloing, which remains a lot harder than climbing with a partner, as well as taking photos "on lead" while doing so! Really, losing a stopper while attempting to save a cam is a worthy loss. And, on the upside, I'm going to make some climber super duper happy. Reppy's Crack will be their favorite crack in the Northeast! Moreover, what made this day great was not success. It wasn't about making it to the top, or doing it quickly, or any statistic. It was about inviting fear and frustration and rain and mishaps in, and enjoying the challenge of experiencing these different emotions and circumstances. And not overcoming them. But enveloping them, and letting them envelope me, and enjoying them!
Wouldn't you know, after rain comes a bow, aimed to shoot straight up to where the heavens normally are, mislodged somewhere in the skies above us.
Well, after a fun, talus field-filled, reflective descent from Cannon Cliff and another 3 hours of driving and singing thereafter, I'm ready to make myself a frittata, hydrate, and go a-dreaming. 'Til next time! Maybe I'll give Whitney-Gilman a shot...!
Stir Fry!
昨天晚上作了一个炒菜跟在家做的酱。 只需要提出peanut butter, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, ginger, cumin和有一点儿的nutmeg和cayenne在一起，那你就有那个酱。是比较好的跟不但鸡可是也牛肉。你看，不是很难！我真的喜欢作了这个炒菜跟家做的酱，但是却，对我来说，吃比做是更好！所以我真的建议作出着一饭！我会写更多不久， 当有更多冒险！
Dinner for Beginners!
We're making Florentine Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken!
Requirements:
3-6 handfulls of cut spinach
a healthy appetite
3 tablespoons-ish of pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
a few cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
some nutmeg
chicken breasts - about 1 per person
slices of prosciutto - about 2 per chicken breast
and of course, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toast nuts/seeds and then combine with spinach, cheeses, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste the stuffing to make sure it's seasoned the way you want it to be. Add accordingly.
3. Cut into the chicken breasts the long way, making a groove to place the stuffing in. Place the stuffing in! Fold the chicken breasts over the stuffing and wrap each breast with the prosciutto to seal the stuffing in. Cover the whole chicken if possible. If not, no worries! Brush extra-virgin olive oil over the entire chickens and roast in the oven for almost 20 minutes. Maybe 18 and they'll be done!
4. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of it! We also made a pasta and pasta sauce to complement this dish. Goes well with rich, oaky Pinot Noirs with hints of cherries?!
More adventures soon, some inkitchen, some outdoors!
Acadia National Park with Dad
Sabado, el 7 de Agosto. Fuimos, mi papa yi yo, a Parque Nacional Acadia, unos 2 horas y media en auto para nosotros. A la una llegamos al estacionamiento del Precipice sendero. Justo despues hay un lugar para estacionar si vas a escalar...
Sí, vamos a escalar! Hicimos Old Country...creo. 5.7, pero bueno. Como habian personas escalando en las otras rutas, embarcamos de nuevo en el auto.
Venga, Otter Cliff!! Es un medioambiente re lindo, al lado del mar. Es más, bajas al mar despues de hacer el reunión, asi que, se puede empezar en auto o kayak, jaja! Es un Sabado. Las rutas en la guia ya tienen un monton de gente usandolas: guias, familias, viejas, jaja, de todo! Entonces, investigamos un lugar donde no habian nadie, hicimos un reunión, bajamos, mirando por todos lados a ver que hay para escalar, y bueno - fue una aventura muy divertida! Acá, te mostro más de las fotos!
Las personas al otro lado de la pared nos miraron mientras leeyendo sus libros de guia como estaban buscando en cual ruta estabamos tratando hacer!! jaja
No cansamos. Hicimos dos rutas más asi, y despues de eso, fuimos a Cerro Cadillac para subir a la cumbre en bici! Phew! Ganamos la cansancia! Que día con mi papa!
Hasta pronto!
Climbing Classics
A wise man once said nothing. So, suffice it to say, my father and i have spent three stupendously summery days sending some of the Northeast's super duper uber classic climbs. I'll get wise and just show you the pictures, how's that?!
Mike, atop Thin Air ***, 5.6, 4 pitches, 300ft.!
Nate enjoying some exposure on Thin Air's third pitch!
Mike running it out comfortably on Upper Refuse, 5.5 R.
Mike nearing the end of his ~2000ft., 3-day climbing trip with another smooth lead!
Mike smiles after belaying me up our last of 18 pitches in 3 days! Just a scramble to the tourist lookout and a hike down remain! And perhaps one more bike ride...
In other news, Mike treated me to a superb, inspirational dinner out at Nakonping Restaurant in North Conway on our second day, where we both enjoyed a well-spiced Thai Curry, mine with peanuts, pineapple, potato, and tofu! Great stuff if you're in the area!
More soon! Cheers,
-Nate
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