Відео

Thanks. You go down the Lake Road then up over Pyramid. The bushwhack starts there off the W side. A VERY steep drainage leads down and you exit at the bottom of the slab.

I always have 3 points of contact in case of a foot slip. I was at the bottom there. My solo limit is about grade 3+ if I feel good. More vertical and I'm roped and leading with screws. I've learned my limits from hundreds of slide climbs and know where not to surpass. So...I actually don't seek a rush or thrill so much as a sense of calm and appreciation. It's an emersion in the experience that I seek, not how close I an push limits. But all said, this is a tame climb compared to others in the area though a slip would certainly have consequences.

Glad you're enjoying! It's an 8 mile walk to some of the routes, the trap dike is a bit over 5. Once completed we take the respective trail back or bushwhack back to it then take it back to the trailhead.

It was quite the long rescue with some wild logistics. Thanks for commenting!

I know, right! I've been watching it for 5 year in 4 months and that was the 2nd best I've seen it. I was happy to have the bottom 1/3 and top 1/3 "in." :)

You'd have fun. It looks like you have the long dayhike part dialed in!

No snow base. There are areas of thin (less than 1") ice and it's about 50% snow over bare rock. We were on both. It's the sketchiest GNF outing I've had to date. There's no snow base anywhere yet.

Just seeing this. It was just ice and rock with a little non-consolidated snow here and there. Conditions are probably similar now with last week's warmup and the warmup coming. Some of the slides were pure ice like Bennies, but again, it was pretty warm.

That's about right! I'm actually uploading a similar one in a few minutes from this past Saturday...just alot less ice.

Laughing!!

Thanks. It was hero ice on the route...lots of fun, but the sun was too high so overhead objective dangers at the base were an issue.

Thanks. 5.8+. We did it a couple weeks ago on ice and it goes at WI5/M5 as well...the latest vid.

Thank you. Sometimes the 10mm makes it a little too steep looking, but this turned out pretty true to life. Good times out there!

My thanks! It's brutal bushwhack up there for the most part. I've traversed over most of the Marcy cliffs trying different strategies for approaches and the tightest tree-growth is above them, not at their base. Even over the East Face, it involves as much crawling as walking. The only slide you'd intersect doing that on the Marcy side is Grand Central...the big one. Tree growth on the Haystack is even worse IMO.

Kevin MacKenzie Thanks for the info!!! I figured you’d have a lot of experience in this area. Oddly I’m a glutton for punishment, the rougher and more remote the bushwhack the better but I’m rethinking my ramblings in and around the Gorge. I’ll have to do a deep dive on my maps later on. Thanks again!

@@phillipg7315 I'm the same. I've taken over 50 trips in there, so I've gotten my head around it--hence my book. It's a wild area for sure, but it's easy to get cliffed out in some areas.

Kevin MacKenzie I’m actually using some of your resources for my planning. Thanks for all that you do and contribute!

@@phillipg7315 My pleasure. Email/FB message me if you have any questions.

If you're unprepared, yes. I've been out pretty much every weekend since 2004 (I live here) so while I made plenty of mistakes, I learned much about the weather, technique, layering, hydration, food, internal dialog (gut feelings) etc. They all work together to create a safe outing. I'm also a volunteer on the high angle rescue team for NYS and I'd never live it down if I got hurn ;)

My thanks. This was a good if not chilly memory.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier (8 months ago). I hope you got on something interesting this past summer! And ice climbing is quite incredible. I hope you're able to experience it

My thanks!

Yeah, it's a bit 'thrashy' in there :)

The summit was lovely actually. I've been up there so many times in these conditions that, with proper gear, it doesn't phase me...just makes me curious (for fun!).

Nice! It just kinda skipped from the stairs back to the castle so I wasn't sure if you said "heck with it!" since you have been there so many times. I really enjoy your articles & am glad that YT suggested your videos the other day!

It's a regularly climbed route so there's a rappel ring at the top. We tie the ropes together, make sure we know which side the knot is on, then pull once we're down at the bottom.

Many thanks. We appreciate it!

Yeah, there isn't a windscreen on the SLR...

It is an interesting area. Basically, yes below the cliff.

I've wondered into what I recall as a boulder field there but never poked around in the cracks. (that's what she said).