Mac Pond for Memorial Day

First, I finally sacked up and got on a cliff using only a rope and some cams. Sure it was easy, but I can’t stop thinking about how fun it was; if you’re currently exclusive to falling on pads and bolts (like me), a little trad will definitely add some spice to your life. I would’ve made Ken Nichols proud – my first trad lead went down at Farley Ledge, between bolted face climbs that he probably tried to chop at one point in the name of his personal climbing ethics, and boredom.

It was directly followed by a bolted sport climb.

After my bout with Farley on Saturday morning, I drove up to the Northern Adirondacks to climb on the boulders at McKenzie Pond.  It was my first time there, but Adirondack Rock made parking and finding the boulders an easy task (McKenzie Pond is also included in New England Bouldering, fyi).  After the beautiful drive through Keene Valley, Taylor and I hopped out of the car to check things out, and I proceeded to poop my pants when I saw the boulders – HUGE, solid, granitic Gneiss Anorthosite monoliths in the middle of the woods, offering everything from committing slabs to burly compression arêtes. The friction on the rock was… let’s just say it’s very fricative.  I rushed back to my ride to set up camp before it got too late.

I got an early start Sunday morning after a short sleep marked by boulder-induced insomnia, and worked Flux Capacitor and Magnum back on the third set of boulders.  Despite the near-zero bug level, and the nice breeze, the boulders saw very few visitors, and thus, I was left with my weak little Metolius pad, and no spotters.  When most of the boulders top out around 15-20 feet (half slab), it limits your solo bouldering options.

Memorial day brought many more visitors, despite the warmer temps and the rainy night (the rain dried up by 10AM, and most of the cool problems stay dry).  I met up with the guys from WeekendBouldering, and warmed up on Thrust Fault.  The climb was a pretty shaky way to wake up – the move to the lip off of a slippery left hand crimp was kinda scary to me.  After my left hand slipped just before the crux move to the lip, producing a small blood blister, I decided to give it a rest.  JP stepped up to show me how it was done.  He looked solid going all the way up to the last move when, just as he pushed off and grabbed the lip, his left hand slipped, his body barn-doored away from the pads, and he came to the ground.  Realizing he was okay, we started laughing, and he looked at his hand.

JP: “Oh man, I got a flapper!”

Me (zero hesitation): “Where’s my camera?!”

I slowly became obsessed with Flux, and stubbornly (and unsuccessfully) worked the crux right hand move.  It brings my shortness to full extension… Next session, I’m going to search for some fabled short man beta on the climb.  Oh, and Magnum is sandbagged to hell since the right hand crimp broke some time ago.  Despite this, I worked the first move for about two hours.  The rest of it feels much, much easier.

My McKenzie Pond first impressions:

• Nipple-shearing slab climbs

• Amazing friction
• Classic arêtes
• A ten-second approach hike
• Low bug levels (I think I missed the peak in early May, so I don’t know if it’s always like that)
• Really scary top-outs
• Climbing rubber testing

-NS

P.S. – Either I lost my Adirondack Rock guidebook, or someone picked it up.  If you happen upon this page, and found it, I want it back.  Bad.