New England Ice Climbing, 7-9 January 2000
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Don Bensman, obscured by shadow and belayed by Robert Frost, climbs the overhanging mixed portion of the first pitch on Hitchcock Gully - certainly the crux. After Don followed Rob up there was essentially no good ice left for me as I seconded (or thirded) this pitch. The one time I came close to falling was just below the mixed ice and rock on this pitch. There was one period on this section for about 10 seconds where I literally had no points in ice or on rock. I couldn't talk my body into confronting gravity as it was a very awkward position, swinging out right over an exposed angle of jutting rock, then angling up left under a roof without any holds to speak of. I really had to work to get my body to friction up essentially blank 60-degree rock (because the ice had been beaten to death) to the very small holds leading to the belay.
So yeah, it was fun. |
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