LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 34 The next pitch was quite a funny lead. I went up look- ing for a chimney, and chimney I found. Fritz wasn't a large man and I am not a small man, and I essentially got stuck in the chimney. I clipped a piece down low and another lucky piton and didn't need any more pro as I literally do not think I could have fallen out of this thing. Somehow I believe Noah navigated this more gracefully than I. He led us across the "3rd class" traverse which was one of the most exposed pitches of the day and sent me up the last pitch to the summit. This pitch had us at the tops of the trees and just get- ting a hint of the view we were in for of the High Peaks from the summit above us. I've never climbed 5.2 be- fore but I have hiked up Saddleback and they are pretty similar. We made it to the summit for sunset. The ma- jority of the day was behind us and a long bike ahead of us. Biking Rooster Comb to Pitchof f On to the most anticipated section of the bike, up Cascade Pass. Gaining 1500' in about 5 miles. Thank- fully we had a few miles of flat riding and Stewarts to fuel up at on the way. With pizza down and full bottles, Noah led the way up Cascade Pass where we had our only real close call of the day as a car was swerving its way down the road, coming eerily close to us. Thankful- ly nothing more came of that encounter and we ped- aled on to Pitchoff where we found Blaine and Ethan! Blaine is a regular adventure partner of Noah and my- self, and Ethan is Noah's brother who had just moved up the the Adirondacks. They were stoked and had cof- fee, homemade bars, and more pizza. These days are always more fun with the awesome support that always happens in the 'dacks. Needless to say the coffee went down first and fast. With cheers from all 4 of us we headed up to our last climb at 11 at night, a cliff we had passed that morning, 19 hours before. Great Chimney, Pitchof f Clif f (5.6) (FA Fritz Wiessner, Jim Goodwin) (2p) - Onsight for us We made it back. More or less, this was a victory lap for us by this time of the day. We started the route at about 10:30 PM. Noah took the lead on this last route and last pitch on the route which was his brainchild that we did on his birthday. Thats right, I haven't mentioned that at all yet but this was all taking place on Noah's birthday. Can you imagine a better way to spend the day? He flew up and before I knew it I was following in the footsteps of Noah, Fritz, and so many other climbers who have come before us; and maybe even leading the next group after us to bike, hike and climb the Fritz Tra- verse. In true Fritz fashion, this last route had it all. A big weird chockstone, stemming, mantling, and some grunting. Hour 20 and pitch number 16 of the day. We sat together under the stars at the top of the Pi- tchoff Cliff, stoked, tired, and thankful to live where we live. Rappelled in the dark, and it was back on the bikes for just a little longer. Biking Pitchof f back home Our last 10 miles felt like a victory lap. The bike was smooth and fast with the road to ourselves. We passed personal landmarks and memories and made it into town and home. As I am writing this I'm reminded of how thankful I am to have these kinds of adventures and amazing days so available. We biked right from our homes (or 2 miles away in my case) to do this day. I know this is just one of endless amazing opportunities we have here and can't wait for the next one. Perhaps a ski linkup of early ice routes? We shall see. For now, I am thankful for Fritz. Through a lifetime of climbing all over the world, from the Himalayas to Lake Placid, he put in endless hours questing through the forests of the Adirondacks finding cliffs, routes, and paving the way. If you are interested to learn more about the his- tory of climbing in the Adirondacks two resources may be Phil Brown's pieces written for the Adirondack Ex- plorer and information found in Jim Lawyer and Jeremy Haas' Guide Books Adirondack Rock 1 and 2. This was my favorite day. If you are interested, take it on yourself. If you are stoked, make up your own. If you want to climb, send it. Have a great adventure out there. t Above: Noah and Jake celebrate at the top of their final route, the Great Chimney on Pitchoff Cliff. Photo credit: Jake Handerhan Right: Will roth free-solos the slab above the chimney pitch of Empress at Chapel Pond. Photo credit: Phil Brown

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