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PHOTOGRAPHS
ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS
Prior Panther Gorge Trips
I realize that most people measure “a long time” in years when talking about visiting an area or mountain. I tend to measure it in months when it comes to specific areas. Those who know me realize where I’m taking this: Panther Gorge. The last trip was in February and I felt the calling to surround myself with singing birds and rugged cliffs in a remote setting away from the distractions of life.
My wife noticed my tension building over the last several weeks; a tension only relieved by long strenuous days building on a dream that began in 2012. The snow and ice was largely gone and we hoped the rock was dry enough to eek out a new route. Thus we began rock climbing season 2016. Every trip is memorable in its unique way, but this rates among the most relaxing I’ve experienced.
My season’s wish list contains about a dozen unclimbed lines some of which include those discovered by Adam Crofoot and Bill Schneider. Others I found during prior outings or by studying hundreds of beta photographs.
The long range weather forecast seemed unstable leading up to May 28. Waiting for perfect weather is fine in some instances, but I’ve found that I often miss out on opportunities that way. The probability of storms was 90% the previous Monday, but had decreased by Friday so we rolled the dice. Our odds in the past have been good. We’ve only been turned back a couple times.
Our stakes were a little higher this time. Adam and I were bringing Alan Wechsler, a friend/climber/journalist along for the ride. He hoped to participate in a first accent and walk away with photographs and a story for an upcoming issue of Adirondack Explorer. In hopes of beating any possible storms I suggested that we meet at 4:00 a.m. in Keene Valley. Thus I awoke at 3:20 a.m. and switched into high gear to make my self-imposed deadline. We began walking from the Garden soon after. I felt surprisingly awake during the approach as Alan intermittently interviewed us while walking.
We began the traditional bushwhack from the Marcy/Haystack col at 8:30 a.m. Our first target was on the Agharta Wall, about ¾ of the way down Marcy’s north end. One of our hopeful lines was running with water, but it was not a waterfall as it has been during previous visits. I had several backup lines in my pocket, one of which was perfectly dry and positioned to the left of a huge overhanging buttress to the left of the wall (adjacent to Matt Dobb’s 2016 variation of the Agharta ice route). Adam scoped the possibilities as Alan and I trekked south to explore the seepage (if any) on another line. It looked possible, but slightly wet.
After discussion we decided to give the Agharta Wall option a try. I was belaying Adam by 9:45 am. and the “game” was on. It felt good to be doing what we love to do. I knew this line followed a right facing corner formed by a huge detached flake of anorthosite. The details were unknown and, like anything not observed first-hand, held surprises. Most of the rock in the gorge is quite clean so we don’t bring brushes, but loose blocks are always possible and we often find them.
Adam worked his way up the right-facing corner tapping on some stone that answered with a ring. He tossed or deposited small loose stones in recesses or tossed them to the side. Once above a grungy corner, the line was clean and followed a deep hand-crack to its termination atop a pinnacle left of an overhanging series of cracks—a flared chimney, a handcrack and a vertical finger crack. Our route would follow the latter. Meanwhile, Alan photographed from the north.
ABOVE, ADAM CROFOOT LEADS. BELOW, ALAN WECHSLER FOLLOWS P1 OF PIONEER ANOMALY.
Adam set up an anchor and Alan began to climb, happy to be free of a light swarm of blackflies—they weren’t biting, only annoying. He wanted to climb next to photograph from above. Once at the top, the small ledge was more conducive to Adam playing the role of photographer while Alan belayed. It felt good to climb the sharp anorthosite. I climbed pass some loose stone in the corner and arrived at the area that Adam tapped earlier.
The huge flake resounded like a bell when I thumped it...disconcerting, but it was interlocked with much larger flakes. The handcrack above swallowed my hand and the edge of the 60’ flake was sharp and fun to climb. I was thrilled with the quality of the climb. I crawled up onto the belay ledge below a vertical wall, the next challenge. Adam had built the anchor in the vertical finger crack, the beginning of pitch 2. Our CrazyDog’s Halo line from 2014 was located about 20’ to our left. This, however, was an entirely different line and the climbing was different. The wall was getting more crowded with routes and keeping them independent required forethought and planning.
Meanwhile, on the ledge Alan was in a partially hanging belay and I was seated overlooking Haystack. Adam led on; he began pitch 2 by climbing the fingercrack. The clouds passed by and silhouetted his form. A small cumulous cloud threatened from the east over Haystack. We watched it closely since the wind shifted and stray showers or storms were possible.
THE OVERHANGING BUTTRESS
ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS
Prior Panther Gorge Trips
- Grand Central Slide (w/Mark Lowell)
- Grand Central Slide Descent, up the Margin Slide & Skylight Bushwhack (w/Greg Kadlecik)
- Marcy to Haystack Bushwhack with Great Range Traverse-Great DeRanged Traverse(w/Greg Kadlecik)
- Marcy East Face Circumnavigation (w/Ranger Scott van Laer)-2013 Aug 24
- Marcy: Ranger on the Rock-East Face Slab (w/Anthony Seidita)-2013 Sep 6
- Haystack Slides and Haycrack Route-Day 3 of 4 days in the gorge (w/Anthony Seidita)-2014 May 1
- Haystack: All Things Holy (w/Adam Crofoot)-2014 Jul 12
- Marcy & Haystack: New Routes on the Agharta Wall & a Pillar on Haystack-Wreck of the Lichen Fitzgerald & For Whom the Lichen Tolls (w/Adam Crofoot)-2014 Aug 16
- Marcy: New on the Agharta Wall-CrazyDog’s Halo & Watery Grave (w/Adam Crofoot)-2014 Sep 27
- A Snowy Panther Gorge Bushwhack (w/Adam Crofoot)-2014 Dec
- Marcy: A New Ice Route – Pi Day (w/Adam Crofoot & Anthony Seidita)-2015 Mar 14
- Haystack: 3 New Routes in a New Area (the Ramp Wall) (w/Allison Rooney and Adam Crofoot)-2015 May 30
- Marcy’s Panther Den Wall: Cat on a Wet Tin Roof (w/Bill Schneider)-2015 Jun 14
- Rumours of War: Opening a New Area—the Huge Scoop (w/Hunter Lombardi)-2015 Jul 11
- New on the Feline Wall: Kitten's Got Claws (w/Justin Thalheimer)-2015 Aug 1
- Not Every Trip to the Gorge is Perfect –No Route, but a Good Day (w/Bill Schneider)-2015 Aug 16
- Marcy Huge Scoop: The Pride (w/Bill Schneider and Adam Crofoot)-2015 Aug 30.
- Feline Wall: Promised Land (w/Dan Plumley)-2015 Sept 19.
- Tour de Gorge (w/Adam Crofoot & Allison Rooney)-2015 Nov 21.
- Marcy's Panther Den Wall Ice Route: By Tooth and Claw (WI4) (w/Bill Schneider & Devin Farkas)-2016 Jan 30.
- Haystack Ice Climbs-Orson's Tower (WI3+) and Fly By (WI3) (w/Nolan Huther)-2016 March 5.
I realize that most people measure “a long time” in years when talking about visiting an area or mountain. I tend to measure it in months when it comes to specific areas. Those who know me realize where I’m taking this: Panther Gorge. The last trip was in February and I felt the calling to surround myself with singing birds and rugged cliffs in a remote setting away from the distractions of life.
My wife noticed my tension building over the last several weeks; a tension only relieved by long strenuous days building on a dream that began in 2012. The snow and ice was largely gone and we hoped the rock was dry enough to eek out a new route. Thus we began rock climbing season 2016. Every trip is memorable in its unique way, but this rates among the most relaxing I’ve experienced.
My season’s wish list contains about a dozen unclimbed lines some of which include those discovered by Adam Crofoot and Bill Schneider. Others I found during prior outings or by studying hundreds of beta photographs.
The long range weather forecast seemed unstable leading up to May 28. Waiting for perfect weather is fine in some instances, but I’ve found that I often miss out on opportunities that way. The probability of storms was 90% the previous Monday, but had decreased by Friday so we rolled the dice. Our odds in the past have been good. We’ve only been turned back a couple times.
Our stakes were a little higher this time. Adam and I were bringing Alan Wechsler, a friend/climber/journalist along for the ride. He hoped to participate in a first accent and walk away with photographs and a story for an upcoming issue of Adirondack Explorer. In hopes of beating any possible storms I suggested that we meet at 4:00 a.m. in Keene Valley. Thus I awoke at 3:20 a.m. and switched into high gear to make my self-imposed deadline. We began walking from the Garden soon after. I felt surprisingly awake during the approach as Alan intermittently interviewed us while walking.
We began the traditional bushwhack from the Marcy/Haystack col at 8:30 a.m. Our first target was on the Agharta Wall, about ¾ of the way down Marcy’s north end. One of our hopeful lines was running with water, but it was not a waterfall as it has been during previous visits. I had several backup lines in my pocket, one of which was perfectly dry and positioned to the left of a huge overhanging buttress to the left of the wall (adjacent to Matt Dobb’s 2016 variation of the Agharta ice route). Adam scoped the possibilities as Alan and I trekked south to explore the seepage (if any) on another line. It looked possible, but slightly wet.
After discussion we decided to give the Agharta Wall option a try. I was belaying Adam by 9:45 am. and the “game” was on. It felt good to be doing what we love to do. I knew this line followed a right facing corner formed by a huge detached flake of anorthosite. The details were unknown and, like anything not observed first-hand, held surprises. Most of the rock in the gorge is quite clean so we don’t bring brushes, but loose blocks are always possible and we often find them.
Adam worked his way up the right-facing corner tapping on some stone that answered with a ring. He tossed or deposited small loose stones in recesses or tossed them to the side. Once above a grungy corner, the line was clean and followed a deep hand-crack to its termination atop a pinnacle left of an overhanging series of cracks—a flared chimney, a handcrack and a vertical finger crack. Our route would follow the latter. Meanwhile, Alan photographed from the north.
ABOVE, ADAM CROFOOT LEADS. BELOW, ALAN WECHSLER FOLLOWS P1 OF PIONEER ANOMALY.
Adam set up an anchor and Alan began to climb, happy to be free of a light swarm of blackflies—they weren’t biting, only annoying. He wanted to climb next to photograph from above. Once at the top, the small ledge was more conducive to Adam playing the role of photographer while Alan belayed. It felt good to climb the sharp anorthosite. I climbed pass some loose stone in the corner and arrived at the area that Adam tapped earlier.
The huge flake resounded like a bell when I thumped it...disconcerting, but it was interlocked with much larger flakes. The handcrack above swallowed my hand and the edge of the 60’ flake was sharp and fun to climb. I was thrilled with the quality of the climb. I crawled up onto the belay ledge below a vertical wall, the next challenge. Adam had built the anchor in the vertical finger crack, the beginning of pitch 2. Our CrazyDog’s Halo line from 2014 was located about 20’ to our left. This, however, was an entirely different line and the climbing was different. The wall was getting more crowded with routes and keeping them independent required forethought and planning.
Meanwhile, on the ledge Alan was in a partially hanging belay and I was seated overlooking Haystack. Adam led on; he began pitch 2 by climbing the fingercrack. The clouds passed by and silhouetted his form. A small cumulous cloud threatened from the east over Haystack. We watched it closely since the wind shifted and stray showers or storms were possible.
THE OVERHANGING BUTTRESS
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