Before Irene's flood... and after
Pam trains for a trip to the Alps on the uber-classic Quadrophenia, Hurricane Mt.
For starters, it's deja-vu time all over again. We've both been travelling a lot this summer- myself away guiding in the Tetons and Mt. Baker and Emilie away on a women's expedition to the eastern Karakoram in India (see blog archives.) As I climb routes I may not have done in the least year- or three- I find myself fondly recalling my formative days in the 90's climbing and guiding around here as I learned the mountain guide's trade. I knew the moves and the gear of all of the classic routes- piece by piece and move by move. The mileage and familiarity with the Adirondack terrain that I developed during those years forged an intimate relationship with the region that still anchors me here today. As much as I enjoy many of the great mountain towns, from Keene Valley to Talkeetna to Chamonix- when I return I'm always reminded of how special this place can be. A thousand foot day of padding up crisp anorthosite slabs followed by a late afternoon swim in the cool clear waters of Chapel Pond- is just classically Adirondack- and what summer is supposed to be all about.
Before Irene, in late August- while Emilie, Janet and Kirsten were still away peak bagging first ascents in India, I enjoyed some good days with many of our regular guests looking to squeeze some climbing time into the last few weeks of their annual summer vacation in the Adirondacks.
The Sengles came over from Vermont for a full day of introductory rock climbing before everyone headed off to school and work. The engineering and design genes run strong in this family, and they took to both the climbing and the technical side of climbing remarkably quickly. For those who might think that rock climbing is all about hanging from your fingertips on overhanging terrain, this video shows that good climbing begins with good footwork. By the end of the day the entire family - together with me as one team of 5! - followed a full pitch at King Philip's Spring Wall- with Maria and Jackson following first and then belaying Ed and Henry while they followed and removed protection.
Andrew took a different tactic on his week vacation, slipping away (with permission!) from his wife, baby and in-laws for a morning of multi-pitch crack climbing at Pitchoff Chimney Cliff. After cruising Pete's Farewell, we rappeled into the last pitch of the classic El handcrack. This was Andrew's first day of multi-pitch climbing, but you can see how a few days a week in the climbing gym can go a long way toward making the most of a morning out on real rock.
Emilie returned safe and sound from India, but there was no rest for the weary as she and Janet rolled into town literally just in time for the first annual Chicks Rock Girly Gathering here in Keene Valley. Emilie and Janet joined 'Head Chick' Kim Reynolds and local guides and hosts Lori, Jenny, Andrea and Naomi for a full weekend of climbing, picnicing, and girly talk. Not being a girl- I stayed out of it- but I hear that great fun was had by all, and we look forward to hosting more Chicks Rock / Chicks With Picks events in the future. Many thanks to Sterling Ropes for helping make this happen!
But then, 'Hurricane' turned 'Tropical Storm' Irene showed up as forecasted, but instead of hurricane winds we got monsoon rains. Heavy and thick rain like you can't believe. We collected over 10" in under 24 hours up at our home- which is high and dry on a hillside plateau- but in the valley bottoms along the east branch of the Ausable River- where all of that water was collecetd and funnelled by the eastern High Peaks- the flash flooding was intense. I was working in the meeting room at the Mountaineer, and at about 4:30pm on Sunday- after watching John's Brook rise several feet in almost as many minutes- we all agreed that it was time to get out of the valley- and fast. I shot a few video clips on my way out of town as the water surged (mostly) around the Mountaineer store and rebounded directly into the path of several houses, DEC Ranger Charlie Platt's home, the Garage Sale building (and Cloudsplitter's basecamp) and McDonough's Valley Hardware, and on through many, many more homes- including that of our friends and fellow backcountry skiers the Cook family- before running down Rt. 73 towards Marcy field.
Not surprisingly, the carnage continued as the river gained volume downstream- and tributaries like Gulf Brook in Keene knocked the back of the fire house off and demolished everything downstream in Keene- including part of several more homes, including filling Wake Up Call- our local espresso shop run by fellow climbers JJ and Andrea- with several feet of mud. Downvalley- it only got worse- with bridges and roads completely destroyed on 9N between Keene and Upper Jay. In short- homes in Keene Valley were filled with mud, homes in Keene were knocked apart, and homes in Upper Jay - including the remaining structures of the "land of Make Believe' - were obliterated into pieces or pushed far downtream. Fortunately the new auto bridge and rebuilt historic bridge in Jay survived the flood- only because they are WAY high above the river- it's scary to imagine water high enough there to actually run over the bridge deck- which it did.
By now you've probably heard the media reports, and much of Vermont was equally devastated. We are really lucky that no one was seriosuly injured. Many residents lost their homes or suffered inconceivable damage, so we really can't complain. We did lose a bunch of gear outright (eg avalanche transceivers), or may be forced to discard if we can't get it clean enough (e.g. mountain boots, harnesses, helmets....). The bigger concern is the effect on tourism this fall, and maybe this winter too- especially with Rt. 73 closed to I-87 and the Chapel Pond corridor closed to all traffic on vehicle and foot.
As impressive as the destruction was though, it was equally impressive to watch a community of handy and capable people rally IMMEDIATELY to control the damage and start cleaning up the mess. By the time I could make it to Keene Valley on Monday (via several seasonal dirt roads) there were at least a hundred people in Keene and Keene Valley (each) diving right in- collecting strewn debris, ripping out carpets, draining flooded basements, shovelling mud and cleaning and drying anything that was mud-caked but salvageable. For a few blessedly sunny and clear days we put everything else on hold- like everyone did- and set to work on the obvious and immediate tasks of cleaning debris, shoveling mud and taking care of all of the mud-caked items. Since then we've settled into a longer term rythym and taking stock of the impacts.
To be honest, it made me proud to be a part of this community, and was yet another 'deja-vu' moment, reminding me how and why this place and this community has been an anchor for me as a home, no matter where else I may roam.
And of course- the show must go on! Ironically, Craig and Stephen had settled on a cabin rental in Elizabethtown for their week vacation as Keene Valley was all booked up. This proved to be incredibly fortuitous- as the roads to Elizabethtown and Poke-O-Moonshine were relatively unscathed. We enjoyed two great days of classic multi-pitch climbing at Poke-O-Moonshine Mt. and Hurricane Mt- and had the place pretty much to ourselves. Sometimes you just get lucky! (even if I missed out on any good video- sorry guys, luck only goes so far :-)
And last (Labor Day) weekend - less than a week after the Hurricane- when most people chose to avoid the mess and/or hunker down and clean up at home, our long-time friend and guest Domenic rallied down from Montreal to push his limits at Poke-O-Moonshine. Apparently the winds were higher in the valley- there are some BIG trees down in the campground- but the cliff is unscathed. Admittedly the humidity was a little intense- and nothing comes easy at Poke-O- but we had the chance to climb a few of the classic cracks that I hadn't been on in a while. Bloody Mary was put up by John Turner (from Montreal, just like Dom!) in 1958 and for almost 15 years was the hardest route in the region. Never totally desperate, but continuously sustained, Bloody Mary is classic Adirondacks- where 5.9+ is shorthand for what would be rated mid-5.10 anywhere else!
What about the Slides? So while the Chapel Pond area is temporarily closed for climbing, there's plenty to climb at Pitchoff, Hurricane and Poke-O-Mooshine and lots more scattered gems that are stiil accessible. But the story doesn't end there. For those in the know about the Adirondack backcountry climbing and skiing- there are dozens of new slidepaths in the High Peaks, where the shallow soils failed and crashed down the drainages in the deluge- leaving new clean slabs in some places and opening up many existing slides. Drew (from the Mountaineer and author of adkbcski.com) took a scenic flight out of the Lake Placid airport - which is totally worth it and highly reccomended) and documented a few of the most obvious slides. Drew published a Slide Guide a few years ago, providing an aerial overview of the High Peaks and opening the door to some of the East's most challenging backcountry terrain. It is going to take some time to sort out damaged trailheads, bridges, stream crossings and debris piles, but- just as in the storm that created the Eagle Slide on Giant in the 30's created a host of new backcountry mountaineering objectives, Irene has opened a whole new playing field in the High Peaks.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Rock season is certainly not over- in fact the fall is just getting underway. We'll be here guiding through Columbus Day weekend (at least.) If you want to take advantage of low crowds, renewed availability and deals at lodges & campgrounds, discounted merchandise at stores like the Mountaineer, and contribute to the recovery of our small mountain town- then by all means- come on up and let's go climbing!
If the imminent arrival of cooler weather is getting you down, and you need one last blast of sunny, dry weather- then I have limited availability for private guiding in Red Rocks (outside of Vegas, so travel is cheap if you don't gamble!) in late September and early-mid October. Contact Jesse for more information.
Or maybe you've got your hands full at home and a trip to the Adirondacks is just not in the cards this fall. Then there's always winter. As usual, we'll be mountaineering, ice and mixed climbing as soon as things freeze up (usually by Thanksgiving /Dec 1) and skiing in the backcountry as snowfall allows (dependably Feb-Mar is the best window). When it snows, there's going to be A LOT of new backcountry terrain to explore out there.
WHAT"S THE BEST WAY TO HELP OUT WITH THE RECOVERY?
1. Come visit for fall rock climbing, hiking or just plain relaxing. Or make plans to come this winter! A deposit now helps guarantee our availability and will help guarantee you get the most out of your day(s) in the mountains. Deposits are also a good way to maintain some scheduling priority for your personal playtime. It's hard to stress about work when you're focused intently on that pitch of rock or ice that's right in front of your face!
2. Follow the links above to help out local climbers (Wake Up Call) and backcountry skiers (the Cook family) whose businesses and homes were damaged in the flood.
3. Contribute to the Keene Community Fund and the Adirondack Community Trust as they provide financial support for the community rebuilding.
4. If you can handle some seriously physical labor, contact the folks at the Mountaineer. They've got three buildings whose basement/crawlspaces are literally filled to the brim with mud. They are working on arranging a 'bucket brigade' day. Bring gloves, shovels, buckets and a respirator- and a willingness to do battle with the mud.
And lastly- many THANKS to everyone whe reached out to check up on us after hearing of the disaster. If you're reading this then it's likely that you also think the Adirondacks are a special place- and as the sign in front of the Keene Town Hall says- 'We're all in this together!'
-Jesse
