New Hampshire 2010

As the Mid-Atlantic was getting pounded by snow storms, some friends and I were in New Hampshire spending our days ice climbing and playing on Mount Washington and the surrounding valley.  The weather patterns around Christmas were beautifully dumping loads of snow in New England around Christmas, but by the middle of Jan, all of the systems hitting Boston south to DC & Richmond were being held away from NH by various high pressures that seemed to park in just the right place.  North Conway had only 4-6 inches of snow on the ground when we were there... way less than I've normally seen during the middle of Feb.


The plus side... less snow on the ground meant less was covering ice flows in the area and the approaches were much more accessible.


This year we had a mixed experience-based again... Big Bro (Ken) & Miss Patti, Erik, T-Bone, Ben, Little Pat, Jason, and myself made up the "vets" and the 4 rookies consisted of Eliz, Jac, Jes, and Lynna.

During our first 3 days, we climbed at: Arethusa Falls (the highest waterfall in NH), Frankenstein Cliffs (House of Blue area beside Hanging Garden), and explored new locations to look at their potential.  Arethusa was cool b/c Big Ken and I are the only two that have ever been there and it's been almost 6 years since our last visit.  Everyone got to experience climbs of grades more difficult than we've normally hit during the first day in the past.  House of Blue is fun and let many of the rookies get runs on some easier lines... some almost considered it too easy, yet that day was also more about learning to manage oneself in winter conditions.

Arethusa

House of Blue

Day 3 was a mixed bag... T-Bone and Ben made a great, classic run up Landslide Gully (an all day affair) which tops out on Mt. Webster along the Appalachian Trail and swings back to the parking lot near the Willey House (the origin of the slogan "A Case of the Willey's").  I was really pumped that they pulled it off so well.  Our bunch found some interesting ice... an awesome, free-hanging, sweeping 'cicle off the northeastern side of Mt Willard. But, we didn't venture far... a "weather window" was forming on Mt. Washington.  (Still we got in a sunset ice climb on Cathedral!) Even better -- that window could open for as much as 2 days!

The Ladies following E & I

Coiling ropes

With the forecast in hand that afternoon, the window would begin opening as "normal" Washington summit weather sometime late morning to early afternoon on Monday and we'd need to be in place for the run.  That meant a true alpine start! We readied everyone and rounded the breakfast table @ 3AM on Monday morning, made the drive to Pinkham, and were on the trail by 4:45AM.  The temps were still in the single digits and the winds were blowing around 45mph down low. The low pressure nearby was forecast to move off-shore, temps & winds up high would move into the single digits and into the 15-30mph range... classic winter weather above treeline.


For most of the early morning we moved up the Tucks trail via headlamp and hit the "little Lions Head headwall" shortly after sunrise.  I scurried up the trail to just below treeline, Erik and I discussed the circumstances and made the call -- whiteout up high in the summit ridge -- and turned the group around.  Erik took the group over to the Tucks ski hut while Little Pat and I ran over to take a look at Huntingtons, where we ran into T-Bone and Ben going in for their own look.

Tucks in Whiteout

Though a little disappointed by another foiled attempt, it was another great day getting folks up early, motivated, and seeing them manage themselves and the conditions well.  Never take that for granted... for when you do, you'll find yourself part of a group that has one or more folks in need of "rescue" by the rest of your party or even assistance from another party.  Erik, Ken, and I have had a wealth of experiences over the years assisting other parties that ran into bad luck or got in over their heads and made bad decisions.  We've made conscious efforts not to "be that group", even if it meant putting aside our own personal capabilities many times.  I'd rather be empty-handed than living with the idea that a friend got hurt b/c of a decision to go into a situation I was largely responsible for getting them into.


Well, the years of "investing into the good choice bank" finally paid off... when we got home and did some more homework... we realized the high pressure system would hang out and the weather window would indeed stick around.  THIS TIME, with weather that only typically occurs on the summit once every season at best!  Don't get cozy folks, repack the bags if you want a shot b/c Tues IS the day to go all out!


Most of the group was spent and decided they would hit Cathedral with a less intense day out following our alpine start day. But E, Little Pat, Jac, Lynna, and I decided that we would make a second run with such a perfect setup.  T-Bone decided that he'd take a shot at a traverse of the Presidentials from Crawford Notch to Washington. None of us couldn't have chosen a better day!  Hit the trail @ 11AM and at Lions Head @ 2PM.  Crystal clear bluebird skies w/ 0-4mph winds and temps around 25-28 degrees... This seemed almost like cheating on a final exam in college!  As we hit the summit cone snow field, the ladies were wearing out, so E & I talked.  We decided I'd make a run for it and they would turn soon.

Approach

Jac & I on the trail

Alpine Garden

Summit snowfield

Looking West

That hour solo up the summit ridge seemed like it took forever.  My bg @ Lions Head had been 138, I'd taken 1u, and eaten about 45g of carbs (basals were on a -40% reduction).  The icy footing and angle forced me to French step almost the entire way.  I was tired and hungry, and because I was solo, the whole experience was both surreal and lonely.  As many years as we'd brought people and made attempts at getting up, and here I was finally without anyone else to really experience it with...  You could see forever... (The summit observatory was reporting 100 mile visibility!)  I could very well imagine what it would be like up here on a "normal" day.  I got in one picture on the top just before the batteries died in the camera, and again it all just seemed surreal. 3:30pm summit!

Approaching Summit

Observatory @ the Top

This is where my mind really began to wander to events of the week...  Not long after we'd arrived, I'd gotten word that Jesse Alswager, a 13yr old with Type 1, had died due to complications.  I didn't know Jesse, but I knew of his mom Michelle. What I did know of Jesse though had always made me want to meet him.

I struggled that week leading up to this second Washington attempt.  The Alswager family was constantly in my mind.  "Why?" you ask.  Well, New Hamp is where I took my first giant leap into "athletic endeavors" in extreme environments.  As timing would have it, my first year in New Hampshire... when my learning curve for managing in adventure settings was steepest... was the year of Jesse's diagnosis (@ age 3).  This year, 2010, marks Jesse's 10yr dx'd anniversary and my 15th. 
Read Jesse's story... http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessealswager

Jesse was also an avid snowboarder having a great friend in pro snowboarder Sean Busby. Like Jesse, I have a great affinity for cold, snow, ice, and mountains, among other things.  It was hard to fathom & process how ironic the circumstances of the week were.  Jesse had been just under a month shy of 10 years since his dx, and here I was on top of Washington after 10 years of chasing this thing... and the conditions! 

Physically I was tired.  Emotionally I was struggling.  Mentally I was scattered.  And then a thought crossed my mind which brought a smile to my face... without realizing it really, aloud I said, "Jesse, you'd have liked it up here today.  Thanks buddy."

It was like someone hit the reset button.  Everything just lifted and cleared.  My next thoughts were of getting down to meet E and the ladies on their way down, and then to keeping a look-out for T-Bone coming across the ridgeline from Eisenhower's direction.  I met the group right above the little headwall on the L-Head winter trail after a quick stop at Lion's Head to eat again (bg was 78) and change clothes.  No sign of T-Bone at that point, but he really wasn't too far behind me -- he summitted Washington @ a little after 5PM.

Jac's picture coming down

We "sprinted" down the mountain that afternoon, back to the house where Miss Patti had an awesome dinner waiting for us... and of course, Big Ken had our infamous "Margarita Night" ready and waiting.  It was a trip I'll not soon forget... in mind or heart.

Godspeed Jesse...  Your buddy --J