Jarod and I met through coincidence. Last season I had posted some ice conditions at
Stonehouse Pond on the NEIce.com forum. Jarod lives 15 minutes away. As a result we swapped info but no climbing ever materialized. Months later in themiddle of summer I was taking a friend top-roping at Pawtuckaway. Two other climbers in the parking lot asked us how to get to the cliffs. We decided to all walk in together and this is when Jarod and I first met in person. At the cliffs we went our separate ways but again said we would meet up for ice season. His word was as good as mine and December 30th we set out to climb Frankenstein’s most standard route—the Standard Route.
Across the trestle we went. Standard route, first climbed by Streibert and Merritt in 1971, is a moderate route typically done in two pitches. Jarod and I ro-sham-bo’d and
I would lead up into the cave and he would take over for the second pitch. Fresh snow covered the lower angled ice. Beneath it was some onion-skin crap I had to break apart in order to stab the solid blue beneath. It was nowhere as near as bad as Arethusa the week before so I placed a screw and moved on.
Once at the belay station my perception transformed. Earlier I was just trying to give a good impression, not unlike a sweaty-palmed teen on a first date. Now that I was inside the cave on Standard I had a view of 302 and Crawford Notch. The lightly falling flakes made my world seem like the inside of a snow globe. From the fixed belay I looked down to see Jarod climbing up wearing a similar grin. This was the place to be.
Jarod took a right exit from the cave, a slight deviation from standard. Minutes later my end of the rope came tight with a good tug. It was time to pack away the belay and leave the shelter of my cave for the unknown ice above. I followed Jarod’s pick holes, removed the gear along the way, and met him up on top of the cliff. Tied into a tree not quite on top there was still some ice left to be climbed on the upper tier. A third mini-pitch was in order and I climbed on with all my faith left in my new partner. We descended the next gully over beyond the hanging gardens.
We had a few other climbs in mind for the rest of the day so we retrieved our
packs and pressed on. The third time I met Jarod we climbed a Northeast Classic. As we walked out across the trestle, the amphitheater ice looked thin but not yet ready. I could tell it would soon mature and great things were to come not only for Frankenstein, but for Jarod and myself as well.
Continued in Part III…
climb with crowley 