Climbers are really an incredible bunch of people. I’ve not met many that I didn’t like immediately. We are generally a quirky bunch…but hey – who cares. We MUST be quirky, if we get our jollies from going up and down a rope on rocks and ice. 🙂 I mean really – – it IS a bit odd … hehe
Today was one of those great days.
We have a climbing forum (a ‘new’ technology lunchroom) where we chat about climbing, make plans about climbing, make fun of our climbing and sometimes post pics of climbing (and yes there is even junior high drama sometimes about climbing 🙂 Climbers are after all human and full of our own opinions (myself included))…but in the end, we are all friends, who enjoy getting outside and getting on rock or ice (or both). Sometimes on our forum (www.climbeasterncanada.com), we get some newbies who are either new to the sport or new to the area (which could be any part of the Atlantic provinces as the forum is for everyone). It’s always nice to meet new climbers!
Kyle falls in the “new to the Atlantic Provinces” category. I’m so glad he posted on CEC (our forum), looking for partners. Greg & I are always eager to show people around the great spots of NB…and today we were finally able to coordinate everyone’s schedule and hit the road to the Waterford area with Kyle.
Being that he is from Nelson, British Columbia, I teased Kyle on the drive to Parlee Brook, about missing all the snow, as being a skier, the lack of snow here in NB this season must be driving him bonkers. I tried to control my teasing to a gentler form of the normal ‘crazy’ Stacey that my friends are exposed to…for now. He’ll get a one day reprieve. So Kyle…you’ve been warned 😉 hehe – it’s all good though, always in good fun.
The hike was great, 30 minutes, uphill… 🙂 thankfully there had been some climbers in on snowshoes who had beaten the snow down, so it wasn’t a crazy post-holing trip. However, we were going into the North Ravine (in behind the cabin)…so then we had some fluffy white stuff to get through…up through the ravine, brought us to Treesicles…
Even though Kyle was used to seeing mountains around as he climbed in the Selkirks of BC, etc. he enjoyed the climbing, and as we moved up and started climbing at the Winter Warmer wall…he felt there was definitely an alpine feel to the area.
We rapped down, and wanted to check out Alpine Squeeze…to see how it had faired now that we had some snow on the ground….LOTS of snow in the snow gully…it was really deep…but thankfully we could stem once we got directly into the gully.
The cave had a little snow at the entrance and at the top, but that didn’t impede the climbing whatsoever. It was a lot of fun!
What a great day! So glad to have met a new climbing friend and happy to welcome him to our climbing community!
How would you spend your ‘random’ Tuesday, if you had the choice?
Life is in the Pictures.... 
I would love to learn rock climbing and I say it over and over again!
Random Tuesdays sounds like lot of fun… I would definitely want to spend it by the beach… I’m not much of a water person, but definitely a sand and sun person! 🙂
Random days of ‘fun’ are always the best…who says we can only enjoy ‘life’ on Saturday & Sundays 🙂 I am definitely a climber by heart, and am looking forward to rock season in the sun 😀
Thanks for the post Stacey. I’d like a whirl on Alpine Squeeze. Looks fun.
Two comments:
1) I really dislike the term noob. Seems like a term invented by someone who thinks quite highly of their own experience. It’s pretty poor way of describing newcomers to any sport. I learn new tricks all the time… never too experienced for that.
2) CEC hasn’t had any lively debate in a long time. I don’t know why but there’s a sigma of posting anything there now that’s not an ice report, a new FA, or a partner request. Someone really needs to disturb some shit there!
You definitely should get on it Chris, it’s a fun route…very unique.
hehe – I LOVE being a newbie at something. Gives me the chance to try and learn as much as I can without any pressure for performance 🙂 (albeit self-inflicted)…I hope most people don’t feel that being a ‘newbie’ is a derogatory thing…for me, if I know they are new to the area or sport….then I will give more details than I would if the person was a local or had been a climber for years…. for sure, I learn lots all the time, that is what keeps us young 🙂
Oh – just give CEC some time, and there will be a complaint or something…everyone is just hibernating right now … staying warm…hehe