Trip Report
Submitted
by: Glenn Vaillancourt
Date:
Route(s): Birds Nest & Nutcracker
Place: Cathedral Ledge, NH
It was the
dawn of a new day. With great
anticipation we approached Bird's Nest, rated a 5.9+++, ++, +. No one was at the North Wall which is very
rare. Only the hard cores show up this
early. All was quiet and serene. We quickly became one with the rock. As I, the High-Commander-In-Training (HC-IT)
started up the rock, every move was like poetry in motion connecting each move
until a final symphony of moves could be heard, seen, and felt. As the sun and shadows painted the wall, I
continued past Norms previous high point and to Jeff's high point the previous
week, and set anchors to rap off the ledge.
A week earlier Norman was demoted to Sub commander since he bailed off
the route only 10 feet off the ground, due to mental instability, and Jeff (HC)
(The one and only High Commander) had to establish the high point for the
day.
On the way
down, I cleaned out the gear so Jeff (HC) would have a clean complete lead of
the climb. As I looked up, the backdrop
was spectacular, deep green foliage and a deep blue sky, truly a sight to see. As Jeff climbed, each placement was solid,
like the rock itself, which allowed for cool and confident climbing. Once the ledge was reached, the character of
the climb changed to mean and ugly. Was
Jeff up to the task???. Tension mounted
as he struggled and forced every move. Small holds and limited places for anchors. Jeff managed to complete this section only to
get stuck at the crux move. Struggling
for what seemed like hours, he wrestled with twisted lines, weak pro, and no
where to hang onto. By this time an
audience showed up and was in awe of his greatness and determination to
complete the route. Up and down over the
crux several times, pulling chin up after chin up, until finally the upper part
of the route was reached. Upon
cleaning it afterwards I realized the enormous difficultly of this
section. .
To maximize
our success for the day we went over to an even harder route where Jeff was
able finish a 5.10a on TR w/A1.
All Hail
the High Commander!