Not sure how to start this but I guess a bit of back story is in order. About a decade ago I moved to the east side of Vermont and started spending more time climbing in NH. That first winter ice climbing I stumbled appon a beautifull cliff that simply begged to be climbed. It took a few years to get arround to actually climbing it but finally about 2010 Isa, Ed and myself put up the very nice 2 pitch 10a Norwegian Star. There would be many more but this effort was the start of the journey. Over the years ocasionaly with Ed or Brian but mostly just Isa and myself we climbed many of the faces and a few of the overhangs but never the really big roofs. We looked but we did not touch. we did come accross a few ancient 1/4in button heads and the odd rusty pin. We tried to not infringe on any of these old climbs. there was pleanty of rock to go arround. There was a fair bit of loose rock on most of the new climbs but that is usually the case in the east. Discourageing at first but with a bit of hard work the beautifull climbs emerge. All the while the big flake jutting through the huge roof kept wispering to me. Ed expressed intrest in that flake but never seemed to get out there to actually have a real look at it. Finally I rapped it last fall and it terrified me! It seemed so dangerous that I told myself I would never climb it. A week later I was back for annother look. I showed it to Isa and she wanted nothing to do with it. I asked Ed If he wanted in on the project but he was just going through the ordeal of his anchors on top of Jolt falling down with part of that climb and did not want the responsibility of equiping annother dangerous climb. I gave up on it for awhile and we put up the consolation prize just left of the big roofs Dirty Deeds and the nice very solid and clean Danceing Fiddler Winter arrived that that Flake was on the back burner.and then it was spring again.. and that crazy flake had been knawing away in the back of my brain all winter. It was such a strikeing line. It begged to be climbed. As soon as we got back from Seneca we dove into it again. A recon trip to annother of our projects near the flake really lit the fires for me. I promised Isa I would help her get this one fully bolted and climbed if she would help me climb the Cleaver first. you can see the Cleaver in the background of that photo and this one
We dove into it full time. I equiped everything under and out to the lip of the roof ground up as it was simply easier and less scary that way. the climbing up to the Cleaver was brilliant. So much fun! Eventually we had the whole thing bolted with epoxy bolts in all the critical places. I took great pains to keep the rope clear of the cleaver in case it broke off but I had bounce tested it and pry bar tested it and felt it was at least as safe as the Fickel Finger Of Fate or the Sickel. I hammer tested the rock I put the epoxy bolts into and it seemed solid as a rock.
Free climbing games began. We found the rope drag to be too severe so we installed a belay just under the roof. both of us bounced on the bolts quite a few times on several different days. I had the FFA of P1 Isa got the FFA of P2 and I followed with one fall two weeks ago. We thought it was probobly some kind of 10+
Last Sunday we climbed it again and I got the 2nd ascent clean It was Amazeing. what a fun and wild climb. perhaps the most wild rock pitch I have ever climbed. we second guess ourselfs and thought maybe it was only 9+ and we really suck at big roofs.. Now we had it wired and planed to climb it often as a pleasure climb.

Today I hiked out there with my friend Curtis to do a few pleasure climbs and as we come arround the corner to what I considered to be one of the best climbs I have ever done this is what we saw. pretty much devastated. Ironicly the Cleaver only slightly dammaged is still there. I was right about that one being solid enough to climb. I was certainly wrong about the rock above and left of the cleaver. There but for the grace of god. Had this happened when we were up there last week we would both certainly be gone. Curtis and I did do a few climbs but I climbed like an old man with a heavy heart and good bit of fear. Some of our climbs are undoubtably as dangerous as Cannon but many of them are absolutely wonderfull. Curtis on the absolutly delicious Fangs Of Love
This place is so special to us yet I fear I may never get Isa to climb there agin.. I feel obligated to go out there and deal with that huge block tetering over the trail and I know that project will be terrifying.....