With the rock climbing season beginning to wind down, I wanted to grab one more little rock alpine adventure before winter took a hold. The day before I was cragging around The Eaglet so on this day it was a no-brainer to go visit my favorite place to climb, Huntington Ravine. Having climbed Pinnacle Buttress this past July, I decided to head over to the northern side of the ravine and take a look at Henderson Ridge. This ridge is located on the northern side of North Gully. Although it’s not a “striking” feature and bail-offs are easy on the right side of the ridge the entire way up, there is great fun climbing to be had along the left edge following true ridgeline. We decided I would lead the route.
The day was looking bluebird but the winds were kickin. On the drive to Pinkham we saw a gorgeous but ominous lenticular above Wildcat Mountain. And I won’t talk about how FARMER got knocked over in Sasquatch’s tent that morning from a huge gust of wind. Actually I will, that was funny as hell! The whole thing blew over with him in it! I guess the guy needs to gain a few pounds to keep the tent on the ground.
Ok, we started out at 8 a.m. and followed the summer trail instead of the easier and faster, but uglier, snowcat/fire road. During the hike in, the gusts would be heard whipping around.. It made me a little anxious. The first stream crossing on the Huntington Ravine Trail was a bit tricky as the water was raging, but once we found a good rock hopping line, it was no problem.
As we got into the ravine, we saw the gullies were filling in with ice! I was super stoked because I have been itching for ice season to kick into gear. Although it would mostly melt by the afternoon.. it was still ice! I found out later back at Pinkham that Alfonzo and Doug Millen had gotten the first ice climb of the season this same day up Damnation Gully. Major props to them for getting it done, as that takes some serious skill (and balls) to solo that sketch ice.
Check it out!
We followed the summer trail up until it hit the talus field and began to switch back toward Central Gully. Then we left the trail and had an easy bushwhack to the base of the ridge. I had heard the approach could be nasty so I must have picked a good line because it was a breeze. By 10:30 a.m. we were at the base gearing up. The ridge appears to dive right into the earth, and the beginning of the climb simply heads straight up on top of the ridge, low angle at first and then it steepens. Its quite an aesthetic start.
The wind gusts ended up not being too bad overall, but there were times when I needed to stop in my tracks and let it pass by and then continue climbing. I found an old piece of cord and a stuck nut along the way to clip into on the first pitch and that’s all the gear I’d use. After finding a sweet spot out of the wind to set up my anchor, I belayed Mary up. We had walkie talkies which was crucial in helping speed up the climb, because there’s no way we would be able to hear each other. No down time waiting to be sure belays were on.
The second pitch was like the first. A lot of run out slabs with sweet little steep crack/corners. I ended up trending more right then I wanted to which made for some serious rope drag later on. But scouring the ridge for fun climbing was awesome, it made route finding a great little game. Again, I lucked out and found a nice sheltered anchor spot, this time with a fixed pin that I used but also backed up with a couple of cams. In no time, Mary was up and I took my gear back and looked at the next pitch.
I wanted to correct the route on the third pitch and head straight up the steepest part of the ridge, directly overhead of North Gully. The ice was beginning to melt and a river was running through the middle of it. The wind started to blow around chunks of ice and during the day we would hear crashes of ice falling down the gullies. I got in a tiny bit of exposure rush that I was looking for in these last two pitches. The view down into the gully was fantastic. (Wish I took pictures!) Henderson doesn’t offer up much in the way of exposure. Once I got to the edge, I found a few feet of steep climbing, but it was around the corner and the rope drag was insane. I fought it along the easy terrain above and then up another fun corner that harbored a bit of ice that I had to negotiate around.
I was glad to find another pin at the third anchor, but not so happy because there was no shelter from the weather there. I built the anchor and belayed Mary up, which with the rope drag was a serious workout. From this spot, we were able to see the famous “diving board”. I remember looking up at it while ice climbing in North Gully last year. It was fun to now be standing on top. This climb saved the best for last.. just passed the diving board you entered into a micro-amphitheater of rock. (Again, no photos, dang.) I climbed this beautiful corner and right when I was ready to top out, I found it a bit awkward so I jammed in a #1 quick and then heaved myself up.
After Mary cruised up, we un-roped and started one of the most enjoyable scrambles I’ve ever done. It seemed like there were endless giant boulders to play on as we weaved around way through the jumble. The views of course were fantastic and by 1:45 p.m. we were topped out! The winds continued to torment us until we reached the alpine garden and had the shoulder of Mt. Washington block it. We decided to take the scenic route and head down Tuckerman Ravine. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that I hate the Lions Head Trail. Actually Mary had never been in Tucks so the choice was obvious. Add to that that she had never been in Huntington either! So it was super fun showing her the ravine for the first time and giving her a little tour.
This climb is easy technically, but as I said before in my Pinnacle trip report, it’s the overall experience of being in the Ravine, going off the beaten path and enjoying the day climbing in a beautiful place that holds alot of history. And although it's easy, there are places that if you fall, well.. you just can't fall.
Henderson hasn't seen the last of me. I'm planning to go back next year and speed solo it.
The rest of the photos. Thanks for reading!
The day was looking bluebird but the winds were kickin. On the drive to Pinkham we saw a gorgeous but ominous lenticular above Wildcat Mountain. And I won’t talk about how FARMER got knocked over in Sasquatch’s tent that morning from a huge gust of wind. Actually I will, that was funny as hell! The whole thing blew over with him in it! I guess the guy needs to gain a few pounds to keep the tent on the ground.
Ok, we started out at 8 a.m. and followed the summer trail instead of the easier and faster, but uglier, snowcat/fire road. During the hike in, the gusts would be heard whipping around.. It made me a little anxious. The first stream crossing on the Huntington Ravine Trail was a bit tricky as the water was raging, but once we found a good rock hopping line, it was no problem.
As we got into the ravine, we saw the gullies were filling in with ice! I was super stoked because I have been itching for ice season to kick into gear. Although it would mostly melt by the afternoon.. it was still ice! I found out later back at Pinkham that Alfonzo and Doug Millen had gotten the first ice climb of the season this same day up Damnation Gully. Major props to them for getting it done, as that takes some serious skill (and balls) to solo that sketch ice.
Check it out!
We followed the summer trail up until it hit the talus field and began to switch back toward Central Gully. Then we left the trail and had an easy bushwhack to the base of the ridge. I had heard the approach could be nasty so I must have picked a good line because it was a breeze. By 10:30 a.m. we were at the base gearing up. The ridge appears to dive right into the earth, and the beginning of the climb simply heads straight up on top of the ridge, low angle at first and then it steepens. Its quite an aesthetic start.
The wind gusts ended up not being too bad overall, but there were times when I needed to stop in my tracks and let it pass by and then continue climbing. I found an old piece of cord and a stuck nut along the way to clip into on the first pitch and that’s all the gear I’d use. After finding a sweet spot out of the wind to set up my anchor, I belayed Mary up. We had walkie talkies which was crucial in helping speed up the climb, because there’s no way we would be able to hear each other. No down time waiting to be sure belays were on.
The second pitch was like the first. A lot of run out slabs with sweet little steep crack/corners. I ended up trending more right then I wanted to which made for some serious rope drag later on. But scouring the ridge for fun climbing was awesome, it made route finding a great little game. Again, I lucked out and found a nice sheltered anchor spot, this time with a fixed pin that I used but also backed up with a couple of cams. In no time, Mary was up and I took my gear back and looked at the next pitch.
I wanted to correct the route on the third pitch and head straight up the steepest part of the ridge, directly overhead of North Gully. The ice was beginning to melt and a river was running through the middle of it. The wind started to blow around chunks of ice and during the day we would hear crashes of ice falling down the gullies. I got in a tiny bit of exposure rush that I was looking for in these last two pitches. The view down into the gully was fantastic. (Wish I took pictures!) Henderson doesn’t offer up much in the way of exposure. Once I got to the edge, I found a few feet of steep climbing, but it was around the corner and the rope drag was insane. I fought it along the easy terrain above and then up another fun corner that harbored a bit of ice that I had to negotiate around.
I was glad to find another pin at the third anchor, but not so happy because there was no shelter from the weather there. I built the anchor and belayed Mary up, which with the rope drag was a serious workout. From this spot, we were able to see the famous “diving board”. I remember looking up at it while ice climbing in North Gully last year. It was fun to now be standing on top. This climb saved the best for last.. just passed the diving board you entered into a micro-amphitheater of rock. (Again, no photos, dang.) I climbed this beautiful corner and right when I was ready to top out, I found it a bit awkward so I jammed in a #1 quick and then heaved myself up.
After Mary cruised up, we un-roped and started one of the most enjoyable scrambles I’ve ever done. It seemed like there were endless giant boulders to play on as we weaved around way through the jumble. The views of course were fantastic and by 1:45 p.m. we were topped out! The winds continued to torment us until we reached the alpine garden and had the shoulder of Mt. Washington block it. We decided to take the scenic route and head down Tuckerman Ravine. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that I hate the Lions Head Trail. Actually Mary had never been in Tucks so the choice was obvious. Add to that that she had never been in Huntington either! So it was super fun showing her the ravine for the first time and giving her a little tour.
This climb is easy technically, but as I said before in my Pinnacle trip report, it’s the overall experience of being in the Ravine, going off the beaten path and enjoying the day climbing in a beautiful place that holds alot of history. And although it's easy, there are places that if you fall, well.. you just can't fall.
Henderson hasn't seen the last of me. I'm planning to go back next year and speed solo it.
The rest of the photos. Thanks for reading!
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