First view of Whitehorse Ledge, right side, complete with pastoral hotel. The route we took (Standard Route Direct Variation, 5.7) follows the distinct arch above the red roof of the hotel building and tops out at the highest bit of exposed rock with no trees covering it, just left of the prominent tree on the skyline. The whole thing is a pretty magnificent piece of rock.
Aaron hikes up to the Launch Pad, the ledge where we roped up.
I led the first pitch (really two pitches run together into one, 5.0 slab climbing with about three pieces of pro in the whole 200 feet of climbing). Below me, Jessica, Kevin, and Aaron rope up on the Launch Pad. The four of us had just gotten together earlier in the week after emailing through the MIT outing club mailing list.
Jessica takes a picture of me leading the second pitch (now on the arching, left-leaning corner that's visible in the first picture). It looks improbably low-angle; it's not steep, but it's steeper than it looks here.
At the second belay, a fashion icon.
Jessica at the second belay.
Now higher on the route (pitch 5? 6?), Jessica follows up a beautiful dike in the rock. More low angle slab, having passed the crux pitch a little while back.
It's hard to take pictures on belay ledges, especially when the photographer happens to have kept the zoom on.
The hotel below us.
From the top. The end of the route was an anti-climax, like a dome in Tuolumne Meadows; it just stretched out into gradually flatter granite until trees started growing on top of the rock and you were walking in the woods. But before that happened, there were some beautiful views to be had.
Jessica with attitude.
But less attitude when she wonders if my camera will fall off of my helmet.
A side view of the cliff.
We rejoined Aaron and Kevin on the top and walked down through the woods together.
A direct view of the route from the bottom. We basically climbed the arch as it comes out of the trees, then headed straight up for the granite patch on the skyline.
Kevin, Aaron, and Jessica.
Sleepy Kevin, Aaron, and me below the route. What a nice piece of rock. Home to Boston!