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Adirondack Rock Climbing: Quadrophenia
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With snow visible in the High Peaks, the rock-climbing season in the Adirondacks is drawing to a close, but if we get some sunny days, there may yet be opportunities to get out on the stone.
On Friday, Josh Wilson and I climbed Quadrophenia, a classic intermediate rock climb on Hurricane Crag in Keene. Because the crag is exposed and faces south, it was dry despite recent rain and snow. When we arrived at the base of the cliff in late morning, ice pellets were occasionally rolling down from above.
Quadrophenia is a four-pitch route rated 5.7+ on Yosemite Decimal scale of difficulty. It’s not for beginners. Nor is it an expert route, but the quality of the route is such that experts do climb it.
Adirondack Rock gives Quadrophenia five stars, the highest rating for the overall quality of a route. The first three pitches are superb, featuring challenging cracks and creases and a pair of overhanging roofs.
The book says of the celebrated third pitch: “A fantastic pitch. Up the roofs, then undercling right into a right-facing corner. Up the corner to the next roof, which is passed on the right, and up to a ledge. Step left to a pine and a fixed anchor.”
Some people forgo the fourth pitch and rappel from the anchor at the top of the third pitch.
The views of the High Peaks and Green Mountains on the ascent are superb, too. I intended to take a bunch of photos, but I dropped my camera about halfway up the first pitch. It bounced down the cliff about 75 feet. The camera, an Olympus Stylus 1030 SW, is shockproof, and sure enough when I retrieved it later, it was still working.
Directions: From NY 73 in Keene, drive east on NY 9N toward Elizabethtown. After 4.8 miles, park on the north side of the road (between power poles 107 and 108) and look for a herd path, which ascends steeply through the woods to the cliff. The hike takes 15 or 20 minutes. You’ll pass a smaller cliff on the way. For a description of the route, consult either Adirondack Rock, by Jim Lawyer and Jeremy Haas, or Climbing in the Adirondacks, by Don Mellor.
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