Poke-O
is a large cliff north of Keene, in the Poke-O-Moonshine state park. Locals
rave about it, but it's our first time there and we are a bit disappointed.
The cliff does not look nearly as impressive as people make it sound. Sure
it's wide, and a bit higher than other formations in the area, but the more
featured areas are vegetated, while the cleaner portions are too steep and
featureless for the average free climber. It's also an incredibly noisy place:
the cliff forms one side of a narrow corridor which reverberates the noise
from the steep section of interstate highway directly below. Heavy truck traffic
makes it almost impossible to hear one-another while climbing.
It's brutally
humid and hot. The cliff is still in the sun when we arrive, so we wait a
while for the sun to turn behind the face (around noon). We hike along the
base of the cliff, checking out climbs. Not too many look like they are ever
done, or very good. Short features connected by brushy areas.
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Poke-O
is a large cliff located in the Poke-O-Moonshine state park.
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Section
of the cliff near "Bloody Mary" and "Fastest Gun",
probably two of the best trad lines at Poke-O.
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Eric
on the short, vegetated first pitch of "Bloody Mary".
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Following
pitch 1.
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Pitch
2 is good and very sustained but never desperate.
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We settle
on a 5.9+ dihedral: Bloody Mary. As usual in this area, the route is listed
as a 4- to 6-pitch climb, but the first pitch is just 50' of unpleasantness
to the base of the real climbing, and the upper pitch is covered in lichen
and obviously rarely - if ever - done. It doesn't help that there is a good
rap anchor at the top of pitch 2, and nothing else higher up. So we resign
ourselves to climbing only the first two pitches.
The climb
didn't inspire us much from below (looked mossy), but pitch 2 is very good,
and quite sustained. The pro is good all the way. It's really hot and the
humidity is off the charts. We must have lost a gallon of water each, even
though the route is entirely in the shade. We do more exploring afterwards,
but have no real desire to do any more climbing; it's simply too muggy.
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At
the bolted belay atop pitch 2.
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Lucie
following pitch 2.
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Almost
there.
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Views
from top of pitch 2.
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Back
at the car.
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We were
hoping to come back at least one more time to climb "Fastest Gun"
and a few single-pitch routes, but time flew by and we had to leave for Vermont
before we had an opportunity to climb here again.
