I had been planning a trip to the Adirondacks to do some ice climbing since early December. Finally made it up there on February 16th. Andrew joined me on the trip. We left my office at 5:00 Friday night and were back to the office at 10:00 Saturday night. Whirlwind trip!I had arranged a guide through Rock and River Guides. They have a really nice set up there, several buildings with rooms for rent (we stayed in Lake George). I'll try and get back there for a stay, maybe for some rock climbing. We got there at 8:15, (15 minutes late trying to find the place with no smart phones). Met our guide, Mark, went over our gear one time and off we went. So, we were standing in front of my car getting ready to load up and Mark stops, takes a look at the car and asks "Is this a gti? I've always wanted a gti." I respond "Me too! It only took me 30 years to finally get one."
We headed over to the ice park for some top-roping and Mark comments that he forgot the directions. I thought to myself "what kind of guide forgets the directions". I think he may have just been toying with us because we pretty much went directly there. The park is a cool set up, they have rigged a water system to pour water down the cliff face from a stream at the base of the cliff. The climbs were about 50 feet, the guides (there were two other groups) set up five ropes for the climbs. We ended up climbing 4 of them multiple times. for a total of 7 or 8 times up. By the end of the day I was totally pumped and could barely swing my axe, I had to be lower off o couple of times. I need to work on my fitness!
All in all it was an awesome trip. The folks at Rock and River were awesome and Mark was an excellent guide. I definitely plan on a return trip, not sure if I'll be able to get up there for ice or whether I'll have to wait for a rock trip... Thanks Andrew for the photos and video.