We decided to make a run up Chimney and see what all the fuss is about. We very soon found out why, but hardly k. The typical fashion. If we could exactly trace our route through the day, it'd look like a fly's path or one of those Family Circus cartoons.
After heading up the trail, a few hundred feet below the summit, we started to explore the the left of the trail, where we found numerous cool boulders, mini caves and fissures we could stick our head in and all sorts of neat things. Even a car-sized cave you could access bmunder a 40ft sheer wall by crawling under a slab and dropping yourself down a 4ft deep hole in the ground. For about an hour we worked our way along the ridge line until we reached the nub which you can see from the chimney area. We navigated down the rocks and through a cool den of boulders in the col between the nub and the chimney rocks before going up climbers left of the chimney. We explored below the chimney before realizing there were to guys from the 10th mountain division with some packs, helmets and rappel gear on the other side of one of the boulders. We got up to the one ledge on the chimney that is accessible for pictures and when we got down we noticed the guys from the 10th were descending into the col. To the west snow seemed to be heavy over Snowy and Blue, and to the north into the High Peaks.
We decided to put off finding the entrance to the Eagle Cave (we had no intentions of entering). We started down the mountain for a few hundred feet down the trail when we noticed some slabs off to the left. Obviously we decided to go check them out. Ten minutes later, we were at the base. They seemed reminiscient of the Saddleback cliffs, but the routes we respectively found were not that hard. After going up about 3/4 of the way it got too unmanageable without gear and did not seem within the safety margins so we descended through the woods. Within another half hour of the top of the slabs, we were at the trailhead.
This was one of my favorite climbs because of the beauty and exploration we did. Chimney may be small but it is very substantial in terms of quality- easy hiking views, tons of cool rocks and boulders, caves, slabs and the chimney itself of course.
Checking out the mini cave
The chimney from the nub
Snowing gently beneath the summit
The chimney
After heading up the trail, a few hundred feet below the summit, we started to explore the the left of the trail, where we found numerous cool boulders, mini caves and fissures we could stick our head in and all sorts of neat things. Even a car-sized cave you could access bmunder a 40ft sheer wall by crawling under a slab and dropping yourself down a 4ft deep hole in the ground. For about an hour we worked our way along the ridge line until we reached the nub which you can see from the chimney area. We navigated down the rocks and through a cool den of boulders in the col between the nub and the chimney rocks before going up climbers left of the chimney. We explored below the chimney before realizing there were to guys from the 10th mountain division with some packs, helmets and rappel gear on the other side of one of the boulders. We got up to the one ledge on the chimney that is accessible for pictures and when we got down we noticed the guys from the 10th were descending into the col. To the west snow seemed to be heavy over Snowy and Blue, and to the north into the High Peaks.
We decided to put off finding the entrance to the Eagle Cave (we had no intentions of entering). We started down the mountain for a few hundred feet down the trail when we noticed some slabs off to the left. Obviously we decided to go check them out. Ten minutes later, we were at the base. They seemed reminiscient of the Saddleback cliffs, but the routes we respectively found were not that hard. After going up about 3/4 of the way it got too unmanageable without gear and did not seem within the safety margins so we descended through the woods. Within another half hour of the top of the slabs, we were at the trailhead.
This was one of my favorite climbs because of the beauty and exploration we did. Chimney may be small but it is very substantial in terms of quality- easy hiking views, tons of cool rocks and boulders, caves, slabs and the chimney itself of course.
Checking out the mini cave
The chimney from the nub
Snowing gently beneath the summit
The chimney
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