Hidden Gulley Hijinks -2

Part 2:

Enjoying the rarity of sunshine in Hidden Gulley, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the top of the first bowl, knowing it would be last sun we'd have for the day. It's that fact that also makes Hidden one of the earliest climbs to form and last to thaw out in the Spring.

Leaving the first bowl, there's a short vertical section of ice in a tight constriction I call 'The Funnel' (bottom photo, Tom) that leads you into 'The Amphitheater' (2nd photo up, Tom). Once there, you can choose how you want to continue climbing, or exit via the 'Goat Path' on the far right which lets you drop down into a descent of Easy Gulley. There are left, middle and right variations to continue on the climb. The middle is the longest, and leads you up out of the amphitheater (3rd photo up) into another narrow gulley above (top right photo), that eventually tops out in the woods on the summit.

There are some great view up there, trust me (top left photo).

We had counted on a great day on the mountain, but what we didn't count on was the amount of snow in the last part of the middle gulley as it crested into the summit area. Usually, you can find a path that leads to the right, drops down a little, through a small cave, and into the top of Easy Gulley for a few rappels and out you go.

We haven't had that much snow down low this year, but up there we found ourselves swimming uphill in chest deep snow, through tree tops, in fading light. After about an hour of futility, we accepted the fact that we weren't going to find the trail, and rapping the route was the only option. Utilizing the best of the Notches bushes and 'Tom's V-Thread Special' by headlamp, we found ourselves back at the entrance and ready for dinner and imbibitions.

A proper day in the mountains.

Hidden Gulley Hijinks - 1

One of the realities of Vermont in the winter is that water freezes. Can't paddle it, can't cast through it, just the way it is. Luckily, with rivers of the horizontal variety being pretty much useless, rivers of the vertical variety come into their own with that wonderful mix of water and cold.

My friend Tom and I have been climbing VT's ice together for almost a decade now, and one of our favorite climbs is Hidden Gulley in Smuggler's Notch (the steep gap between Stowe and Smuggler's Notch ski resorts). By no means is it a steep, super technical climb, but it is quite possibly the longest climb in the Notch, and it brings you up into an amazing alpine environment, with sections only barely visible from below. The climb itself is a mix of snow and ice, through a tight gulley, into a snow bowl, up through a tiny ice funnel, and into a grand ice amphitheater, with 3 different ice routes staring down at you. The longest of which is the middle, and that was our intended route for the day.

With bluebird conditions and temps in the teens, we took a day for one of the Notch's classics.

After a hike up the closed road, the upper amphitheater of the route enters into partial view (top right photo). After climbing a snow gulley (top left photo, Tom), you get to the small entrance of the bottom gulley pitch (bottom right photo). You enter the snow bowl (bottom left, Tom) after a few bulges of ice, and there's a good belay/rap tree on the right. There's a great view of Stowe behind you (upper, bottom left photo) and the ice routes on the other side of the notch.

...to be continued...