Well, my buddy and I drove up to Poke-O yesterday, with the vague intention of climbing something. The Waterfall is the best flow of ice I have ever seen in New York, but just a touch too steep for me to lead. As my eye wandered to the right I noticed the fleeting first pitch of Discord. I followed the line up and saw the amazing looking second pitch. It looked intense, but the book said the first pitch was often thin. We trudged up to the base to get a better look. There was a good runnel for about fifty feet, but after that, it was totally rotten and undermined as it turned up the headwall toward the top of the pitch. before I realized what I was doing, I was tied in and climbing....hoping the ice would be better up close, but it wasn't. What i found instead was my first taste of true mixed climbing :) I tried freeing and aiding a crack to the left to gain the good ice above. Well, I did the first half of the crack, but got seriously spanked and turned away by the gnarly flaring off-width above....IF I ONLY HAD MY PURPLE CAMALOT!!!! As a consolation prize we set a top rope on the waterfall and took our agressions out on some fat blue ice. I'LL BE BACK FOR YOU DISCORD!!!!
RangerRob
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