From Joe's Place to Positive Thinking, NEI 5
February 8, 1998

As Don Mellor states in his book Climbing in the Adirondacks -- "[Positive Thinking] is perhaps the most sought-after climb in the Adirondacks." The line offers 150 meter of uncompromising and unrelentless vertical ice. For me, a climb of Positive Thinking laid beyond my leading abilities, but in one of those lucky twists of faith, I was fortunate enough to tag along for the best waterfall ice ride of my life.

"Climbersss... Ahhh?" - said the man in a dazed but cool psychedelic sixtiesh voice.

"Yeah" - I replied still scared sh*tless of this figure that by now had almost stuck his head through the window of the car.

"Cool" - the fellow said as he swung his head from side-to-side in a rocking motion similar to that of the Jim Morrison's character in the movie The Doors.

"I am looking for Joe. We were told that he has a bunk house for climbers." - I continued to explain.

"Dude, you are here. Park there and come on right in." - he replied with what by know was his signature head roll.

We soon learned that the main bunk house was under construction and would not be ready until the 1999 season. However, Joe offered his barn as a place to stay. The price -- two six-packs of beer per night for all three of us. What a deal! The barn was also partially finished but in better shape than the bunk house. The first floor housed a large counter (which will eventually be a cooking area for climbers), a laundry sink, a wood stove, and a set of unfinished stairs that led to the second floor. Its walls we adorned with old pictures of Joe doing sick ice routes in the Canadian Rockies, and seasoned ice climbing gear. Every empty space was covered with either saw dust or empty beer bottles (there were easily over 400 of then in the barn). The second floor was just a big empty space sandwiched between a plywood floor and the roof rafters.

We took the gear out of the Outback and settled for the night on the second floor of the barn. Chris and Scott went out for beer to pay the rent, and I started the Camping Gaz stove in preparation for dinner. Soon enough, Scott and Chris were back with Joe's beer and dinner was ready. Joe took a break from his work on the bunk house and had a few brews in front of the stove while we ate. He inquired about TNF of Gothics (a climb he had never taken the time to do) and gave us Beta on the climbs in Poke-O-Moonshine and other off-the-path climbing areas in the Dacks.

The conversation became very vivid and we inquired about the pictures on the walls. In particular, I asked about the whereabouts of the dog in the pictures. Joe's voice sobered as he explained that his friend had recently passed away and that he was laying frozen behind the barn awaiting his burial after the Spring thaw. Scott, who has a pesky propensity to copy the accent and mannerisms of the people he is talking to, replied "Coool". I could not believe my ears. I clinched my teeth in anticipation of the sure blow to his face and the brawl afterward, but Joe was too dazed to realize the implications of Scott's slip of the tongue.

Like clock work, I was up at 5:00. I went down to the first floor, started the stove to prepare tea and hot Gatorade and then got my gear together as fast as I could. You could feel the excitement and anxiety in the air as we quietly moved through the barn. If we were too slow and somebody got on Positive Thinking before us, we would have to wait three hours in line to get the next try. Scott needed to be back at the USNA at some reasonable time if he was not to be found AWL so being first on the climb was of the essence. I started the car while the tea brewed, and by 5:30 we where on our way. Given that it was my first time in Poke-O, Scott drove the Outback. Off course, this lead to a near car accident on our way there and to me to proclaim that he was not to drive his car in my presence any longer. (Mrs. Kinkele -- No, Scott is not a maniac driver. He just drives like most other 20 year olds and I am just getting too old for the thrills.)

Positive Thinking was unmistakable -- the huge tongue of ice dropped for three pitches over the huge Poke-O-Moonshine slab. It was beautiful and at the same time intimidating. The good news were that, in this fat year, the ice reached the ground; the bad news were that the line had been very popular this winter and by now it was nearly chopped to pieces. We had won the race against time and we were at the base before anybody else. We migrated to our natural states with Chris sorting gear, Scott stacking ropes, and me attending to the call from nature induced by my Crohn's Disease infested bowel.

The first pitch looked to be the crux and I assumed that Chris was going to lead it, however Scott won the honors on a paper-rock-stone hand shake. As Scott tied in, you could tell that he was scared. He had never done something this big and this vertical before, but he took it like a man, and up he went. As he placed the first screw 5 meters off the deck we all breathed easier. A second party, consisting of a Rock and River guide on his day off and his regular climbing buddy, had arrived 30 minutes too late. As Scott climbed, the second party sat on their packs for the long wait. As Scott continued his way up, Joe came up during conversation. The Rock and River guide told us that Joe is one of the best climbers in the Dacks with many first ascents to his credit. He also added that Joe's end-of-season parties are legendary in the Dacks, with enough beer to drown the attending crowd and life music until early the next morning. Somehow this description of Joe's life style just made sense to us after just spending a few hours with him the night before.

Scott's ice dance continued with a new screw every 5 or 6 meters. Half way up progress came to a stop. His hands had frozen and the pain of the blood coming back to the digits was almost unbearable. Chris and I waited quietly at the bottom knowing that when this happens the climber is in such pain that he really can't talk. He finally shook-off and continued climbing. I tried to encourage him by saying "Come on NAVY Boy. You are 2/3 of the way there" but he was keen of his situation and he replied "Bull sh*t... I am not even half way there yet". 45 minutes later, Scott bathed in the morning sun at the end of the 50+ meter first pitch of Positive Thinking and it was my turn to go up.

The climbing was not bad at all given the wall is only about 85 degrees vertical. In fact, Don Mellor was right; technically speaking, the climbing was less strenuous than some of the lines that we had top-roped at the Pitchoff Quarry Wall (NEI 4+), in Cascade Pass. The first pitch is long, however, and I too had to stop half way up to thaw my frozen hands. In 30 minutes I was up, and Chris followed while Scott and I stripped off our Gore-Tex in the hot mid-morning sun. Once Chris joint us, we help him rack and off he went for the second pitch as the entire climb began to bleed under the hot sun.

Soon enough we discovered the truth -- the crux of Positive Thinking is its second pitch. Don Mellor, being a member of the hard men old school, forgets to mention this small fact in his route description, but if you pay attention to his picture of the route in pp. 451, you will see that there is a column half way up the second pitch. At this column is where things really get ugly.

This was the closest Scott and I have seen Mr. Chris "Clint" Ferro to actually been scared. The high traffic of the previous weeks had left the column structurally very weak. The whole thing looked, sounded, and felt like it was going to come down any time now. After a long examination period, Chris swallowed the cotton ball in his throat and asked to be "watch" while I beefed up the belay in case that he came flying down with the entire ice fall still attached to his ice tools. The continuos flow of melted water didn't help matters as Chris stopped half way up the column to place one of his favorite J-Rat Express ratchet screws (which are the biggest pain in the butt for the person following). Finally he was up at the cold and wet second belay station which at best sucked. He requested a change of plans -- Scott should come up first and lead the third pitch to the safety of the trees. The belay was too weak to hold a fall and, after my spectacular performance the day before on TNF of Gothics, Chris was not sure that I could make it through the tricky column section without a fall. In all honesty my ego was hurt. I was supposed to lead the easier third pitch so I could claim ownership on the effort, but he was right, there was too much at stake to do it any other way.

Scott climbed the second pitch following a harder line than Chris had chosen, but that is the difference between leading and following in ice. At the belay, Scott re-racked and off he went while Chris continue to endure the freezing dripping water at the precarious small ledge. By now, we were stretched over more than 100 meters of steep ice and, I think, Chris was starting to promise himself to never climb in trios again. I danced up the harder variation of the second pitch with the added aggravation of removing the, by now deep frozen, ice screws (Scott had paid me the joke of leaving the pro behind to make the pitch "more exiting"). I was very pleased with my performance; I had climbed the harder line, remove ice buried screws, and never once did I feel out of control or at risk of falling. I guess I had learned a thing or two from Don Mellor's course about climbing steep ice.

At the belay, I offered to wait while Chris got up but the space available was so small that it just made more sense for me to run up than for him to switch places with me. I could not help feeling the irritation of Chris at being stuck in this cold, wet, and small place, but I had done all in my power to climb fast. I ran up the final pitch not taking much longer than 15 minutes to complete it, dropped my tools and got Chris on belay at once. He dismounted the belay and climbed like a spooked frozen animal to the end of the climb. By the time he jointed us, we were close to be packed and after coiling the ropes, we followed the snow path down.

Positive Thinking is a must for anybody with the ability to climb NEI 5. Just remember a few things before you try it. First, "the early bird catches the worm" -- Positive Thinking is a very crowded climb and only one party can safely be on route at any given time. Second, bring 60 meter ropes -- 50 meter ropes could leave you a few centimeters short of the first belay. And finally, don't park your car in front of the "Poke-O-Nazi" house. This fellow, who lives across the road from Positive Thinking, owns large parts of the Poke-O-Moonshine cliffs. I have been told that he doesn't care much for climbers and that he has treated with closing access to the Poke-O-Moonshine cliffs because he is feed up with the parking of climbers cars in front of his house. Please, be conscious and park half a kilometer up the road near the ranger station, then bushwhack your way back to the cliff and avoid a problem and a possible closure.
 

Pedro I. Espina,© 1998