What's your favorite obscure NH cliff?

john strand wrote:East side of Mt Hutchins..Pilot range

Do you mean Mount Huntington, June? I ran in to have a quick look as it was getting dark and it looked liked a big rotting pile to me, but there are some longish routes, 'Southern Migration', a 5 pitch 5.9, being the most well known. Some people have said they really liked it, so maybe I just saw a funky section of the cliff. I'll need to take a better look sometime, but I am in no hurry to do it. I think you would be better off checking out the crags around Sawyer Pond; Owls, Greens and The Captain. Hmm, I could see an eventual guidebook for those three..maybe in ~ five years.

Same here,,never went out there but some people say it's OK

You want obscure? yet 2 minutes from the road Ben Wall under Mt Willard, harsh wide cracks, a tough arete and a few more

nick- do you mean Brown;s Ridge is Ossipee ?

Thanks John - didn't see your post with the name! I know about where there is as its south of Groveton / Percy Peaks. I'm sure there's other stuff out there too!

White Ledge and Carter Ledge in Albany are both worth checking out, especially whites ledge....

john strand wrote:Nice granite, few routes..I feel like Tonto

Jon,

Thats a great pic of Mt Hutchins, but i have to say up close the rock is not as good as it appears from that clearing below. It has backcountry patina that is pretty flakey! I was ready to give up due to being lost and then the clearing appeared!

Jared and I ranted for hours last night on the back porch over some beers about what obscure really means. It was fantastic. We talked about the various ways people in this thread have taken this subjective question, about different ways to define what obscure means (also subjective of course), and reasons for even wanting to visit an obscure area. It reminded me of Phaedrus and the quest to define quality (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance).

Want obscure? Check out Tripoli Road Crag. Checking out something like that for the very first time (the discovery!) could be appealing... but now that you read what it is, why would anyone ever want to visit there.

I think my question "What's your favorite obscure NH cliff?" might have been better put as "Feel like sharing any off-the-beaten-path adventures you thought was fun?". Still subjective and open ended. I guess I was looking for answers other than the 5 or so most popular areas in NH. I enjoy hearing what others are up to and wondering if I want to give it a go myself. Perhaps these kind of stories are better over a beer but when you're stuck in the office... ya get what you can dig up. :)

According to the dictionary obscure means hidden or unnoticed. I like obscure cliffs because I like exploring and I dont like repeating routes frequently. One solution to lichen is to climb with a small wire brush. As of twenty years ago I had climbed over 100 diferent cliffs, mostly in the north east, I try to get at least 5 new cliffs a year. Still havent run out of new places,but have trouble finding willing partners. Venturing beyound nh, the dacks have a ton of obscure cliffs(probsbly worth avoiding dubois/adler routes)

slacker wrote:Jon, Thats a great pic of Mt Hutchins, but i have to say up close the rock is not as good as it appears from that clearing below. It has backcountry patina that is pretty flakey! I was ready to give up due to being lost and then the clearing appeared!

Stairs Mtn.

Anyone looking to get out to one of these obscure crags this weekend. I am going to be up all weekend, but with no partner, just figured I'd hike if I couldn't find a partner. I have a potential for Rumney for Saturday, but I hate bringing my dog there, its just too much a fiasco. Let me know, would love to get out for any type of outing. Oh but sorry no multi because my dog freaks if everybody leaves her behind. Let me know 315-271-6118.

With BNR open, the Clear Cut Crag would be a good option.Easy approach, one pitch and sunny.Just watch out for bears, moose and eagles

The forest service website lied, BNR wasn't really open yet. You were right about the moose though: