Sharp's Bridge Cliff

An Afternoon's Worth of Fun, Moderate Climbing

29^thJuly, 2008

by Jay Harrison

Since the arrival of the New Guidebook, I've been hankering for a look at the Sharp's Bridge Cliff. Every year, my friend and Adirondack climbing icon Dick Tucker stays at the campground for a few days, so when I heard he would be up that way, I made a point of heading that direction for a climbing trip.

Jason B. & I had another restricted allotment of time, from 8am to 3:30pm, for a climbing trip. That seemed long enough to get to and climb awhile there, so we met up and headed north. We opted to take exit 29 and drive north on Route 9 rather than backtrack from the Keene Valley exit. From the south, there isn't much difference, if any, in time-to-arrival, but it is a bit shorter this way.

Sharp's Bridge Campground is located just north of a stream. It's major claim to fame being that it was one of the first State campgrounds in the park; nowadays Sharp's Bridge is an almost-forgotten gem. Much like the hamlets we passed through to the south, the Northway virtually buried this place: the High Peaks crowd gets off a few miles north of here and goes the opposite direction, leaving the area along Route 9 south of it in a Twilight Zone of Obscurity.

If you are ever looking for a campsite with basic facilities that doesn't get overcrowded, Sharp's Bridge is the place to go. Situated on a hillside clad with stately white pines (pinus strobus), the sites overlook the stream, which in turn looks like a good fishing venue - though we did not test its potential this way. A Day-Use fee can be paid in the Ranger station at the entrance to the campground; the folks inside are friendly and helpful.

Upon our arrival, our goals were simple: find Mr. Tucker, and go climbing. We failed in the first - apparently, he had already headed out for a long hike; but the latter was easy enough. The Day-Use area lies just off Route 9. Follow the road that runs along the stream for a short distance until it turns uphill and a well-marked sign points to the right fork for the trail. Take this, staying along the water to the register and then cross a wooden bridge. Moments thereafter, a path splits off left, clearly delineated by parallel branches laid along both sides for its entire length. The talus slope below the cliffs is less than a ten minute walk away. It's a very short, convenient climbing location if you are staying anywhere nearby, particularly of course, at the campground.

The cliff is relatively small, perhaps 70 meters-wide worth of climbable rock and at most 25 meters tall, probably less. Sitting on a low hill, the cliffs are shaded by big pines and have a fair amount of seepage cracks, so where they haven't been developed, they are quite dirty.

The trail arrives at the left side of the cliff and runs all the way along it. Paths continue at both sides for access to the top. There is one fixed anchor on a smallish pine tree near the center of the cliff (at the top of Sharp's Bridge).

We started climbing on the right end of the cliff. Jason took the sharp end for Monkey, listed as a 5.8 in the guidebook, though we both thought it more 5.7ish. It's a very pleasant route, clean and relatively free of loose rock, except for one killer-death block about 7 meters up. This mini-pinnacle of doom is the one detraction of the line; it isn't critical to the climb, but it is almost impossible not to step on it. It is just plain in the way. It appears to be wedged in its notch at the base, but it does wobble back and forth at the top unnervingly. Regardless, Monkey sports a classic mantle crux at its top that is well worth doing.

The author on his way to
the crux of Day-Tripper.
Photo by Jason Brechko.

We moved one route left, my turn at the sharp end for Day-Tripper, listed as 5.9. This route starts at the same place as Monkey, but heads left after two or three meters, going left under an overhang a meter or so to a handcrack, up this to a crowded alcove under another overhang, then going right and up the outside corner just left of our previous route's top. A finish going left would be a better way to end the route: a couple thin fissures go up and left, but it would also be quite tricky and is currently too dirty to climb free. One short aborted effort in that direction and I too, took the easy way out. This is another fine, recommended line, with a short stretch of stiff crack jamming that managed to scarify our hands significantly. Tape up! We both agreed the route rating is a solid nine. Of all the climbs we did there, this one seemed the most difficult to me. Of course, I was on the sharp end, and cracks are not my forte; these have something to do with the observation!

We then wandered over to the fixed anchor and TR'd two lines in the center of the face: Not Tell Wife, OK? and Sharp's Bridge. These are both on the stiff side of 5.9 but have more delicate crux moves than the former route. The former starts up the clean, right-facing corner and continues along the same, slightly left-leaning crackline through an overhang to the chossy ledge just below the top of the cliff. Several interesting moves lead to the crux, passing the overhang up high. Sharp's Bridge gets my vote for best climb on the crag, though it tops out by a frightful stack of loose blocks wedged under a casket-sized boulder tilted precariously on the chossy ledge. We opted to take the small right-facing corner/ramp leading toward the top of Not Tell Wife, OK? rather than go near that rubble: the climbing is no more or less difficult, and is a preferable finish to an otherwise excellent route.

We pulled the rope after this and wandered over to Rumble Strips, where Jason once again took the lead. At 5.7, this route is probably the most sustained lead here: there are several moves at or near this difficulty level along the way. Protection is good for the entire length, so aspiring 5.7 leaders will want to take a shot at this one. Were it a bit longer, this might be the star route of Sharp's Bridge Cliff.

While Jason arranged his rappel after that climb, I soloed up the 5.4 Short Sharp Shocked. Except for an ugly finish, passing right of a meter-square loose block, this is another decent route, though a bit dirtier than the others. It sits toward the left end of the cliff in the shadow of a big pine tree, so its holds get a large quantity of pine needle coverage year-round. Brush 'em off and go: just beware that Stone o'Death at the end.

We didn't do the 5.3 Guide's Gift, a right-facing corner right of Rumble Strips that appears to be a pile of stacked blocks leading to the chossy ledge. Perhaps the climbing is better than it looks, but we were running out of time and it didn't look worthwhile. If nothing else, I suppose it will be an incentive for a return visit.

"Loose" and "chossy" sprout up somewhere along almost every route on this crag. Check your holds carefully when climbing here. Moreso even than most other places in the Adirondacks, this cliff has some scary-big loose rocks. The cliff is "peeling" away in such a manner that the entire face seems somewhat detached from its bedrock, much like Pitchoff cliff, even more like Barton High Cliffs. As mentioned, there is a ledge full of loose blocks just below the top from Short Sharp Shocked all the way to Day-Tripper. It is plenty big enough to safely walk along, but anyone below should beware of falling blocks; most of them far bigger than a helmet could withstand.
The only other major detraction of Sharp's Bridge Cliff is its shortness, both width and height-wise. The longest route is perhaps 75' high, and those at each end are significantly shorter (Monkey is closer to 55'). As it stands currently, a party can run through all seven listed routes in half a day's climbing.
There are a few patches of poison ivy along the trail leading to the cliffs, but we saw none on the cliffs itself. What we saw was limited to the creekside trail and a patch or two in the woods on the herd path.
During bug season, this is probably an unpleasant place to be. The base is shady, damp, and protected from the breeze; in short it is perfect mosquito territory. I didn't use repellant, but wore long sleeves and pants. Jason, in shorts and T-shirt, opted for a bit of DEET.

Still, the crag has a lot going for it. The approach is short, easy, and obvious. For sweltering summer heatwaves, the shade and dampness create a cool area to enjoy brief bursts of physical activity on the routes available while lending a quick haven from the sun at the base. A good supply of blueberries crown the hilltop above, which offers pleasant walking among pine trees and boulder piles, though no grand vistas. The routes are varied, requiring a mix of balancy face moves and brute-force crack technique. If you are staying at the campground, it's a no-brainer: climb there. If you are passing by with an hour or two to spare, hike on out and do a route or two. Top-Ropes are trivially easy on Rumble Strips, Sharp's Bridge, Not Tell Wife, OK?, Day-Tripper, and Monkey (and probably Guide's Gift as well). A 50 meter rope, cordalette, and locking 'biners are pretty much all that is needed to TR here.

There is ample room for several new routes as well. The right-facing corner right of Sharp's Bridge is just begging for a send: though it is quite dirty, most of it could probably be climbed as is. A unique finish for it would take the crack/seams below the chossy ledge. To the right of Monkey, a crack leads up to a magnificent looking steep face above an overhang; once cleaned, this could become the premium route of the crag. Left of Rumble Strips is a steep face riddled with seams that might yield a hard line to an appealing finish at a sharp-edged, diminutive left-facing corner. Left of Short Sharp Shocked is another tempting possibility. While any new-route setting would require extensive cleaning efforts, these four lines and a couple possible others, as well as perhaps some loose-rock removal on the established routes, would go far in making Sharp's Bridge a significant destination for climbers.