Cedar Camp

[Mike D]

I got to Cedar Camp on Saturday. It was a bit of an adventure getting from the road to the ice fall. The brook near the road was running 'full width' ... interesting. An hour and a half later, we were climbing!

We were thinking that we were the first in this year.
Has anyone been there (bothered?) yet this winter?

[martha]

I assume you were climbing at the 'Dragons Lair'. Haven't been in this year but in years past the stream is often running full width, thus making getting across 'entertaining'. Hour and a half in eh? must have been a deep snow slog. If you find the right place after the stream you can follow a woods road nearly to the top which make the hike less of a bushwhack.

How was the ice? It is a nice place to play for an afternoon.

[Mike D]

Yup! The Dragon's Lair it was (We were quiet ... we didn't wake the beast!)

Sad, I know ... 90 minutes to travel less than a km! ... and we did travel up the woods road The snow was nasty, especially in the steep - it was deep, but the real challenge was the icy crust under 10cm of fresh powder. The crust would give way with almost ever step. Slow going for sure. Coming out, though ... 20 minutes - downhill on broken trail ... what a difference.

The ice was great - plastic, due to the temperature, I suppose.
Being an 'ice-rookie', I don't know the best way to describe the ice surface. It was not smooth like I've experienced at Parlee Brook on ATKH. It was bumpy - grapefruit sized bubbles of ice with lots of pockets.

Good fun for sure. And a neat place!

[PaulB]

The one time I climbed The Dragon's Lair with Karel in 94 or 95, we had an interesting experience. At the time, snowmobilers had a bridge across the stream, so access was pretty easy. There was also a small cabin nearby with a plowed area where you could park.

The morning we were there, we could see that there were people in the cabin, so we knocked on the door to make sure they didn't mind us parking and crossing the bridge. The door opened to reveal four or five guys sitting in a haze of cigarette smoke, surrounded by a sea of empty beer and other assorted booze bottles, with a huge pan of bacon frying on the wood stove. They had clearly been drinking all night and were beyond well lubricated.

We explained what we were up to, and watched their eyes glaze over in confusion as they tried to comprehend that we were not only going to hike up to the frozen waterfall, but also climb it. They clearly thought we were crazy, and offered us each a beer while we explained how it all worked. Not wanting to be rude, or more accurately, not wanting to offend a bunch of very drunk guys, we accepted. In the end, they wished us luck and we went on our way.

A rather odd start to the day, but we got a free beer out of it, even it was at 9AM!

[martha]

Now that's funny, cause I've been to the Dragons lair 2 times, both with Karel I believe. and again, we parked at the cabin, which is now owned by a couple who are from Florida (at least their massive truck has florida plates). the bridge was no longer there, but hanging on the side of the cabin was a hand made wooden ladder. We 'borrowed' it and used it to cross the river 'crevase style'. There were lots of bear tracks around then too.

The ladder worked well, and no one got a soaker... until the way back.. hehe.

Cara

[Mike D]

So Paul ... OK ...
Did four guys in canoes paddled by ... one of them Burt Reynolds?
And was there a banjo-playing teenage (with an inbred look about him) picking fast on the front porch?

'cause this is sounding familiar!

MD

[darrell]

I am sure that my neighbor, Donnie, next to my camp in Sussex, would have been one of the guys drinking, all night at the cabin. For those who have met Donnie, this would not be a surprise! Anyway, his friend Ira, used to own that cabin, and has since passed away! Donnie talks of many a party there!
The cabin is now owned by new people, Americans maybe, and there are no trespassing signs. Not to say we are not welcome, but I would definitely ask for permission now, before parking there, or park on the road, and bushwack in!
We clibed it once early this year, as well as previous years, and it is a fun place, although not a very big climb!

Cheers!