... annotated this park map with location - also added a few others that would interest climbers and/or backwoods skiers...
... here's an old shot looking up the main gully - 'Sliding Board' - these are pretty decent conditions, but have seen it a lot "fatter"- the water source is a drainage that can be pretty active - went (bike) riding past there one spring day during a rainstorm - was damn-near a raging torrent rushing down that thing...
... same route... ugly conditions - 'buddy Matt' (around '91) lower down...
... and about mid-way...
... nearing the top - is a "bit exciting" unroped climb if you're up to it - a long way up - not thinking about popping off that thing from up high and the long, bounding slide down - actually took the only-ever "unexpected" leader fall from about this spot - tool popped - luckily had just placed an ice screw about foot-level...
... another time... was about 10ft above above the first ledge when the partner belaying starts yelling "Go Back! - Go Back!" - look down - here comes 'Mountain Dog Ben' working his way behind us - he was getting some traction in the deep snow cover to the side of the gully and is following us! - now we're both yellin' - and it's makin' him nervous - he gets all the way to just below the belay ledge, and now he thinks he's getting hollered at and decides to retreat - he takes one step right to turn around - on to the ice - and he rockets off like 'Clark Griswold' - for maybe 80ft all the way to the bottom, and not a smooth ride - was a bad fall for a dog (or anything) and he's just layin' there - we finally make it back down - he's OK but a bit shook - here's an accident photo - just a little blood from a bruised lip - not a proud moment on our part - was pretty stupid - tied him off to a 50ft webbing from then on when there... eventually stoped taking him ice climbing all together - the way he'd position close to ya' while preoccupied, and the potential for accidentally stepping on a paw with a razor-sharp crampon was bound to happen next...
... definitely used to be a lot more winter activity than ya' see now days - 'till the quad runners and snowmobiles got out of control - would really track up the snow making it impossible for skiing - that short vertical post just at the bend in this photo is the old 'three-mile marker' between Ohiopyle and Confluence - before they extended the trail to the north and south of said towns...
... packed and iced snowmobile tracks... Oh-Well... Ha! - a young 'buddy Matt' totin' some old 'Nordic Skis' and bamboo poles - "state of the art" rig back then - and "high tech" outer-ware ta' boot - must have worked - never complained of being cold...
... speaking of which...
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