Masonic Lodge by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"The mason's ways are
A type of existence,--
And to his persistence
Is as the days are
Of men in this world.
"The future hides in it
Gladness and sorrow;
We press still thorow,
Nought that abides in it
Daunting us--onward.


"And solemn before us
Veiled the dark portal,
Goal of all mortal;
Stars silent rest o'er us
Graves under us silent.
"While earnest thou gazest
Come boding of terror,
Comes phantasm and error,
Perplexing the bravest
With doubt and misgiving.
"But heard are the voices,
Heard are the sages,
The worlds and the ages;
'Choose well; your choice is
Brief and yet endless.
"'Here eyes do regard you,
In eternity's stillness;
Here is all fullness,
Ye, brave to reward you;
Work and despair not.'"

- Bro. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wheels: Stopping the Spread of Rust

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By Eric Meltzer

Rust, like cancer, starts out small and sometimes with little detection and grows. Left untreated it can literally consume a vehicle. Rust, corrosion, or oxidation is a chemical reaction involving iron or steel, water, and oxygen. Without going into the details of the electrochemical process, understand that the chemical compounds found in liquids like acid rain, seawater and calcium and salt-loaded spray from snow- and ice-treated roads make them better electrolytes than pure water, allowing their presence to speed the process of rusting and other forms of corrosion on metals. There is no shortage of calcium and salt-treated roads around here and the results are evident on many vehicles. Alternatively, untreated roads lead to accidents and injuries so the next best thing is to take care of the vehicle to minimize the effects. Full Article

Fryeburg Historical Society - Dedication of New Home July 27, 2013

Fryeburg Historical Society President, Diane Warren Jones and crew had everything set up early this morning!

Fryeburg Historical Society Garden Landscaping By Kristen McDermott

July 15, 2013

(click on photos for larger view)

We LUV Frank 107.5 Too!

Fryeburg, Maine OLDEST Town in Mt. Washington Valley

Fryeburg, Maine was the first town settled in the White Mountain region of either Maine or New Hampshire being settled in 1763 and finally incorporated January 11, 1777. The original wilderness territory of what was then the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, was called Pequawket (Pigwacket). General Joseph Frye, who had gained distinction in the French and Indian War made a journey to examine the territory for present and future advantage and found a lush and rich wilderness that filled his idea of a desirable homestead grant. General Frye prepared his application for a grant of this area for a township based on his military service to the Colonies.On February 24, 1763 the grant to Joseph Frye, Esq. was confirmed and the primitive beginnings of the town of Fryeburg were born. One of the earliest acts of General Frye was to lay out the township into a series of seven 40 acre lots. He began at the Province town line along the high bank above the intervale (the low, flat open lands along the river) to where the bank, following the course of the river, turns north-west and where the road to Swan's Falls now begins. These parcels have always been defined in Fryeburg's history as the original “Seven Lots”.In 1766 the subscribers of the new township, up until that time called Pigwacket, were successful in their petition to the Province of Massachusetts Bay to be called Fryeburg, in order to be legally distinguished from other newly settled townships. In 1805 Oxford County was established and Fryeburg became a town within that county. 

Today the town of Fryeburg consists of the village or business district, North Fryeburg, Center Fryeburg, West Fryeburg and East Fryeburg. It has much to offer its visitors with canoeing on the Saco River or Lovewell's Pond, swimming, camping, hiking Jockey Cap and various other trails and searching out historic monuments and buildings. It boasts several beautiful town parks, restaurants, churches, and many businesses. Home of the renowned Fryeburg Academy. In 1791, residents from Fryeburg, Brownfield and Conway agreed to support a new school, Fryeburg Academy. The school was incorporated in 1792.

We welcome you to visit Fryeburg and enjoy the many amenities it has to offer. The town maintains eleven Public Parks - Graustein Park on Fairview Drive, Bradley Park on Main Street, Admiral Peary Park on Main Street, Meridian Stone on Main Street, Weston's Beach on River Road, Canal Bridge on Route 5, Joseph Frye Homestead on Route 5, Stark's Hill Rest Area on Main Street, Brownfield Bog Access Facility on Routes 5 and 302, Skillings-Newman Memorial Park on Old Mill Road, Eastman Grove on Portland Street, and the Town Forest and Nature Area on Route 5. These park offer a wide variety of recreational and educational opportunities to residents and visitors.

Rock Climbing Jockey Cap, Fryeburg Maine

Perfect climbing destination in Western Maine!
An alternative to the crowded routes on Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledge

Western Wall of Jockey Cap, Maine

When I first moved to Maine I thought that there were two or three outdoor rock climbing destinations and that was it. The big names in Northeastern climbing- Whitehorse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Cannon Cliff, Lake Willoughby and a handful of other destinations are known well outside of New England and can become very crowded in the summer. 

As it turns out, there are hundreds of walls all across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. There's volumes of literature out there about routes of all lengths and difficulties. One of these lesser known destinations is Jockey Cap in Fryeburg Maine just West of the New Hampshire Border. A few friends and I decided to climb here in leu of Cathedral Ledge.

Options for top-roping and lead climbing on Jockey Cap, Maine

Without even realizing it, I've passed by Jockey Cap perhaps a hundred times on the way to other climbs in the White Mountains. Its located right off of Route 302 near the Jockey Cap Country Store and Motel. There's a 0.2 mile long trail to its base and there's an easy hiking trail to the top. (Map) 

When we first arrived, I was expecting a tiny rock not even worth bouldering. I was surprised! Its a very large wall supporting many routes of varying difficulties. The South Face supports several bolted climbing routes ranging from 5.11 to 5.12b. The overhand on the eastern side of the South Face looks quite difficult. The West Wall, on the other hand, was much more conducive to our abilities with some 5.6s and 5.8s. 

The South Face, Jockey Cap, Maine. Couple of routes here rated 5.11-5.12b

Some less ferocious routes up the South Face of Jockey Cap

About halfway up on the Western Wall. Mostly 5.6-5.8 climbing

NEClimbs has some basic information about the various routes up Jockey Cap.

This was the first climb of the summer season for us so we wanted to brush up on our anchor-building skills and just get back into the swing of things. The trail skirts around to the top of Jockey Cap and there are bolts everywhere. We were able to do set up two top ropes. The first was towards the North end of the West Wall with a very doable 5.6. 

The Standard Route up Jockey Cap involves that crack and can be top roped or led. The bottom 20 feet is more difficult and you might be struggling to find good protection. None of us were very strong lead climbers so we stuck to top roping. There are 3 perfect bolts at the top and even some areas for extra protection if you're neurotic about it. 

 Top Roping the Standard Route up Jockey Cap

Overall impression... this was a great location to get in a couple of new climbs and it is not very far from Portland, Maine. There's plenty of options for both top roping and lead climbing. Its a good, solid chunk of rock which supports a fair amount of climbs and bouldering. This was my first time on this rock so I don't really know if it sees many people in the summer, but we were out on a perfect 70-degree day and saw only one other group. I'd imagine it could get boring after a while but for us it was a close and easy destination. So if you get to Cathedral and Whitehorse and its overrun, head back across the border and enjoy some solitude on Jockey Cap.

You even get a nice view at the top. What else could you ask for?

So there you go! One more wall you can add to the extensive list of climbing destinations in Maine. - Joe Lyon