Again fretting about the potential weather issues, everything turned out fine, and 5 of us found a way to get out of town between holidays.

After a warm prelude to the trip, things got considerably colder as we drove north. We used the Econo Lodge Burlington as a launching point to all things Smuggs. The night before we got there, the notch started to "come in". Armed with our Northern New England ice climbing guide, we meandered about the notch, finding the Workout Wall and the Playground, before finally deciding to use the remaining hour of sunlight to screw around on a 15' ice dagger in Louie's Leap (a bouldering area).
Ken observes local traffic signs	The crew gets ready for a late afternoon attack on Louie's Leap
After seeing how much ice was in (or lack thereof), and with scheduled fittings, we decided that the next day would be limited to hiking and skiing.