Jarrod Blundy
Sorry it’s low-res, but I was pretty impressed with Apple’s Clean Up feature in Photos today. I wanted a more professional version of this image for my website, and Apple Photos did a great job removing my clients being goofy in the background with no fuss. 👍
David Smith: ‘Considerations for New iOS Versions’
My general approach is to only increase my requirement once the new download rate drops to a percent or so. The technical and practical benefits become justifiable to me once I’m only loosing that many users. Otherwise it feels like I’m doing something to make my technical life a bit easier but my business meaningfully worse.
I love David’s analytical, measured approach to these things. Makes good sense. Check out his charts!
I’m so proud of Scott who had a mega day on his first outing going from gym climbing to real outdoor rock. He got a taste of everything, soaking up as much knowledge as possible about working up different rock textures, crack climbing, following and cleaning trad gear, and rappelling. Today was a primer for our main objective: a long multi-pitch climb on Friday. We explored many picturesque and popular climbs like Seven Ounces, Afternoon Delight, and Shipton’s Voyage!
For our educational courses, we always meet our guests at their level, providing a solid foundation of risk management and technical skills, and then we follow their lead on whatever they want to learn more about. Scott got in a little extra gear placement theory and anchor building practice so he could understand how our belay transitions will flow as we head up the Chapel Pond Slab on Friday. What an awesome day!
Book your own guided rock climb or skills course on our website!
Nick Heer, pxlnv.com:
This is not the only time Apple has promoted its services through push notifications and in-app banners, and it is far from the only company doing this. It is tacky — yet the only surprising thing about it is how it is possible for a multi-trillion-dollar company to still feel like a sellout.
Let’s chat about this Bowline on a Bight master point anchor! What do you like about it? What could be improved?
🏅Bonus points: Can you name the climb and pitch?
🪢 I like this setup because it’s quick and easy to build (can be preset on the ground), makes efficient use of material, and is easy to adjust with the clove hitch to share the load. The master point is obvious and easy to clip, and it works particularly well with offset bolts like this. I don’t do fixed-point lead belays often, but it would be ideal for that use case as well.
⏫ One downside is that the shelf is less obvious and easy to use.
✅ Oh, and it’s easy to get undone at the end of the day.
How to tie: youtu.be/3N930_jt5… Or learn hands-on with us: onwardguides.com
#anchoroftheday
They survived!! Kudos to @raybanmeta on their glasses being surprisingly rugged. Mine took a 30-meter (~100-foot) tumble down a rock face when I was out guiding a multi-pitch rock climb. (Totally my fault, I perched them on my shirt collar and then leaned over the edge.) Neither lens was damaged, and after a little rest and recharge in their case, they work perfectly fine!
BTW, these are my secret weapon for capturing awesome moments while my guests are climbing, all while keeping my hands safely on their rope. And you get a copy of all the shots when you book an adventure with @onwardguides.
📸: @baker_media24
Another fun (sweltering 🥵) morning at Tilman’s Arete, followed by a refreshing jump in Chapel Pond! We got Matt on his first multi-pitch and trying out Top Rope Soloing. Thanks for the great time, Matt and Ryan!
@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk @adirondackclimberscoalition #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide
Two great days of climbing at Chapel Pond with @saw_dust_ery! The Slab, Shipton’s Arete, and Tilman’s Arete all provided lovely routes and opportunities for fun onsights. Summer rock is a gooo! 🤘
Michael and Alex has such a great time backpacking that they wanted to experience the Adirondacks through another medium: rock climbing! We had an excellent morning at Tillman’s Arete above Chapel Pond!
Blogging from Raycast. The future really is here. www.manton.org/2025/06/1…
— Sent from Raycast
It was an honor to guide Michael & Alex on this Intro to Backpacking Trip, fulfilling a dream on Father’s Day weekend. The Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge was in great shape, and offered plenty of adventure along its 5-mile trail, including stunning vistas, rock scrambles, and so many Pink Lady Slippers! We camped overnight at Gulf Brook, then hiked up Hurricane Mountain for a real icing-on-the-cake finish to a wonderful weekend. From the fire tower, we could view the entire range we traversed the day before.
So many firsts for this father/son team on the trip: first time in the Adirondacks, first time carrying fully-loaded backpacks, first backcountry camping, first time filtering water, and proving that, yes, our legs can get us that one more mile. It was amazing to see these guys cheer each other on throughout the experience.
Here’s to new friends, and exciting adventures, and lasting memories. ⛰️
Make your own dream a reality with an Adirondack adventure by booking a trip right here.
My nephew, Ian, got to cut the ribbon on the opening of a new accessible park in his hometown!
At first, I was hard-core team old Finder icon. Viewed alone, I still think it looks a little goofy. But alongside the rest of the system UI and other Dock icons, the new one is growing on me.
I haven’t installed any betas yet, but even with just watching the keynote and scrolling through screenshots of Liquid Glass I’m already giving side eye to iOS 18, which now looks sort of dated. 👀
Looks like I’ll need to make an update to my Alt Text Generator shortcut! 🤞that it’ll accept images!
Oops! Apple published all its newsroom posts at once instead of as they appear in the keynote! www.apple.com/newsroom/
Happy WWDC to everyone who celebrates! I hope all your OS wishes are granted. My “coverage” will be more subdued this year. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us, but not in the same way as years past. I’ll contain my hot takes to this thread. 🧵
Sundays are for friends and a great day for up, particularly out on Cloudspin Cliff in Wilmington! We enjoyed splendid views of @whiteface_mt all day as we topped out climb after climb. Thanks Dakota, Louisa, and Bill for such a fun day.
Wright, Algonquin & Iroquois Peaks
So many stories and laughs were shared on this amazing day in the mountains. @sekoshan rocked it out all day, summiting three more high peaks in her training for a trek in Peru. I know she’ll do great!
Nick Heer: ‘Apple ‘Fandom’ in 2025’
I am, as ever, looking forward to seeing what is being announced tomorrow, albeit with the understanding I will be watching a slick infomercial possibly containing concept videos. It is hard to see how one could be a fan of a multi-trillion-dollar company. I am just a customer, like a billion-plus others.
Heer nails it.
Giant Mountain via the Ridge Trail - 6/6/25
Today was Day 2 with @sekoshan as she prepares for a long hike down in Peru. I guided her up Giant Mountain along the Ridge Trail today. Compared to yesterday, today was far more humid, wet, and cloudy. But we still had a great time on the trail!
5.8 miles, 3000 ft of elevation gain, 6 hours car-to-car.
No warm-up like we had yesterday on Colden! This trail is steep from the beginning, rising 600 feet in the first .5 miles to a lookout. You do nearly 1000 feet of elevation gain for each of the 3 miles to the summit, popping in and out of the woods onto the rocky ridges. It’s one of my favorite routes because you get views all the way up!
The trail was in superb condition on the way up. Mud and blowdown was basically a non-issue. We were way more wet from sweating in the muggy weather than any water/mud on the trail.
Clouds rolled in just as we were reaching the summit, but we got a short window view down into the valley before getting socked in. We knew rain was imminent and that the descent would be harder on wet rock, we opted not to continue to Rocky Peak Ridge, saving our legs for the McIntyre Range tomorrow.
Rain did indeed start coming down about halfway back to the car. It soaked the rock quickly, and we took our time to avoid slipping. Rain coats went on to avoid getting chilly and it was quite pleasant.
Bugs were out, but not too bad. Some swarms knew the summit, but nothing a little bug spray couldn’t handle. The mosquitos kept biting through the rain.
We saw 17 people on the trail, with a few still headed up as we were coming down.
Timeline:
Colden from Loj, 6/5/25
I had the pleasure of guiding Shannon and Susan up Colden yesterday from the Loj. We had a splendid day with great views despite Canadian wildfire smoke, and the rain even held off for us!
We opted to do it as an out-and-back via the Lake Arnold Trail. ~13 miles, 2734 ft of vert, 10 hours car-to-car.
Trails were in really good condition — some of the best I’ve seen for this hike. Basically no blowdown left, and even the trail near Lake Arnold wasn’t as muddy as usual. Some slick rock near the summit was our only challenge, and only when coming down.
Trails were quiet for most of the day. We saw two people headed out to Skylight, and another couple we leap frogged with up and down Colden. Once returning, more groups were headed to the Avalanche Campsites and Marcy Dam.
Timeline:
