Rockfest 2013 Recap

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Edwin Bachetti — No Comments ↓

In just a few hours on a sunny Saturday in April, more than 75 volunteers tackled invasive bamboo, removed graffiti and prevented trail erosion at Rocks State Park in Jarrettsville, Maryland.

Rocks is home to some of the best routes in Maryland, including classics like Strawberry Jam and the Breakaway Wall. With opportunities for fishing, hiking, picnicking, canoeing and tubing in addition to climbing, the park sees a lot of users and deserved some special treatment.

Volunteers from areas throughout the Mid Atlantic region spent the morning working on park maintenance and trail improvement projects throughout the throughout the park including:

Removing graffiti with a power washer from the cliff at Kilgore Falls
Re-mulching and updating the Nature Exploration Area
Cutting down invasive bamboo near the park headquarters
Installing water bars and four steps on the Orange trail at the Rockridge Pavilion
Trimming back poison ivy and prickers around the climbing and bouldering areas
Replacing rotting steps on several bridges on the white trail

In 2012, Mid Atlantic Climbers hosted Rockfest at Rocks and our volunteers were instrumental in developing the park’s Nature Exploration Area-- a natural playscape that features a miniature rock climbing area, an oversized birds nest, stump jumps, balancing logs, and other natural playground activities for kids. This year, volunteers continued to work on the project, mulching and lining the area to preserve it for the future.

Rocks has a long history of being a special place for both locals and outdoor enthusiasts. The King and Queen Seat on the top of the 190 foot rocky outcrop were once a ceremonial gathering place of the Susquehannock Indians, and continues to be both a fantastic climbing resource and a beautiful spot for a day trip.

Rockfest was made possible through generous support from the American Alpine Club. Earth Treks Climbing purchased and prepared lunch for our hungry volunteers.

Additional support was provided by Patagonia, Skratch Labs, REI, Misty Mountain, Sportrock, Rock Candy Holds, Mammut, Spiroll Rope Protectors, Blue Water Ropes, Alpine Inspirations, Mountain Khakis, La Sportiva, Organic, Five-Ten, Solid Rock Climbers for Christ, and Petzl.

Tagged with: Maryland, rockfest, rocks state park
Posted in Uncategorized

Bolting is not allowed at Carderock

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Penny Riordan — No Comments ↓

If you’ve never seen a bolt at Carderock, there’s a reason for that. That’s because it is illegal for them to be placed.

In early April, however, a MAC member and longtime area climber found two improperly placed bolts at a lesser known climb off the beaten path at the popular Maryland climbing destination.

The glue-in bolts were incorrectly placed and the person who found them removed them by hand with little effort. The bolts were the type that were designed to be glued in, but did not have the proper glue. They would have not held in a fall.

National Park Service regulations prohibit bolting or disturbing any of the natural resources in this historical national park. While Carderock does have some historical bolts in situ, the current regulations prohibit new bolts of any kind. MAC and Access Fund oppose climbers placing bolts in violation of law, and are actively working with the National Park Service to address this issue.

Situations such as this not only threaten access for future generations of climbers, but also endangers (literally) our community.

Please remember:

1. Always climb responsibly, don’t blindly trust fixed gear. We understand that climbers assume a certain amount of risk when using fixed gear, but do your best to inspect bolts and anchors and talk to locals– these bolts were pulled out by hand.

2. Be aware of your crag’s policies. If you have questions, MAC is happy to help.

3. Respect other climbers and land managers, including the NPS.

If you have any questions or concerns about this incident or others in the area, email midatlanticclimbers@gmail.com.

Tagged with: Access Fund, carderock, cleanup, climbing
Posted in Adopt-a-Crag, climbing

Mark your calendars for Rockfest 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Penny Riordan — No Comments ↓

Mark your calendars for Rockfest 2013, one of the best adopt-a-crag events at one of the region’s most beautiful places to climb.

The fourth annual event will be held on Saturday, April 27 at Rocks State Park in Jarrettsville, MD. This event brings together rock climbers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts for stewardship and outdoor recreation. MAC volunteers will spend Saturday doing a variety of service projects in the park including fixing a pedestrian bridge, pruning and trimming trail corridors, and trail maintenance.

To register, go here. For more information, including a map of the location, go here. More details about the event are also posted on our Facebook page.

What to bring:

Water bottles
Sturdy, close toed shoes
Dress for the weather, the event is rain or shine
Climbing gear if you plan to stick around after

How to get there:

The park is located in northern Harford County about 30 miles north of Baltimore and 8 miles northwest of Bel Air on Route 24. From Baltimore, take I-95 north to Route 24 north exit. Continue north on Route 24 through Bel Air, Rock Spring, and Forest Hill. The Park is located approximately 5 miles north of Forest Hill.

Rocks State Park
3318 Rocks Chrome Hill Road
Jarrettsville, MD 21084

Schedule:

8:30am – Check In
9am – Safety briefing and project work
12pm – Lunch provided
2pm – Wrap up project work; followed by raffle and presentations
Enjoy the rest of the day and climb with your fellow climbers!

We hope to see you there!

Tagged with: cleanup, climbing, Harford County, Maryland, rock climbing, rockfest
Posted in Adopt-a-Crag, climbing

Meet the 2013 Access Fund Conservation Team Crew!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by admin — No Comments ↓

Check out this year’s members of the Access Fund’s Conservation Team!

Last year the Access Fund Conservation Team came to Northwest Branch and installed several stone steps over the course of a few days. A select crew of MAC members worked with the team to haul rocks from across the river, dig placement holes, and fill in gravel to improve the trail between the entrance platform and the warm-up boulders. The steps look great and make the trail safer for climbers and hikers.

While the Conservation Team won’t be visiting us this year, MAC will still be back at NWB doing more trail work. We’ll be there in the Fall, so keep an eye out on a date and help us protect local climbing!

Posted in Uncategorized

Call for Action – Shenandoah Rock Outcrop Management Plan 2012

Posted on January 9, 2013 by admin — No Comments ↓

As we mentioned last month, Shenandoah National Park released an update to their Rock Outcrop Management Plan (ROMP). After reading through the document and working with other organizations including the Access Fund, the Mountaineering Section of the PATC, and the American Alpine Club, we feel the following points are the most relevant to climbers.

- The ROMP focuses heavily on climbing, despite the fact that other activities such as hiking draw far more people into the park and as a result, have far greater impact. To use an example from the ROMP itself, Old Rag is visited by an estimated 50,000 people annually, but the number of climber use-days for the entire park is estimated at only 500.

- Several areas are closed to climbing: Marys Rock, North Marshall, Hawksbills Summit, West Summit of Old Rag, and 35 meters north of the “chute” trail at Little Stony Man. While the ROMP does provide general information about impact and natural resources at risk, little detail is given on the types of impact in specific areas. There does not appear to be any definitive evidence cited that identifies climbing as a source of significant adverse impact within the park. More detailed information should be provided to further explain the need for restrictions.

- Given the fact that climbers make up only a small percentage of rock outcrop users, the park should consider the possibility that some climbing access could be allowed, even if other user groups are not. Park planners should consider ways to protect the natural resources without prohibiting access to climbing. Climbers have a rich history in Shenandoah National Park, and this history should be preserved as much as possible.

Mid Atlantic Climbers will be filing a letter jointly with the Access Fund voicing these concerns. However, we strongly urge you to file your own comment, as a climber and an individual, by the deadline, Saturday, January 12, 2013. No matter how brief, the more climbers that file comment the more our message is heard. Simply click the “Comment on Document” button at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=274&projectID=19298&documentID=50505.

If you have any questions or comments on this, or about filing your own comment, please feel free to contact us at midatlanticclimbers@gmail.com.

Tagged with: access, Access Fund, Old Rag, Shenandoah
Posted in Uncategorized