If you talk to local climbers between Baltimore and DC, a surprising number of them have very fond and very early memories of climbing at Illchester cliff, located just outside of Catonsville off of Hilltop road. For many, it was their first outdoor climb, for others it’s their trusty after work, just down the road crag that they know like the back of their hand. Regardless of your experience with Illchester, it’s agreed that the area could use some love and that’s where MAC comes in!
Our first adopt-a-crag of the season brought out nearly 40 volunteers. Teams worked to remove graffiti, fix trail drainage, and pack in dirt and rock to maintain the clifftop. Volunteers also picked up trash and closed down some social trails. Attendees were treated to a gear raffle with items compliments of the Access Fund, Misty Mountain Sports, Blue Water Ropes, and Spiroll.
In collaboration with Patapsco state park, Mac volunteers tried a new graffiti removal product that is designed to be environmentally friendly but employed a whole lot of elbow grease. We understand keeping Illchester graffiti free is a long-term effort and are working with the park to establish future systems and procedures to reduce human impact on the cliff for future generations of climbers.
For pictures of the event and the hard work of our fantastic and dedicated volunteers, check out our facebook album.
With four more events to go, we’re getting more and more excited about giving back to our favorite crags this fall. The next adopt-a-crag is at Carderock on September 28th, which is also National Public Lands Day. The park and event sponsor REI are looking forward to celebrating our nation’s precious outdoor resources with MAC volunteers so we hope to see you there! For more information or to register, visit www.midatlanticclimbers.org/
See you later this Fall!