On Saturday, November 14th, Mid Atlantic Climbers swarmed the boulders at Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park in Silver Spring, MD. More than 40 volunteers came out for a morning of trail work, graffiti removal, trash clean-up, and even the hard work of invasive species removal. After all the work was completed, volunteers enjoyed pizza, some excellent raffle prizes (thanks to our sponsors), and then went back to the boulders for an afternoon of great climbing.
The event at Northwest Branch was the culmination of a fantastic year of stewardship in the Mid Atlantic region. As climbers, our weekends are often reserved for roadtrips; but this year, more than 150 climbers chose to spend some of their time in service rather than sendage. These volunteers completed 757 hours of service at 7 climbing areas across 4 states.
This commitment to take care of the places in which we recreate helps to solidify the positive relationship between the climbing community and the land managers. The efforts of volunteers are a direct benefit to the climbing community but also improve the experience of other park users.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the volunteers who came out; all of our partner organizations; the parks and land managers with whom we worked, and the sponsors who supported these events.
What’s Next for Mid Atlantic Climbers:
This winter we’ll be working with land managers at more climbing areas in the region; working to open climbing access at restricted locations and secure access at existing locations. In the spring, when the weather warms up, Mid Atlantic Climbers will continue hosting Adopt-a-Crags focused on trail work and graffiti removal at our local climbing areas.
Thanks to the following organizations for helping to organize our events:
Coopers Rock Foundation
Coopers Rock State Forest
Gretna Bouldering Committee
Great Falls National Park
Access Fund Conservation Team
Friends of Seneca
The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (Mountaineering Section) aka the Potomac Mountain Club
Montgomery Parks and the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)
Neighbors of Northwest Branch
And thanks to these great companies and organizations that support our work through sponsorship and donations:
REI
Earth Treks Climbing
American Alpine Club
KIND Snacks
The Access Fund
Sportrock
The North Face
Patagonia
Evolv
Organic
Misty Mountain
Spiroll