RRC Archives

Sunset Park?

Johnny's book says " Note that private land is on the top,so be wary and respectful if you encounter anyone." but then again the whole cliff is on private land.

At Seneca Rocks, climbers started leaving permanent anchors (slings with rap rings) on the trees. This protects them from getting scarred when hundreds of climbers pull their ropes. I don't really see the need for an anchor 1/3 of the way up a route, but it could help the tree out when climbers get rained out and have to bail.

The last pitch isn't worth doing.

I think slings & rap rings would be great on the lower tree. That way people who don't have a 200 foot rope can still climb the route and rap without leaving any gear. But I won't leave slings and rap rings, because they will inevitibly get ripped off by some dipshit who doesn't know about protecting trees, and is obsessed by getting five dollars worth of free gear.
That leaves the option of placing bolts by the lower tree, which I won't do either, because some bolt-hating dumbass will steal the gear.

It doesn't need anchors to rap down. That tree is low enough to the ground that you can bail from it without leaving any gear. You could loop a sling around it and tie one end of the rope to it, then rap with the rest of your rope to the ground before pulling the rope through the sling and then pulling the sling down afterward. (See the bottom diagram for a better idea for what I'm talking about: http://climbing.com/techtips/ttsport223/ )

I havem't been climbing because of work, mortgage, army, etc but it seems to me that I have done that route a few times. A great learning experience. First time Jimmy Fair and I did it back when we were like 17 and 16 we did it in two pitches. We didn't have enough gear and I think we were scared and dumb. The anchor we set up was so shady. But that is what climbing is about (to me at least). Growth. We learned something new and every time I've ever done that route since then I do it in one pitch. You shouldn't have to protect people from themselves and you can't even if you wanted to. It doesn't need bolts. The tree might end up dying but that is a small price to pay to keep that climb from becoming another connect the dots red river gorge climb.

I've decided to eat the tree and climb the climb in one pitch. meal on descent of course.

I did this climb in two pitches on the first time and rapelled down the whole thing. after I was done with the climb I knew that I could do it in one pitch. Besides there is no way that I would use that tree to rap down from. (We all learn from what we do or do wrong.) If someone was to place bolts on that climb,.....they should be damned to hell for forever changing one of the best climbs in the red.