Grayson Highlands Bouldering

I announced a few weeks ago that an extremely rare and federally endangered flower was discovered growing on a rocky outcrop in the vicinity of one of the most popular bouldering areas in Grayson Highlands State Park. This flower has never been found growing in the State of Virginia before, and has previously been known to only twelve isolated mountaintops to the south. The Roan Mountain Bluet (Hedyotis purpurea var. Montana) is a member of the coffee family (Rubiaceae), and produces heterostylus flowers (flowers with styles of differing length). The Roan is a compact, clump forming perennial which produces flat topped clusters with 1 to 4 deep red-purple flowers that bloom from May to September.

The Roan Mountain bluet grows at relatively high elevations, especially for Appalachia (above 4,200 ft), in shallow soils and crevices of cliffs and rocky outcrops, and on thin rocky soils of grassy balds. This species prefers acidic soils and to grow in forests with Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) and red spruce (Picea rubens). If you have ever visited GHSP and taken note of the ecosystems there, you will no doubt realize that GHSP has all of the above, and plenty of it. The specific clusters that were found are living on an exposed rocky outcrop edge habitat, mostly in shallow soiled pockets.

As listed, the top threat listed for documented populations of the Roan Mountain bluet is: Trampling by Hikers and Climbers.

I made plans to come up and assist with the recreational impact survey, and to help assess what boulders would need to be shut down to climbers if the population was found to be growing on established boulders, or boulders that may see impact in the future. While it would suck to lose a popular boulder such as The Hive, AVP, or Olympus, it would simply not compare to endangering such a beautiful and imperiled species such as the Roan Mountain bluet.

I got the recap of the initial population survey and the flowers were found to be growing primarily in a singular location, and not immediately threatened by the current scale of bouldering in the park. This does not mean however, that we as climbers do not pose a threat. This shows that irresponsible, unneeded cleaning and climbing related damage to the fragile ecosystems in GHSP could do serious, and in the case of endemic and isolated species such as the Roan, irreversible harm. As boulderers, we too are hikers and should strive to tread lightly. Please do not remove or damage plant life in GHSP, or anywhere you climb for that matter. Enjoy the complex and astonishing ecosystems that we get the opportunity to experience in areas like GHSP, and respect it. Just getting the chance to be in a place that harbors fragile endemics and rare species such as this bluet is an incredible thing. The fact that we are allowed to climb in such a place as this is truly special.

The 2013 Festival will be held Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29 from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm

“Since 1976 the Rugby Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department, Inc. and Grayson Highlands State Park have entertained tens of thousands of people with their live exhibits of Appalachian culture. Step back into a simple age when horses and mules ground cane into juice to be boiled into sorghum or molasses; when apple cider was the soft drink of the time; when fresh apples were cooked in a copper kettle over an open fire all day long to render apple butter; and when Saturday night was reserved for fiddling; and making music with the neighbors. Such was the lifestyle of the early Appalachian pioneers.”

If you are thinking of taking a long weekend to boulder at GHSP, you should aim for the weekend of the 28th and 29th. The Fall Festival is a lot of fun, and held at the Picnic Area of the park. Boulder at the Rock House and Olympus boulders and on rests between crushing your favorite problems you can get a cold drink and warm food while listening to live bluegrass…

A recap of the Ribbon Cutting event for the Split Rock and Haw Flats was on the front page of The Declaration, Independence VA’s newspaper, in the July 31^st Vol – No. 31 edition. It not only recapped the event but also described bouldering in the park, the guidebook, the boulderfield map, and the trail itself. Bouldering, while gaining continual and steady popularity in America, and being embedded in many parts of the U.S. for decades, is still relatively new in Southwest VA and basically unheard of locally outside of Grayson Highlands State Park.

Seeing heavily stickered cars, strange people with spongebob-like backpacks, and walking past groups of sweaty, chalk covered, sometimes bloodied people standing around the rocks has no doubt been a strange happening over the past few years. This edition of the Declaration is a great opportunity to spread the news about this new “bouldering” scene locally and to get kids near the park psyched on their close-to-home stock of big blocks.

For the past two years, from the months of April-September, I have run the Bouldering 101 program for the park. This has given me the chance to teach kids in the area about bouldering safety and techniques along the Listening Rock Trail. Many of them have returned multiple times, keep track of the event schedule, and have become pretty excellent boulderers! Nearby Abingdon VA has just constructed a small bouldering wall in their high school gym, and it is my hopes that some of these kids too get psyched on their local scene. Seeing support for climbing grow from a small core of pebble wrestlers to a community wide awareness over the past several years has been a truly awesome experiance.

Saturday the 27th of July, 2013, was a milestone for bouldering in the state of Virginia. Grayson Highlands State Park held the Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Event for the Split Rock and Haw Flats Trail; the first bouldering specific State Park trail in VA. This trail, the first new trail to be constructed in GHSP in over 21 years, was built by climber volunteers and the Access Fund Trail Team on Memorial Day weekend 2013. The finishing touches have been added in the past month and the trail is now open to the public! Despite the rain, a crowd of State Park employees, policy and planers, volunteers, and representatives came out to attend, including the District Manager Dave Collett, the Friends of GHSP Group, most of the GHSP park staff, Park Director Harvey Thompson, and Congressman Morgan Griffith’s Field Representative Nick McDavid.
The ceremony started off with Harvey Thompson giving a short speech and trail description. After the speech the ribbon that was strung up between two massive oak trees at the trail head (the “ribbon” was an old climbing rope of mine) was cut by Dave Collett, Nick McDavid, Harvey Thompson, and I. Afterward everyone ate cake, drank lemonade, and talked about parks and bouldering.
Let me take a moment to talk about this cake… The dedicated heroes of GHSP, the Friends Of GHSP Group, had a BOULDERING CAKE made for this event. The cake had “Grayson Highlands Bouldering” written in icing under an icing printed photo of the True Grit boulder by Dan Brayack… Without a doubt one of the most awesome (and delicious) cakes ever constructed.
Getting a chance to chat with Dave Collett and Nick McDavid about bouldering, looking through my guidebook for the park, and talking about access with everyone was certainly an event highlight for me. It is not very often that a boulderer has the opportunity to discuss issues of the sport with a congressional field representative or a State Park district manager…
If you took a moment to rewind the VA bouldering tape a few years back, you would see that VA boulderers were ducking into the bushes at the sight of a Government vehicle for fear of repercussion, unsure of whether or not the sport was legal in our State Parks and recreational land management areas. We’ve come a long way. Now, on the 27 of July, 2013, I stood beneath a big blue tent in front of the Park Office eating a GHSP bouldering cake with my framed GHSP bouldering map set up on the table, the GHSP Bouldering guidebook on display, and the park’s rental crash pad laid out on the grass to dedicate Virginia’s very first State Park bouldering trail… All with congressional and State Park folks attending the event in celebration. This was no doubt a day that should serve as a milestone for bouldering advocacy in the Old Dominion.

Brad Caldwell has been bouldering in and around GHSP for several years, and has 20+ years of bouldering and boulder field development under his belt. Check out what he has to say about the GHSP Bouldering Guidebook:

http://www.cruxn.com/grayson-highlands-bouldering-guidebook-review/#comment-40936

A mid-summer news update to re-cap the past month and a half:

-After the initial Split Rock Bouldering Trail (SRT) was built over the Memorial Weekend GHSP Trail Days, the weather took a turn for the worse and not much in the way of trail work was able to get accomplished. Some back sloping and a bit of trail blazing has taken place, but it has been a slow process. The mowed path through the meadow is now complete however, and the loop is open and hike-able.

-The Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting for the SRT will take place the 27th and all work on the trail by that point will be complete, excluding some of the interpretive, self guided signage. This event will be open to the public and all climbers are encouraged to come! An entire post will soon be dedicated to this.

-The second GHSP rental crash pad is now ready for use and located in the park office! Please come take these pads out for the day! They are available for CHEAP rental and all $$ paid goes directly back to GHSP.

-The 820th GHSP Park boulder problem was climbed and documented a couple of days ago!

-Some damage to the AVP boulder and surrounding boulders was noticed last week. One section in particular was obviously “pried off” and changed the classic “Parlier’s Problem”(V8), likely making the line easier, as the pried off section left a gaping new jug which likewise serves as a new foot for the crux. Please, please, please respect this park, and all boulders and boulder fields everywhere, and DO NOT DO THIS! It is a matter of simple ethics and respect for climbing here in GHSP and anywhere you go. Also, DO CLIMB WET ROCKS! Most rock anywhere become, even if just slightly, more friable when wet…. Don’t do it.

This weeks POW (Problem Of [the] Week) covers the short, steep, and sweet little problem known as “Billy Budd”, located in the Right Boneyard area of GHSP. Billy Budd has a nice landing below the face which is angled to a near 45, and on the steep “blade-like” boulder you will find the holds to be nearly all flakes, crimps, or crimp-flakes until you reach the nice, juggy, rounded lip for the top out.

The problem sit-starts in the deep boulder-cave, to the far end of the face, low in the deep in-cut jug rail. Following the heel hook on the start, you traverse the upper crimp rail to the right with fun moves. After a couple moves past varied holds to the right and under the close tree, you gain the boulders lip to top out easily.

Billy Budd (V4) was named after Herman Melville’s book on Billy Budd the sailor. Most of the boulders is this little cluster were named, or have boulder problem names involving sea-going ships or people.

Cannonade(V2), the River Boat Prow(V4/5), and Gunslinger(V7) are all fun and recommended in this cluster! Be sure to stop by!

-MP link for Billy Budd: http://www.mountainproject.com/v/billy-budd/106704056

Guidebook Page: 50-51

The number 800 holds a lot of significance in the world. The new 2013 LEGO Brickset has 800 parts. 800 is how many parts per million of carbon dioxide that some scientists believe may be in Earth’s atmosphere by the end of this century. It is approximately how many manuscripts that Bedouin treasure hunters and archaeologists unearthed in caves while looking for sea scrolls near the Dead Sea, and it is likewise how many micrograms of folic acid that womenshealth.gov recommends pregnant women need to acquire every day. I think it is also no small thing that the same number now applies to how many boulder problems are presently established and documented in Grayson Highlands State Park.

I have been lucky enough to celebrate most milestones as they have been developed. The Bicentennial arête, Tercentennial Traverse, and so on signifying the establishment of the next 100th problem. 800 was a goal of for this summer season, and although I had hoped to focus more so on specific projects in the park, with the discovery of a new, easy to access area, the 800^th line came swiftly and early on in-between projects. I am hopeful that the 900^th will very soon come to fruition, possibly even in the next few months.

The 800^th problem in GHSP was put up on the Pigs Boulder, named “Toll Free” (V5-6), and was sent on June 4^th, 2013. Check it out here, along with over 800 other problems, on MountainProject.com (the area is new, under development, and not covered in the GHSP Bouldering Guidebook): http://www.mountainproject.com/v/pigs-boulder/108177682

The Grayson Highlands Trail Days Event was an enormous success. In two days, over 40 volunteers with the collective efforts of the Access Fund Jeep Conservation Trail Crew, VA State Parks, GHSP State Parks, and AmeriCorps, came together to construct a brand new, 1.3 mile loop, VA State Park boulder and hiking trail called the Split Rock.

The Access Fund Trail Team arrived Wednesday night, the 22^nd of May, and set up camp as a powerful storm front moved in (Claire Wagstaff was nearly carried away “Mary Poppins style” as she held onto the Access Fund Tent to prevent it from being blown away). Ty Tyler, the Stewardship Manager of the Access Fund, arrived the next morning and the weather continued to be uncooperative, although we all were able to hash out plans and scope out the project site.

Eventually the weather broke and the Trail Team unleashed their trail building superpowers and set up the area for the high octane volunteer effort that was about to happen. The afternoon of the 24^th, after the trail prep, Eddie Wooldridge, Ty Tyler, and I decided that after two days of solid rain, thunderstorms, and an afternoon of chain sawing and trail work (myself not included in the hard work portion) some bouldering was of high priority as the rock had finally dried off. Ty and I managed to climb the “Highland Highball” in the Highlands Area before getting soaked to the core and chased off of the mountain by heavy rain, hail, high winds, thunder, and lightning. Eddie used better judgment and turned around at the trailhead before heading up to meet us.

On the morning of the 25^th weather was picturesque and the temperature was crisp. Volunteers started showing up and at 10:00, with most of the folks warmed up after a collaborative effort to unstick a stuck Subaru from the campsite field, we headed toward the trail area tools-in-hand. Until 2:00 we all chopped, dug, and drug the line and roughed in the entire trail that day. Afterward, we broke for food and an evening of GHSP bouldering until 8:00 where the bluegrass band, Redleg Husky, was scheduled to play.

At the bluegrass show, all volunteers and over 70 park visitors and campers came out to enjoy the music. Redleg Husky put on an amazing, energetic show, only stopping for a break when we held the raffle. The raffle, with gear donated by HippyTree Surf & Stone, Giddy Organic, and the Access Fund (with a couple GHSP Guidebooks and Maps thrown into the mix), raised enough money for another GHSP rental crash pad! The show picked back up and played until 10 when quiet hours for the campground started.

The following day at 10:00 we all got back out to the trail site to finish up. Even more climber volunteers came out that day to lend a hand. We needed to back slope several spots and to clean up much of the sections we had previously roughed in. The vast majority was completed before lunch, and afterward nearly the entire trail was constructed and in place. All that is left is to blaze the path and for a set of stone stairs to be constructed at the start of the trail. Another cool addition to the trail that the park wants to implement is interpretive signs (with boulder problem photos and descriptions alongside geological highlights of the rock) that I am now designing.

A HUGE thanks to GHSP, the Access Fund folks, every single volunteer who came out and dedicated their Memorial Weekend to the event, Giddy, HippyTree, VA State Parks, and AmeriCorps for making this whole event possible and successful. Grayson Highlands State Park now has its own state maintained 1.3 mile loop bouldering trail that was designed and built by climbers. That’s something not many State Parks can boast. This is a trail that will be around for years to come, and will be enjoyed by climbers and hikers alike. Be sure to come out and hike or climb along the Split Rock Trail next time you visit GHSP!

The Grayson Highlands Trail Days Event is almost a month away and preparations are ramping up! The idea for the event is that any volunteers who show up to lend a hand in building the Split Rock Trail will get into the park free of charge, get a free night of camping in our own volunteer’s camping area behind the Park Office, and can hang out that night at the amphitheater and listen to some amazing bluegrass music courtesy of Redleg Husky out of Boone, NC.

New to the mix is support for the event by two awesome companies; Hippy Tree Surf & Stone, Misty Mountain Threadworks, and Giddy Organics! Both companies are sending out some great products that will be raffled off before the bluegrass show, with all money raised from the raffle going toward purchasing a brand new Misty Mountain rental crash pad for the park. Bring some cash, take part in the raffle, get some sweet swag, and support GHSP Bouldering!

The plan is to meet up at the park the morning of the 25th and to start working on the trail that morning until the early afternoon. We will have lots of trail working equiptment, but consider bringing gloves and closed toed shoes along with whatever clothes you plan on getting dirty while working on the trail. Afterward we will break for food (bring your own or head down to the Log House Restaurant) and boulder until sunset where we will meet up at the amphitheater for the raffle and bluegrass show. The same schedule should hold true during the day for the 26th. The bouldering locations will be entirely up to you all but I will be there to provide rides to and from boulderfields with the park van.

I would like to extend a huge early thanks to GHSP, VA State Parks, AmeriCorps, Hippy Tree Surf & Stone, Misty Mountain Threadworks, Giddy Organics, and the climbing community for all of the support leading up to this event! This is a huge step for VA bouldering and it couldn’t happen without this wonderful collaboration of people. I hope to see you all on the 25th!