First thing, Matt Bielejeski posted recently on Facebook that The Dixon Crushfest Bouldering Competition has just be set for November 19th! This adds excitement and another great stop to the Southeast fall bouldering comp season...Hound Ears on October 1st, LRC on October 8th, HP40 on November 5th and now Dixon on November 19th! This works out well with Adopt-A-Crag days in places like the Obed (9/10), Looking Glass (9/24), Crowder's Mtn (10/1) & Table Rock SC (12/10) also...so plan on cramming your fall weekends with tons of climbing related activities, either by working on a trail or flailing in a competition!!!
Matt has also announced that the first bacth of Dixon Guidebooks has sold out! He is getting ready for the second batch of guidebooks, but I recommend if you want to get one, you go ahead and preorder one before they get here and sell out also. Click on this link to take you to the previous post about how to order the guidebook.
And that brings me to another new piece of info...there will be an Adopt-A-Crag at Crowder's Mountain State Park on October 1st. The focus is to clean up some graffiti that has popped up on some of the rock faces, and there will be some anchor replacement on the Red Wall and Resurgence Walls. Donations are being accepted in order to purchase the new equipment and folks are being asked to "sponsor a bolt" by donating $5 each. Even if you have only climbed here once, $5 is a minor cost to help keep this incredible resource in safe shape. If you are interested in helping out or getting further information, then check out/ask to be added to the Facebook group "Belayed Gratification and Palmetto Pebble Wrestlers Columbia, SC" or "Dixon School Road Bouldering". Both of these FB groups are great for keeping in touch with locals, learning about upcoming events and meeting new climbing partners...check em out!
With the onset of fall and the fact that the leaves are finally giving up their chlorophyll and falling from the trees, that means bouldering season around here is just about to get cranking! I've been trying to make up for all of the time I've been spending inside with our new family lately by getting as many bike rides and bouldering training sessions in as possible. I've been biking between 10-15 miles a few times a week and then pulling down at Big Eastatoee afterwards. I haven't really "trained" for bouldering in a couple of years...I've always seen it as something I just jump back into when the season gets here and bouldering will train me back into shape. But after taking my focus almost completely away from bouldering for a few months, I realize that I need to get back into reasonable shape or I cant enjoy my time on the boulders as much. I've been doing sets of boulder problems...5 of the same route (with 1 minute rest in between each) followed by a 2-3 minute rest before I jump on the next harder problem. I've typically been climbing 5-7 different routes, from V0-V3 in a session for a total of 30 or so routes in less than an hour. When I first started doing these sets, I couldn't make it through 4 problems and I would flail on many problems I used to send in my sleep...but now, after about 10-12 training sessions, I'm feeling a little more like normal. I'm still not that strong, but I feel like I'm a little better prepared for the upcoming season and I'm getting really excited about sending some projects from last season and developing some new stuff along the way!!! I hope you've been getting yourself ready for the cooler sending temps and you're as stoked as I am about this fall:)
On a little bit of a sad note...for someone like me that spends A LOT of his time up on Highway 11 enjoying the plethora of outdoor activities, The Market At Keowee Towne has been my go to spot for incredible quality food, beer and wine. They are famous for their Blue Plate Special for lunch that Lee and crew always cook up to perfection. They always had fresh organic veggies and fish, the BEST tenderloin you could ever sink your teeth into, and they always had a nice specialty beer that made me smile even more while I was eating lunch there after a good boulder session. The Market sent out an e-mail last night informing its loyal customers that they will be shutting down on September 6th, only a few short days from now! I for one will miss the class, awesome variety and quality they always provided...thanks for treating this dirty, chalk covered hooligan with the same respect you gave the obnoxious golf crowd (if not more)! You will be greatly missed in the local community (and by this boulderer especially) and we hope that you can find a way to reopen soon!
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