This past weekend was a very successful Adopt A Crag at Table Rock South Carolina! With nearly 40 volunteers, the trail work took half as long as expected and included quiet a bit more work than originally thought. After meeting around 8am, the volunteers were split not 3 teams of workers to maximize the man power...one group went all the way up to the saddle between the East Face and the Stool and worked their way back towards the beginning of the trail, another group started in the middle of the trail and the final group started at the beginning of the trail and worked towards the group in the middle. One major task was relocating the start of the trail as to avoid interrupting the cabin users when approaching the cliff (originally the trail started beside the parking for cabins 15 and 16 in the park...please use the new reroute to minimize complications between climbers and cabin users). The crew made short work of this new .1-.2 mile reroute by trimming trees, levelling trail sections and installing a fence to separate the climbers trail from the back yard of the cabins. The middle group cleared the trail as they made their way closer to the saddle and the steepest and most eroded part of the trail. With incredible efforts by all involved (especially 5 year old Phineas) a series of 20 or so rock steps were installed to minimize erosion and make the steep hike a little easier on the way in and out. If you get a chance to go up there before the season ends (December 31st), I highly recommend checking out the steps! The last group trimmed trees, removed downed trees and park staff used a chainsaw to clear the larger trees that weren't able to be carried.
After clearing the trail, installing the fence, finishing the steps and the park staff cleared out the big stuff with the chainsaw, it was only 12 noon...and everybody was treated to some incredible SC climbing! Several groups headed up to the East Face to climb some of the heady face climbs that characterize Table Rock, while another group loaded up and headed just a few miles down the road to go bouldering at both Jedi and the Bearfields. Good times were definitely had by all, and the stories around the dinner table and fire confirmed it! Around 6pm, BBQ and veggie chili was served and soon after, a raffle full of killer prizes was held, raising almost $400 and culminating in a nice North Face jacket and Mammut Rope as the 2 big prizes. A South Carolina climbing slide show and video were shown after the raffle and then the festivities started to wrap up. The park graciously donated the White Oaks campground for the weekend so all of the volunteers would have a place to stay...many thanks goes out to the park for this nice gesture! Several folks stayed around for the incredible climbing weather on Sunday as well, ending a perfect weekend of events and climbing. The climbers trail has never looked this good, and the hard work we all put in is sure to let the state parks know how much climbers love and care for their crags, approaches, and the parks that allow us to enjoy these awesome natural playgrounds. So the trail day was a HUGE success...and on top of the almost $400 raised at the raffle, Sunrift Adventures from Travelers Rest donated another $300 to bring the total raised for the CCC to around $700! A GIANT thanks to anyone that came out and worked hard to help out...you efforts were greatly appreciated and mean more for future access than you may know! Here is a quick write up about the event from the SC rep of the CCC, Stephen Scoff...
BOO-YAH! SC TRSP Adopt A Crag!
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Nearly 40 participants warmed up a sharp and frosty Saturday morning by really shaping up SC Table Rock's climbers' trail. Deadfall removal, fence and step installation, and general grunt work were cranked out by all. Thank you volunteers and park staff!!
A few remaining daylight hours allowed for some quick cragging and bouldering. (STAY TUNED: Pics coming soon!)
The complimentary BBQ and vegi chili hit the spot and we raised nearly $700 for the CCC thanks to our gear raffle and a generous cash donation from Sunrift Outfitters!
The slide show and a bit of exciting video brought the evening to a close with a great tour of NC/SC classics and obscurities.
I'd like to especially thank:
Poll Knowland and all of his park staff
Brad Caldwell, Partner in Crime
Mark Hinen, Palmetto Pig
Laurie Aker, Earth Fare The Quality Supermarket
Sunrift Outfitters
The Access Fund
The Backpacker Quality Gear
Recreational Equipment Incorporated
Matt Riley, Riles Images (Plus his wife's brownies)
Andrew McDowell and Marvin Dawson (topo creators)
MY Mom, (Awesome oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies!)
And of course all the volunteers!!
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing everyone next year!
Stephen Scoff
I have a few pictures still in my camera of the evening festivities and Matt Riley will also be posting some pictures soon that I'll link to in a future post.
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