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par
May 14, 2008, 11:12 AM
Post #26 of 43
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well, the boulders at the visitors center are right off the road, but the boulder clusters on the three peaks take some walking. the first cluster is about 3/4 of a mile up the trail, but you can see it clearly once you top the first hill, and the other clusters are on the adjacent mountain tops', and there about 2 miles. all the clusters are in balds' so everything is exposed and can be seen from the first hill top!
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keegan540
May 14, 2008, 11:16 AM
Post #27 of 43
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Don't forget Old Rag Mountain. ?Everything from sport to beautiful trad lines.
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naitch
May 14, 2008, 2:50 PM
Post #28 of 43
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Old Rag was previously mentioned up-thread. However, it is not always as ideal as stated. I've seen 10-15 people at least twice, congregated around the base of Strawberry Fields waiting to get on it. However, usually one can expect it to be less crowded than more easily accessed climbing areas in the mid-Atlantic climbing area.
(This post was edited by naitch on May 14, 2008, 3:22 PM)
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munky
May 14, 2008, 4:56 PM
Post #29 of 43
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For those who live in the Metropolitan area, Great Falls is an amazing resource. I learned to climb there nearly 10 years ago and still get there at least once a week. So many people dismiss this area as a crappy TR area with polished rock. Although there is a bit of truth to that, in reality there are at least 200 hundred quality lines, some could be led safely. There are many projects that could go in the 5.13-14 range. The climbing is generally hard and technical with a 5.10 containing a gym bouldering crux rating in the V4-V5 range. In fact, I think of TR there as bouldering on a rope. Once you progress into the 5.11s, 12s, and 13s your crushing holds with all you got. I would guess that counting Difficult Run, the actual Park, and River Bend you have well over 50 miles of trails out there. There is just alot of rock, many which is unexplored and will feel like an FA, and very well might be. Lots of bouldering around Black Spawn under Madeira to be had. Not to mention when the water level is low you get a whole new scene at the water's edge with all kinds of water grooved and polished boulders to play on. It really suprises me that many strong local climbers don't get out there more often. I've lived in VA over 20 years now and I will go out on a limb and say that Old Rag and Great Falls are hands down better than the Harrisonburg area (although I do love Rawley Springs there), way better than McCaffee's Knob or Moorman Boulders, and whole lot better than Crescent Rocks. I've never been to Bozoo or Mt. Rogers but I'll have to make a visit. It sounds like Mt. Rogers is a great place to go backpacking and do some bouldering while out there. It doesn't sound like there is any rock that would consistute bringing a rope. All I can say is Great Falls is great for a local area and if it was in an area where there was a real climbing community there would be whole lot of activity out there. I'm not complaining I get the place free of crowds, relatively speaking, and get to put up FAs without any competition by the truly strong. Here's a challenge to anyone willing to take it- I'll give you a tour of GF one number grade and lower than your climbing level. Let's see how many of those you have fun on and more likely how many will kick your ass and make you realize what real climbing is all about, instead of pulling on plastic with monster foot and hand holds desperately jumping like acrobats between holds. If you can do more than half of what I show clean within 2 tries I'll buy the beer.
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deschamps1000
May 14, 2008, 5:44 PM
Post #30 of 43
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Old rag. No question about it in my opinion. Great Falls better than the Hburg area? Hburg doesn't have much roped climbing, but the bouldering is excellent. Great Falls rock is the most slippery rock I have ever climbed on.
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munky
May 14, 2008, 7:13 PM
Post #31 of 43
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I dunno about H-burg having excellent bouldering. 2nd mountain is a pile, Hidden Rocks has a decent traverse in the wilderness, a few TRs, a a couple of crappy boulders, and Rawley Springs is a whole lot of fun with good exploratory bouldering and as long as you wear hunter orange you should be ok. But I wouldn't call it excellent by any means. Great Falls is river schist and can feel very slippery but you get high friction days there also and when you do its damn good. Rumney is very similar in feel.
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deschamps1000
May 14, 2008, 8:20 PM
Post #32 of 43
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To each their own, but I sure wouldn't call 2nd a pile. I'd recommend that you all check it out. There's a guide on drtopo.com
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notapplicable
May 18, 2008, 12:43 AM
Post #33 of 43
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munky wrote: Great Falls is river schist and can feel very slippery but you get high friction days there also and when you do its damn good. Rumney is very similar in feel. Hmmmm, you almost had me untill you put that out there.
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par
Jun 16, 2008, 3:53 PM
Post #34 of 43
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the visitors center boulders are right across the road and take all of two seconds to walk to, but your in for a hike if you are going the rhododendron parking lot to the big boulders!
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roninthorne
Jun 16, 2008, 10:54 PM
Post #35 of 43
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No, really... he's right, y'know... Hidden, Rawley, Hone Quarry, Dictum.. it all sucks. Hot, dusty, chossy, bugs, poison ivy, hunters, the clap, greenbriars... You should really just go to the Knob, or where ever all the rest of the crashpad crowd is going... Don't even waste your time with those suck-a$$ Shenandoah Valley crags... Please.
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munky
Jun 17, 2008, 1:21 AM
Post #36 of 43
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"No, really... he's right, y'know... Hidden, Rawley, Hone Quarry, Dictum.. it all sucks. Hot, dusty, chossy, bugs, poison ivy, hunters, the clap, greenbriars... " Uh no, just not really all that much rock. I actually like the fact that most of the H-burg crags are off the beaten path. But when compared to Old Rag, Seneca, and Great Falls in my opinion they are the least appealling.
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roninthorne
Jun 17, 2008, 3:38 AM
Post #37 of 43
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Now, maybe it's just me, but from this-
munky wrote: I dunno about H-burg having excellent bouldering. 2nd mountain is a pile, Hidden Rocks has a decent traverse in the wilderness, a few TRs, a a couple of crappy boulders, and Rawley Springs is a whole lot of fun with good exploratory bouldering and as long as you wear hunter orange you should be ok. - to this-
munky wrote: Uh no, just not really all that much rock. I actually like the fact that most of the H-burg crags are off the beaten path. But when compared to Old Rag, Seneca, and Great Falls in my opinion they are the least appealling. - sounds like a wee bit o' the backpedalling and trying to redefine an ill-considered set of generalizations. Suddenly you're comparing these places to Old Rag and Seneca, not just Great Falls, and now you seem to like these "piles" because they're off the beaten path. (And, just so you understand, you can boulder in Rawley for about 10 months out of the year without even hearing a gunshot, much less worrying about hunters. In fact, with the building of a new development on the ridge adjacent to the Maze- you know, all that "exploratory bouldering"- you'll probably get the other two months pretty much worry-free as well, now. So much for the "blaze orange" ploy, which really had nothing to do with the quality of rock climbing, but was a neat psychological play in lieu of actual facts, nonetheless.) Falling water revealing bouldering? Try cranking the traverse I did along the river wall, downhill from the Tower and the Lover's Wall, years ago... guaranteed to get ya pumpin, although it may need a bit of brushing... The Tower itself has at least one 5.12 and several other fine TRs... guess you forgot them, eh? And there's a new problem that will likely go 5.13, still under construction.... come on down and send that, hard one. Hell, try climbing the seams on "Time's Up", the boulder at the head of the path to the wall... never seen it repeated. You tell me how hard it is... although it may have too much texture for you after that water polished paradise of yours, I don't know... And what about the Aretes? A half-dozen ship's prows of diamond-hard stone with hard problems, likely in the same 5.11-13 range that gets you so woody, just waiting for someone with the cojones and motivation to go get them. What about the nameless walls hiding in the shadows off the beaten path on the nameless ridge between the Aretes and the Maze... I led at least one route in the 5.10 range there, years ago, and looked at a couple others on either side, plus passed at least two previously-untouched and likely unrepeated quality bouldering areas on the bushwack in. And then there's the boulders only just emerging from the forest with the construction of the new trail Matt Smith and the gang from Wilderness completed this past year... monoliths and small walls, there for the taking. Dictum hasn't even had the surface scraped, yet, with two little walls and a few boulders on the old ATV trail up from Rocky Run that probably still haven't seen anyone's chalk but mine in the intervening decade and three-quarters. And when you've gone through the dozens of problems in the Deja Vu Maze and on the Monolith, then there's a 12 mile loop with boulders scattered all along it that brings you back around to that "pile", Second Mountain (and ya don't find problems like Moonlighting, Worm's Way, Big Gulp, Super Big Gulp, the Terminator Traverse, and Jared's Traverse on a pile, either, bubba). Try doing it all in one day... I have, ten years ago and more, when you really did have to worry about hunters... but who cared, I was bouldering! From there, you can drop back down the ATV trail and dive into the woods to find the Rook Towers, Dyno Cave, Slab City, the Stigmata Wall, and dozens of other boulders yet to be touched. Ditto with Hone Quarry... Start at Resort Rocks, head up past Goon and the 007 Boulders (more of those 12s and 13s and V thingies you love so much), then hike out past Lover's Leap and the first ascent of many a fine line is all yours. Drop over the back and cross over to Hidden Hilltop, which has a helluva lot more than "a couple of crappy boulders", and then write to me about how you sent the lead of the 10-foot roof crack there after sending everything else. If you think all that isn't enough, drop on over that ridge and try your hand at Hidden Roofs... long TRs and/or bold leads... did you forget to mention them, or just not notice? What about Robin Hood's Cave, with plenty of TR-required boulder problems... not to mention a fine bivvy for the night when your strength finally fails. A couple of TRs at Hidden Rocks? Best recheck yer math, junior... there are over a dozen routes there, many of which can be led- I should know, it's one of the places I taught myself to lead on gear- and more boulder problems than the traverse... which, BTW, you've sent how many times without using the rests? Plus there's Wasp Rocks just up the hill, too, don't forget... no, they ain't Seneca, but we already talked about that part, didn't we? Wasn't this a thread about Virginia climbing? And finally- you might "guess 50 miles of trails", but I am afraid I'm gonna have to call bullpucky on that one, too. What do trails have to do with quality of climbing? We're not debating ease of access, or Old Rag wouldn't even get honorable mention. It's not like these miles of trails are a solid wall of stone, either, now is it? Hell, we've got the Virginia section of the AT... that's 140 miles long, most of it along the Shenandoah Valley... lots of it with rock, like Stoney Man, Old Rag, Raven's Roost, High Top, etc, etc... beat that with yer polished stone pathways. Sorry, but if Great Falls is so Great, then how come I have to rebuild the trails at little old Franklin so often to compensate for the hordes of folks who live within an hour of GF? And how come I've never talked to anyone who drove three hours to climb there? Soooo... the Valley areas might not be the best climbing in Virginia, but they deserve more praise than the casual bitchslap and backpedal you tried to give them.
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munky
Jun 17, 2008, 11:46 AM
Post #38 of 43
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Holy manifesto. This is gonna be fun. As far as backpedaling you're right I did try to soften my stance a bit to not come off as a COMPLETE ASSHOLE but since you threw courtesy out the door, I'll do the same. I'm not even going to begin to argue the fact that Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, and other Shen Ntl Park areas are better than H-burg because for one it sounds like you agree and if you don't then you've spent way too much time in the backwoods of VA and WV to know good climbing. Further, to say that these areas are in your neck of the woods is a bit of a stretch. I wouldn't call them H-Burg crags. Same goes for Seneca, its simply way better than anything in Rockingham County and nearly everyone would agree. Although Seneca would be a shithole in Colorado, California, hell, even NC. But for us locals its the best we got. Now, I'm full aware of your status as all mighty presiding God of Franklin with your monthy rants about trailbuilding and us urban dwellers who piss all over your crag, and bring our ferocious hole digging dogs who shit at the base of dynosaurus, etc. etc. etc. etc. but I'm gonna have to just say this- FRANKLIN ISN'T THAT GREAT! I'm not saying it sucks or is a pile, but its ok and most of us urban dwellers head to the New for our sport fix after a few visits to Franklin. If you can climb 5.12 then you can climb just about everything at the main area (not rverbend) in about 2 or 3 days. Which in fact I did about 9 years ago when I lived in H-Burg for a 6 month stint. So, I"m well aware of the area, very appreciative of having it, appreciative that folks like you keep it up, but in all reality i haven't been there in over 7 years and really have no reason to go back other than maybe a one day winter trip to the Riverbend area (I hear it gets sun) to try some of the harder things. I lived at Hidden Rocks for a month when i first moved to H-burg and did that traverse way too many times both ways and yes you could place gear on the the routes but ITS ONLY AT MOST A 150-200 FEET OF CLIFF LINE-Great Falls has miles. The scruffy boulders down the main creek trail on the hill sides for the most part suck. Not alot of stuff and what is there isn't that great. I'll continue my defense in about an hour when i get to "work". Until then my friend.
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munky
Jun 17, 2008, 1:26 PM
Post #39 of 43
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Ok where was I? Oh, I was just about to reiterate and explain my statement, "2nd Mtn. is a pile". Compared to Hueco, Bishop, Boone area, Rocktown, and Horsepens it most definitely and emphatically is. Compared to McCaffee's it's still a pile, just not as defined. Compared to Rawley Springs, same thing. Compared to Great Falls-both VA and MD its inferior. For Christ's Sake 2nd Mountain might have 15 pure lines of which maybe 8 or so are good. Its a basically a broken "cliffband" of 15-20 feet in height for a few hundred feet along a 4 wheeler road. Matter of fact I can only think of about 4 problems that I would call 4 (out of 5) star routes. So, once again 2nd mountain is good for one visit if you're not a local whereas Great Falls has enough rock (cliffs and boulders) to warrant many visits, shit, maybe even a lifetime if you were stuck in the metropolitan DC area for majority of your life. When comparing the adventure, wilderness, and beauty component of crags like Franklin, Hone Quarry, 2nd Mountain, Hidden Rocks, Rawley Springs, etc. to Great Falls I would say that they are roughly equal with my preference being Great Falls because of the sheer beauty of the area. Like any local who falls in love with, and knows his stomping grounds well, I admit that I'm predisposed to be biased. And yes, I realize that GF's is an "urban park" but I would argue only on the surface. Once in the "backcountry" which if you know the area well, there is tons of (shit hike in from Seneca Rd. 10 miles to the GF and you pass at least 15 cliffs/boulders with stuff on them and thats way before you even hit the "meat" of GF which is about a 3 MILE GORGE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POTOMAC WITH CLIFFS/BOULDERS RISING NEARLY 200 FEET TO THE RIM. I haven't even started talking about the MD side) routes and boulder problems that might or might not have been climbed but will seem like a FA nevertheless. I'm not saying that GF is amazing by any means. Its no Yosemite, No NRG, No Black Canyon, No Colorado Monument, No Hueco, etc. but for local Virginians I would put it as one of the best of our limited areas. So have at it Hoss. Let's hear what you got. 1) Old Rag/White Oak Canyon 2) Great Falls 3) McCaffee's/Bozoo 4) H-Burg Crags 5) Other areas
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acarp
Jun 17, 2008, 3:03 PM
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Registered: Jun 10, 2006
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Isn't Bozoo in WV?
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justroberto
Jun 17, 2008, 7:33 PM
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Registered: Feb 21, 2006
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My area is less bad than your area! For what it's worth, my vote is for McAfees for bouldering. With the latest waves of development filling in the upper grades, I would imagine it's approaching the number of problems there as at horsepens, although less concentrated and with a considerably longer approach. In all fairness, though, I've never been to Great Falls. Just thinking about climbing in that city gives me the heebiejeebies.
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munky
Jun 17, 2008, 7:53 PM
Post #42 of 43
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You know I think you're right, but honestly I'm not sure.
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justroberto
Jun 17, 2008, 9:56 PM
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It is in WV, but just barely. It's maybe five miles from Peterstown, which is on the border. It's practically VA, since there are probably more Virginia Tech and SWVA cimbers there than West Virginians.
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