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roninthorne
Aug 9, 2007, 9:42 PM
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Where: Franklin Gorge, at the end of River Gap Rd, just past Kemper's Store (coming from the east) or just past the bridge, coming frm the west.
What: a weekend of great climbing, cleanup, trail maintenance workshops, and community problem solving, at WVs only free privately owned sport crag.
When; starting at noon on Friday, Aug 31, we'll assemble at the parking area in Franklin Gorge to walk through a plan for the weekend's workand some problem areas. (Don't worry, there's no pop quiz and we'll go over it again, each day, for any new comers).
This is where we'll assemble at 9 am every morning thereafter, and where I'll be serving breakfast burritos Saturday and Sunday. The work will go on rain or shine... come on down even if it pours... we'll hunker over coffee in a local restaurant and hit the trail during the breaks.
Groups wishing to rendezvous and carpool (PLEASE), I recommend the Great Value parking lot located near the center of Franklin. At the Mean Gene's intersection, turn north (right) on 220, pass Subway and turn off right just before Fox's Pizza. If you miss that turnoff, continue over the hill and turn left on 33W and into the Dollar General, just past the Exxon. If you buy a few snacks at either place, they'll be cool about you parking somewhere out of the way.
Bring: gloves, water bottle, snacks, sunglasses, bug spray, a rain jacket, camera, sense of humor, and as many hardworking climbing friends as you can rope into it.
Camping at Thorn Spring, just south of Frankln off 220, was still available as of this past weekend, but you better get a move on... it's a holiday weekend. 304-358-7737.
Come work with us at least a day, then enjoy some of Franklin's amazing assortment of fun lines... you'll climb harder and feel better for it.
Contact Michael Gray here, email at roninthorne@rockclimbing.com, or by phone 434-981-1827, or Chris Irwin, cadaverchris@gmail.com.
(This post was edited by roninthorne on Aug 13, 2007, 1:51 AM)
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bread_delivery
Aug 10, 2007, 5:16 PM
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Lily and I will be there Saturday morning thru Sunday.
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bent_gate
Aug 11, 2007, 3:14 PM
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I plan to be there, and I am looking to carpool from the DC area. PM me if looking to carpool
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cadaverchris
Aug 13, 2007, 4:47 PM
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You know i'm there!!! and i'm bringing as many folks as i can from College Park!!!
i have to work friday, so i'll come down late friday.
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PDenbigh
Aug 13, 2007, 8:00 PM
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I am planning on being there at least one day. I will be driving from Harrisonburg each morning if someone wants to carpool...
Thanks,
Peter
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roninthorne
Aug 20, 2007, 6:00 PM
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Bump- if anyone would like to bring a rake, we'll also be raking away the most recent burn in the parking lot.
thanks
mg
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bread_delivery
Aug 22, 2007, 9:01 PM
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gotcha covered.
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roninthorne
Aug 25, 2007, 11:02 AM
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Thanks, John.
I'd lke to try to get a headcount of bodies to plan meals... anyone got a ballpark figure on the size of your groups?
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PDenbigh
Aug 27, 2007, 11:53 AM
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I'll be bringing 3 at maximum, one at minimum, but not yet sure which day(s).
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PDenbigh
Aug 27, 2007, 4:04 PM
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Update -
I'm planning on being there Friday afternoon (as close to Noon as I can hit it) and then again on Monday for as long as needed.
Not yet sure how many others, if any, I'm bringing.
I have a chain saw, hedge trimmers, pruners, a shovel, and a weed eater (string) that I can bring if needed...?
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roninthorne
Aug 27, 2007, 8:55 PM
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peter-
bring the shovel.. everything else is covered.. and I think we're all caught up on weedeating...
Anyone with a couple of old 5 gallon drywall buckets to spare would be greatly appreciated... here's the deal... if you donate you don't have to carry them....
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bread_delivery
Aug 28, 2007, 5:06 PM
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Me, Lily and at least one and possibly two others. Hey, are we going to the Vietnamese place on Saturday night again?
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ropeburn
Aug 29, 2007, 11:08 PM
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Mike,
I'm planning on being there Friday noon with one, possibly two others. Is there a need for any other tools? If so, what?
Looking forward to it.
-B
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roninthorne
Aug 31, 2007, 1:12 AM
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Bruce-
A small personal handsaw capable of cutting a 6" log, garden trowel or E-tool, swimming trunks (the river's still running folks, and it felt mighty good last weekend, I can tell ya....)
Hey, here's a big shout of thanks out to Adam Buchanan of Backcountry.com, an unsolicited sponsor of the First (hopefully) Semi-annual Franklin Trail Day. Got the packages today, Adam- I'm sure the folks will enjoy the goodies.
Another big vote of thanks goes to the staff and customers of Wilderness Voyagers, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, for a donation of 60.00 towards the anchor replacement project and the Trail Days event. Thanks Bix, Matt, and crew.
Heading over the West-by-God Virginia line in T-minus fifteen minutes and counting with a truck full of gear and goodies (I happen to be moving to just outside of Franklin in the middle of all this...). I'll be meeting a few folks there tomorrow noonish, to walk through the ideas and start prepping for Saturday.
See everyone there sometime this weekend... come to help or just to say hello, it'll be good to meet you.
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cadaverchris
Sep 4, 2007, 2:58 PM
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what a great weekend!!!! got a lot of good trail done, and a lot of well earned climbing!!!!
thanks Mike and everyone! this is why we call it a climbing community!
-cadaver
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bread_delivery
Sep 4, 2007, 8:14 PM
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Let me add on my own thanks and kudos to Mike. Can't believe we did what we did. Walking that trail feels very different now.
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sticky_fingers
Sep 4, 2007, 9:24 PM
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Just want to say "Thanks" to Mike for the burritos, and I was proud to give something back (however little my contribution was). I look forward to logging some time in Franklin as temps gets cooler, and to try Fisher's new line!
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roninthorne
Sep 6, 2007, 11:04 AM
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Wow... has it been three days already? What a BLAST!!!
Perfect weather and a good handful of motivated foks made this a success and a party!
Giant thanks for patience and service above and beyond for Peter Denbigh of H'burg, for waiting for me to clear the massive trafic jam on 81 Thursday nite so he could deliver a much needed contribution from Wlderness Voyagers into my sweaty hands, and for toting away The Couch on Monday.
As has been the story since their first trail day last year, the rockin' crue from DC came thru again, building a new set of switchbacks below Blood, Sweat, and Chalk (based on an innovative redisign by Chris Irwin), as well as redefining and improving all the trails between and beyond. Thanks to John and Lily, Eric and Julienne, Max and Charlie. Thanks as well to Hung and.. oh, hell, I'm afraid I can't find or recall your silent but charming friend's name, lad... my thanks to her as well.
Thanks for a turbo-charged start goes to Bruce (ropeburn) and Cat for taking off work and showing up at 9 am on the money on Friday to work on the area around Limestoned (new steps and reinforcement) and SLAP (entirely new belay surface). Maybe next year you'll have some support besides my tired old ass and bad jokes, kids. Thanks again for kicking things off right.
Kudos as well to Kileen from FLA and James from DC, two climbers who showed up and returned the second day to join in the trailwork.
Big thanks too to Josh Eckard, Fire Pit Master, who kept the home fires burning and kept us all well fed and having fun in the evenings. Alex and Carlene, you two were part of the trip I wouldn't have missed, either. Thanks for making the megacommute!
Thanks to Jude for showing up and expanding the landing Zone under Squeal Lke A Pig, and for generally jumping in where and whenever asked.
Thanks to Mike Fisher, my perennial partner, for cutting the last of the logs out of the new trail and the gated road, and for starting a new line left of SLAP.. good luck on that one, laddie!
And, finally, thanks to Chris Irwin, a tiresless source of energy and ideas, who jumped on this concept and helped kick it into life. You rock, bro... looking forward to hitting more stone with you in the future.
(This post was edited by roninthorne on Sep 12, 2007, 11:50 PM)
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roninthorne
Sep 7, 2007, 10:55 AM
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Just a promo bump cuz I had more to say in the last post!
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roninthorne
Sep 13, 2007, 12:35 AM
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Charley... Neil! Dadgummit, men... must be that short-term memory loss thing.... I was looking over my notes and idly scanning my posts and said "Holy Jumping cats... I forgot Charley... and NEIL!"
Neil Curtis returned, ladeezand gentlepersons, to serv, once again, as the anchor of another great day of trailbuilding, meeting me early in the morning to pitch right in.
And Charley Murphy led the charge pretty much from day one, but definitely on day 2 (Saturday) roused us all out of camp and got the group in motion. He was also wonderfully funny conversation and experienced help.
John and Lilly deserve special mention as well.. for coming out on John's birthday to lug rocks and logs through the woods at the behest of some cranky old rockjock...
Thanks also to the two unidentified lads who carted off many of our burgeoning bags of trash... good on yer, lads... may yer ropes always coil and uncoil like greased lightning, may your belay run smooth as silk, and my yer onsites always be pump free.
And, of course thank you to the climbers who took the time to introduce themselves and sign up for emails in the future
Milas Robertson
Adam and Susanne
Patrick Elmer and the inimitable H Blue
Sarah Croake
Stan Greschner
John Yanson
Matt Zustik
Silviya Petrova
Megan Barry
Ryan Clayton
Karen and Jordan
Thanks to Barbara Shifflett, former owner of four of C'viile's best restaurants; Mono Loco, Rapture, Station, and the Ivy Inn, and currently engaged as chief Ronin wrangler, trying her best to keep me straight hen typing things lke "Hard Bark". Barbara cooked the breakfast burritos in the midst of a frantic schedule as event coordinator for Harvest Moon Catering in downtown C'ville, all while answering phone calls and tending two needy dogs and a slightly seedy climber.
DC folks, hopefully by now you're fingering your swag from not only the Great Falls cleanup but also the late arrival load sent to Chris by the AF for the Franklin gig, which was not officialy an Adopt-A-Crag event this year, but could very well be so next year.
Yep, there are some more yet... I'm still finding pieces of paper with emails and names.. and as I do I'l come on here and say, "Thanks a lot!"
We're organizing now for a Spring Semi-annual. I'm hoping to double our attendance and halve the work time and load to one or two days.
Meanwhile, I'll be out there, with Mike, Chris, Simon Moore and Sandy Haney, Josh E and a handful of others, tending the trails, shoring up access and keeping Franklin a working crag.
You know where to find me. '
Get in touch, and get involved.
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