9.24 RRGCC Newsletter: Together, we continue to make progress!
As we reflect on the year so far, I am proud and grateful for all we’ve accomplished. We continue to focus on our mission and it’s the unwavering support from the community that fuels our progress. In recent months, we have seen significant progress in various aspects. This includes acquiring the recreational easement at CRP, completing numerous projects at JATD, and observing a rise in volunteer participation. During the last quarter, RRGCC has embraced new challenges by engaging with legislators to advocate for increased protection and security for private landowners who want to allow public access to their cliffline. The RRGCC is working hard to make this year’s Rocktoberfest even more spectacular. We can’t wait to celebrate with you this October. I’m excited to share more of the latest updates with you, highlighting the impactful work our community makes possible.
-Jake Ellis
RRGCC BOD President
Your support plays a vital role in protecting the land!
ROCKTOBERFEST: Oct. 9-13
Rocktoberfest tickets are now on the loose! Grab your gear and get ready for an adventure at this year’s best climbing festival. This year’s shindig swings into action on Wednesday with an exclusive panel of pro climbers. We’re upping the ante with a disc golf showdown on Thursday and rolling your Friday to Sunday admission and camping into one neat package so you don’t have to purchase a ticket for each day.
Check out our website for the full schedule, list of clinics, and meet-ups. Can’t wait to see you there!
Despite the heat, we got a lot done at JATD
| It was one of the hottest JATD’s to date, but that didn’t hinder any of our 140 all-star volunteers from hauling lumber, moving rocks, digging dirt, moving dirt, getting covered in dirt, & trimming trails. Take a look at what these awesome crews were able to accomplish in just a day – #LOCALS ONLY The “locals” got things started the week before with a reinforced access path to Amarillo Sunset & Tequila Sunrise, complete with a brand new staircase leading back up from the landing zone. THE UNLODE BROS Two crews were out at the newly-developed walls of the Unlode. One terraced the belay bases at Unbridled wall while the other built a wooden retaining wall to stop erosion beneath ‘Underdog’ where a short set of stairs will be added. THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID Another two crews had an Office day, building sustainable infrastructure at the BRRP’s newest crag. With a 50-degree slope under the Accounting Department wall, some creativity was required for a sustainable belay base – floating deck platforms attached to the rock on one side and posts on the other. The second crew had a more standard set of 24-foot-wide retaining terraces to install below the Dunder Mifflin slabs. |
| GO RUCK Wondering how all of that wood got to those crags? Well this team got their workout in, moving 50+ 6×6 timbers and a slew of other lumber. Somebody is going to send this Fall! JUST ANOTHER NURSERY PROJECT A new rock terrace was added to the structures previously built at the Nursery slab wall to prevent the original work from getting undercut by new user traffic patterns from a newly-added route. DEVIL WENT DOWN TO SÛZA The user trail between The Shire and Purgatory was replaced with an official trail, cut to a sustainable grade to withstand the traffic and completing the Sore Heel loop trail. A last-minute reroute was required after a salamander nest was found nearby, yay nature! ORGANIZED CHAOS Access Fund’s Conservation Team member, Jeff, finished off the month-long project of stabilizing the belay bases and overall crag area of Chaos. The amount of rock moved at that crag in May was astounding, check it out for yourself. |
WHIP ROCKING Access Fund’s Conservation Team member, Erynn, continued work on the Drive-By stabilization project around Whip Stocking. Rock was collected, placed, and staged for retaining walls and stair systems that will continue to be assembled to rebuild the belay bases and staging areas that have seen excessive erosion over the last two decades.
NOBODY CARES A rock retaining wall and set of access stairs were built under the popular moderate route, ‘Nobody Cares,’ to prevent further erosion of the slope that it begins from.
BRONAUGH’S LANDSCAPING CREW (II) The multi-year project of stabilizing the large slope beneath the right side of Bronaugh Wall kept chugging along with help from Dylan & Christian from the Muir Valley Trail Crew. A new retaining wall and junk wall were added to the existing rock structures, providing a more sustainable base beneath ‘Belly of the Beast’ and surrounding routes.
GREEN TEAM Annual trail maintenance and clearing was carried out across RRGCC’s three properties, including fallen tree cutting at Secret Garden, weed whacking in major parking lots, and brush clearing along popular and overgrown trails.
Huge shoutout to our trail leaders, sponsors, and everyone who came out to help! Our world-class climbing destination got even better overnight because of these dedicated volunteers
ACCESS FUND CONSERVATION TEAM
CHAOS As you may have read in the JATD update, Chaos got itself a MAJOR makeover. Access Fund Conservation Teams and RRGCC staff hauled and placed tens of thousands of pounds of rock to assemble two stair systems, a French drain, multiple retaining walls, and an equivalent number of junk walls. The belay area at the crag is now absolutely bomb-proof from ‘Swamp Gator’ up to ‘Live with a Curse.’
DRIVE-BY While this project is still ongoing, some serious headway was made by the Access Fund Conservation Teams and our small crew of stoked climbers who showed up to our Trail Skills Workshop. The Drive-By stabilization project is centered around the ‘Whip Stocking’ area. Another small mountain of rock was collected & placed for retaining walls and stair systems used to rebuild the belay bases and staging areas that have seen excessive erosion over the last two decades. The approach trail also received some love in the form of regrading and check-stepping to reduce the grade and erosion.
Take a gander at these rock structures for yourself next time you are at Chaos or Drive-By and buy Loryn, Kyle, Jeff, & Erynn a beer next time you see them in the wild!
- Indian Creek Clean up with the Forest Service on November 3rd Contact Curtis Rogers, crutis.rogers@rrgcc.org, if you are interested.
- ROCKTOBERFEST- We are still in need of many volunteers, especially for traffic control and registration. VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS This year, we are doing an all-in-one ticket for access to Rocktoberfest events and camping. What does this mean for your volunteer shift(s) and admission into the event? If you volunteer for one shift, you will get 50% off admission. If you volunteer for two shifts, you get FREE admission into the event! Volunteers do not need to purchase a general admission and camping ticket online.
PROTECTING ACCESS IS AT THE HEART OF THE RRGCC
We’ve got the green light on a new recreational easement!
We are still riding high over this win! The RRGCC recently acquired a recreational easement at Cliffview Resort. Read the full press release HERE. To find out more about the property and for the latest updates head over to the web page https://rrgcc.org/crp/
WORKING TO PROTECT OPEN ACCESS
The RRGCC’s work to amend Kentucky’s Recreational Use Statute has garnered a lot of media attention recently. Thanks to Louisville Public Media’s Justin Hicks for bushwhacking out to a crag to cover this important issue. You can find the stories at the links below:
RRGCC board members will be meeting with state lawmakers in the coming weeks to push this forward and hopefully have climbing added to the Recreational Use Statute in 2025.
SHOUTOUT to DAMON VAUGHAN
Damon is a new volunteer to the RRGCC. He just recently moved to Lexington where he teaches in the Forestry Department at the University of Kentucky. Damon first volunteered to help at the Indian Creek cleanup in June and since has shown up in a big way! He helped at JATD, MadTree Summer Trail Days, and has offered his help and knowledge by joining the Conservation and Stewardship Committee.
Climbing pretty much ran Damon’s life for the better part of the 00’s and 10’s, when he started climbing outside. He first came to the Red in March 2007. Over the next several years, Damon came back to visit various times, including road trips from Colorado and even an international trip while I was living in Costa Rica.
Damon is psyched to be near the Red, but is battling a stubborn shoulder injury so hasn’t been climbing as much as he would like. “Climbing has always been a huge part of my life so I was looking for ways to be involved. Ironically, all the heavy rock lifting and trail work is probably harder on my shoulder than climbing would be, but it’s been fun anyways”.
SHOUTOUT to RACHAEL ELLIS
Rachael Ellis has been nominated for this quarter’s volunteer spotlight for her work preparing for and leading the management of volunteers during Rocktoberfest. Rachael has been hard at work over the last several years improving the experience of the 100+ volunteers that choose to donate their time and energy to ensure the event is successful. Rachael joined the RRGCC events committee in 2020. Since then, she has played a major role in the organization and execution of all of our events. Rachael said, “I’m a big believer in leaving the world a little better than when you found it. By volunteering for the RRGCC, I feel like I can do just that. The RRGCC’s mission and vision is something I am passionate about, and it is easy to get behind and to support. No matter how big or small my volunteer job, I know I am making an impact today and in the future.” Thank you for all of your hard work, Rachael, our events are better because of you!!
Rock L8
The RRGCC got the chance to take out two students from Lee County for their first outdoor climbing trip this Summer! Big thanks to Bluegrass Climbing School, Tara DeCamp, Curtis Rogers, and Audrey Sniezek for making this happen. Tara and Audrey have worked with the climbing group at the Lee County Rec Center for quite some time and we were thrilled to get some of those students out on real rock. We anticipate that this will be the first of many trips taking out local students from Lee County to introduce them to outdoor climbing and to show them just how amazing their hometown really is
2024 Rocktoberfest Scholarship
We are offering scholarships again this year for Rocktoberfest. The application can be found here:
Rocktoberfest Meet Up!
Who is this for? Any LGBTQIA2S+ climbers who want to climb, chat, and hang with others in the queer climbing community. All experience levels are welcome; proficiency in top rope belay skills is recommended. Description: Come as you are to this meetup that celebrates a collective love for climbing, community, and self. Spend the day with other LGBTQIA2S+ climbers and explore the Red’s easy and moderate routes. This clinic is open to anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ or questioning and will be accompanied by two allies, serving as clinic marshals.
Sponsored by Queer Climbing Columbus and RRGCC
