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dharmatreez


Jan 10, 2007, 2:24 AM
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Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania  (North_America: United_States: Pennsylvania)
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i'm compiling a list of areas i've been to or would like to get to soon in PA, all on public land with no access issues to compile into a FREE pennsylvania climbing guide

i would like to eventually draw map sketches of all the areas and id the route locations that i have not already done and get GPS hits also to post (long term outlook - 2 years), posted for free download and to send as a .pdf to whom would ever want it

so bear with its length, but this is my working list

(*denotes an area i have maps started for)
(**denotes an area with an existing map that will be edited and redrawn for the quide)

list will be regularly edited as info is provided

current areas: 51 (guide cut-off 50)

National Land

Allegheny National Forest
MINISTER CREEK - Truemans, PA
RIM ROCK - Warren, PA
JAKES ROCK - Warren, PA *
HEARTS CONTENT - Hearts Content, PA
TIONESTA ROCKS - Brookston, PA (North Country National Scenic Trail) *
PAINTED BLOCKS - Ludlow, PA (North Country National Scenic Trail)*
AMSLER SPRINGS - Marienville, PA (North Country National Scenic Trail)

Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area
MT. MINSI - East Stroudsburg, PA [40.9634 -75.1223]


PA State Game Lands

Game Lands #44
INDIAN ROCKS - Ridgeway, PA *
LIONS DEN (DEVILS DEN) - Ridgeway, PA [41.39025 -78.72923] **

Game Lands #51
LOST CRAG - Connellsville, PA [39.919033 -79.581700] **
ELK ROCKS - Dunbar, PA

Game Lands #211
BOXCAR ROCKS (CHINESE WALL) - Gold Mine, PA [40.54680 -76.5261]

Game Lands #141
LEHIGH GORGE - Jim Thorpe, PA [40.8981 -75.7580]

Game Lands #108
BELLS GAP - Lloydsville, PA *
SHAW RUN WALLS - Lloydsville, PA *

Game Lands #106
PINNACLE ROCK - Eckville, PA
THE PULPIT - Hamburg, PA


PA State Forests

Michaux
SHAFFER ROCKS - South Mountain, PA [39.88167 -77.48250] *
WHITE AND BROWN ROCKS - Pond Bank, PA **
POLE STEEPLE - Pine Grove Furnance, PA (Appalachian National Scenic Trail)
SUNSET ROCKS - Pine Grove Furnance, PA
HAMMOND ROCKS - Mount Holly Springs, PA
LEWIS ROCKS - Shippensburg, PA
CHIMNEY ROCKS (GLEN ROCKS) - Walnut Bottom, PA
CORONERS SLAB - Shippensburg, PA
WHISKEY SPRINGS - Mount Holly Springs, PA (Appalachian National Scenic Trail) **

Tioga
BLUE RUN ROCKS - Sabinsville, PA **
CHOSSBURG - Blossburg, PA
STONEY FORK - Wellsboro, PA

Buchannan
JB BIRTHPLACE - Fort Loudon, PA

Lackawanna
TILBURY - Nanitcoke, PA

Bald Eagle
PENNS CREEK (COBURN AND PINNACLE ROCKS) - Coburn, PA *

Moshannon
PANTHER ROCKS - Clearfield, PA *
HOBO HILL - Clearfield, PA
FISHER ROCKS - Piper, PA (Quehanna Trail)
QUEHANNA ROCKS - Penfield, PA (Quehanna Trail)
Gallitzin
WOLF ROCKS - Ogleton, PA (John P Saylor Trail) [40.20222 -78.75568]
CLARK RUN GORGE - Cramer, PA [40.4114 -78.9793]

Forbes
BEAM ROCKS - Laurel Mt Village, PA (Laurel Highlands Trail) [40.1306 -79.1586] *
NINETY FOOT ROCKS (WOLF ROCKS) - Laurel Mt Village, PA [40.1617 -79.2242]

Rothrock
ROCKY RIDGE NATURAL AREA (HUNTERS)
- Cornpropst Mills, PA (Link Trail) [40.5594 -77.8524] *

Tiadaghton
ROCK RUN - Ralston, PA [41.5163 -76.9177]

Clear Creek
BEARTOWN ROCKS - Sigel, PA [41.3034 -79.0595]

Sproul
BIG ROCK VISTA - Renovo, PA


PA State Parks

RALPH STOVER SP (HIGH ROCKS)
- Pipersville, PA [40.4415 -75.1004]
MCCONNELLS MILLS SP (BREAKNECK ROCKS) - New Castle, PA [40.9534 -80.1759] **
WORLDS END SP (LABYRINTH) - Forksville, PA
NOCKAMIXON SP (HAYCOCK MT.) - Quakerstown, PA
TYLER SP - Newtown, PA
RAVENSBURG SP (CASTLE ROCK) - Mifflinburg, PA
TROUGH CREEK SP - Raystown Lake, PA


County/Twp./Boro Parks

BILGERS ROCK - Grampian, PA [40.9940 -78.5930] *
CHICKIES ROCK - Marietta, PA [40.4415 -75.5252] **




TOP SPOTS

Bouldering:
Rocky Ridge Natural Area (aka Hunters)
Nockamixon State Park (aka Haycock Mt.)
Whiskey Springs

Top Rope:
Shaffer Rocks
McConnells Mills

Sport:
Lost Crag
Indian Rocks/Lions Den
Blue Run Rocks

Trad:
Delaware Water Gap
Chickies Rock


(This post was edited by dharmatreez on Nov 22, 2007, 12:18 AM)


truello


Feb 1, 2007, 2:18 PM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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Nice work on this list. I've seen a few of the maps you've posted too and they're excellent. It'd be nice to have a lot of the topos for all over PA.

What would be awesome is a .GPX file containing all of this information. Then you could load up a site like http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/ and it would plot it all onto Google Maps (you can choose Google Earth and just flat PNG images as well). Then each point becomes a clickable link which could open a .PDF containing more information and a map.

I've got quite a few coords from areas around here but you seem to already have the ones I am confident on. The others i've just found the area via topo maps or something and plan on confirming/updating them when I actually visit.


truello


Feb 1, 2007, 2:43 PM
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I was entering some of these into my personal coordinate database and have some comments:

- Boxcar Rocks waypoint shows up on railroad tracks in Derry, PA (i've never been here but from what I remember they're near Harrisburg). These coordinates were on summitpost.org: 40.54680°N / 76.5261°W

- Clark Run Gorge waypoint on RC.com led me on a wild goose chase through the Charles Lewis Natural Area. We arrived at this waypoint and there were no rocks. We checked about a quarter mile radius and nothing. On our way back we found the actual rocks and I marked this point: 40.4114, -78.9793 (almost a mile from the point on RC.com). Also, I really don't think this area is worth the hike in for toproping. The rocks aren't very tall (30') but there is an abundance, would be a great bouldering area.

- Wolf Rocks coordinate is 40.20222, -78.75568. There is also a Wolf Rocks near Beams I guess but I haven't been to this one. This coordinate is for the one in the Gallitzin forest. Rocks are ~30' high and spraypainted to hell but there are a few decent routes. Only reason we went there is it was the closest climbing from UPJ.


(This post was edited by truello on Feb 1, 2007, 2:44 PM)


dharmatreez


Feb 1, 2007, 3:27 PM
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Re: [truello] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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thanks truello, great idea

my intial plan was a cd that contained the free guide in .pdf (would contain the boulder sketches and route info) that is approx. 150 pages, and a large hunk of .jpegs of all the free public usage maps for the State lands

i could include on this a .gpx data file also, although coord. would be in the guide, this would allow one to upload to their gps unit or topo program

the website was great and would be nice to upload it all to there as well

thanks again

happy trails and safe climbing

jason


dharmatreez


Feb 1, 2007, 3:38 PM
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Re: [truello] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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truello wrote:

- Clark Run Gorge... ...On our way back we found the actual rocks and I marked this point: 40.4114, -78.9793 (almost a mile from the point on RC.com).

thanks for this update, i have a solo backpack planned on the Laurel Highlands Trail, and planned on the last day as I passed the Clark Run Gorge to check these out. now i won't be wandering around

truello wrote:
- There is also a Wolf Rocks near Beams I guess but I haven't been to this one. This coordinate is for the one in the Gallitzin forest. Rocks are ~30' high and spraypainted to hell but there are a few decent routes. Only reason we went there is it was the closest climbing from UPJ.

two years ago, i was there backpacking with a friend in the middle of winter, camped at the rocks and seen some possiblities thru the spray paint (yes, there is ALOT), but haven't made it back since to actually climb. the wolk rocks near beam rocks are listed as Ninety Foot Rocks on RC. There is a motorized camping spot, you can reserve free thru the Forbes State Forest Office that gives you a key to the gate on the road leading back to Ninety Foot Rocks (the camp is off of this road 3/4 back and the rocks are a short distance from the end), this allows for a nice overnight in the area and cuts back big time on the walking time to the rocks

i'll update the intial post with your observations in a few minutes

thanks


eddietheteddie


Feb 23, 2007, 10:20 PM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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If your interested i have a chickies topo that im having reviewed right now, and a topo for boxcar rock that you can use if your putting together a free guidebook for pa. Email me here at eddietheteddie@rockclimbing.com if you want a copy.

Filer

truello boxcar rock is just north of ft. indiantown gap, if you take 443 N, turn left on goldmine road its on the 2nd mtn that you drive over. Dont have a gps, otherwise id get the coordnates for you

(This post was edited by eddietheteddie on Feb 23, 2007, 10:22 PM)


dharmatreez


Feb 27, 2007, 10:52 PM
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Thanks! ed

sent you an email


slowhand


Feb 27, 2007, 11:09 PM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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dharmatreez wrote:
truello wrote:

- Clark Run Gorge... ...On our way back we found the actual rocks and I marked this point: 40.4114, -78.9793 (almost a mile from the point on RC.com).

thanks for this update, i have a solo backpack planned on the Laurel Highlands Trail, and planned on the last day as I passed the Clark Run Gorge to check these out. now i won't be wandering around

truello wrote:
- There is also a Wolf Rocks near Beams I guess but I haven't been to this one. This coordinate is for the one in the Gallitzin forest. Rocks are ~30' high and spraypainted to hell but there are a few decent routes. Only reason we went there is it was the closest climbing from UPJ.

two years ago, i was there backpacking with a friend in the middle of winter, camped at the rocks and seen some possiblities thru the spray paint (yes, there is ALOT), but haven't made it back since to actually climb. the wolk rocks near beam rocks are listed as Ninety Foot Rocks on RC. There is a motorized camping spot, you can reserve free thru the Forbes State Forest Office that gives you a key to the gate on the road leading back to Ninety Foot Rocks (the camp is off of this road 3/4 back and the rocks are a short distance from the end), this allows for a nice overnight in the area and cuts back big time on the walking time to the rocks

i'll update the intial post with your observations in a few minutes

thanks

I've been to a place called 90 ft rocks around Beams, but it was a hike through the woods straight up hill about half a mile. I believe it's posted by the Rolling Rock Club. There is a pull of across from the spring.
I don't know where exactly you are talking about?


slowhand


Feb 27, 2007, 11:12 PM
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Where exactly is clark run gorge and how is it?


chalker7


Feb 27, 2007, 11:47 PM
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Well since this thread is bound to be frequented by us PA folks, does anyone have beta on boxcar or an interest in developing the place a little bit? It's my home crag and I'm all about maintaining the area and documenting it.

Peace.
Colby.


microbarn


Feb 28, 2007, 12:49 AM
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I have heard of a few areas that aren't on your list.

http://climbpa.telerama.com/climbpa.html
Tim is a great guy. He seems like one of the most knowledgeable people around this area. I would highly recommend talking to him face-to-face or over the phone.

I would also encourage you to run your list by the people at Exkursion
http://www.exkursion.com

Those are probably the best resourses for this area. They contain everything I know.

I am unsure of the access issues for Breakneck rocks. I encourage you to talk to Exkursion about that. The rumor I heard is that the 'standard' parking is on private ground. Then the normal path to the rocks is on private ground. However, the rocks are free game. The only things I can confirm is that there are no trespassing signs near the parking area and I never heard of anyone being thrown out.

Good luck with the work. Let me know if there is some way I might help.


dharmatreez


Feb 28, 2007, 1:09 AM
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slowhand wrote:
I've been to a place called 90 ft rocks around Beams, but it was a hike through the woods straight up hill about half a mile. I believe it's posted by the Rolling Rock Club. There is a pull of across from the spring.
I don't know where exactly you are talking about?

these are the same 90ft/Wolf Rocks i was referring to by Beam Rocks, you can access them from Linn Run Road at the parking by the spring you refer to with a stiff uphill climb, or if you reserve the Forbes State Forest Designated campsite #1, you will be camped along the gated J E Miller Road (off of Laurel Summit Road) and just off of Wolf Rocks trail with a approx. flat walk along the ridge top of about 1 mile to 90ft/Wolf Rocks, this puts you close to Beam Rocks too, which are just off of Laurel Summit Road with the parking area being a little ways before your right turn on to J E Miller Road, so with an overnight stay at the camp (its free, just needs reserved and the gate key sent to you), you could climb at 90ft rocks and Beam Rocks with legal overnight parking and camping in the vicinity

speaking of the area, i just got back from a solo snowshoe backpack on the Laurel Highlands Trail and found some great boulders off of RT30 - south on the Laurel Highlands Trail about 1 mile. the trail weaves right thru them for about 100 yards, seems to be a large boulder field. one boulder has an nice roof with a perfect hand crack splitting it from the base wall up, out and over. does anyone know of its name or history? it is on a small flat above two tributary valleys that eventually feed Lake Gloria, so i was just going to label them Lake Gloria Boulders when i draw up the topos. under the overhangs i found some chalk evidence so there has been some recent climbing here, any beta would be great

as to the area, it seems to be a nice ridge of boulders, starting at State Route #30 one could hike (with your pad) from the LHT trailhead to the "lake gloria" boulders then pass a few large boulders out on your left on the point up the next flat and then encounter some smaller boulders before and after Beam Run Road. continue along the Laurel Highlands Trail and right before Spruce Run you will find boulders off to your right in a bowl, there is various small boulders strewn then until Beam Rocks. with two cars you could go point to point (RT30 LHT Trailhead to Beam Rocks TR Parking), leave your rack at the Beam Rocks car, take your pad for the hike, and get in alot of climbing, with bouldering and a nice hike to warm up and then some good climbing at the end.

there is a place called South Rocks on the north side of RT30 (pointed out by truello from seeing it on geocache) by the shelter area that i was unable to locate due to a nasty winter storm and 20+mph wind that had me in my sleeping bag in the shelter all late afternoon and evening, but i'll be returning within a few weeks to try to find these rocks, start to map "lake gloria" boulders and the smaller boulder areas between RT30 and Beam Rocks (possibly to Laurel Summit SP) during another backpacking trip to the area, i can pass out to anyone who would be interested my intial topo of the area if you would want to explore it and find some routes

thanks again for everyone's help

long happy trails and safe climbing

jason


dharmatreez


Feb 28, 2007, 1:29 AM
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microbarn wrote:
I have heard of a few areas that aren't on your list.

http://climbpa.telerama.com/climbpa.html


i've visited this site a few times in the past, and have some of the areas on a list of mine to find and plot to see what the land management and access is, i have only posted what i have conifidence in. when i get further along with the guide, its a great idea to hook up with Tim to fill in the blanks and correct mistakes

In reply to:
I am unsure of the access issues for Breakneck rocks. I encourage you to talk to Exkursion about that. The rumor I heard is that the 'standard' parking is on private ground. Then the normal path to the rocks is on private ground. However, the rocks are free game. The only things I can confirm is that there are no trespassing signs near the parking area and I never heard of anyone being thrown out.

thanks alot, this is the kind of feedback i was hoping for. i'll be in contact with Exkursion soon. i will probably not include it if access thru private land to the public land is in jeopardy at all. is this "normal" parking and trail the only way in the rocks or just the easiest? if there is a different parking area and approach trail on State Game Land then only that could be included in the directions and might help to ease the impact thru private land

thanks

jason


chalker7


Feb 28, 2007, 1:33 AM
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Hey Jae,

Long time no talk, how ya been, lookin forward to shaffers.

Anyway, I was checkin out your topo sketches and they are great. I'm trying to so the same and document the entire area of Boxcar Rocks, so I was wondering if you had any advice. Specifically how do you scale your drawings to make sure that boulder sizes and distance between routes/problems are accurate? Do you actually measure the locations or do you just steal it out of your minds eye?

Boxcar is a really big (long) stretch of rock and I planned on measuring between routes and getting rough distances for the different clusters of rock. I need accuracy because I plan to implement my sketches into a simple free guidebook for the locals that needs distance values in the route descriptions.

Thanks for any advice you've got. See you at Shaffers soon. (and at the NRR from what I hear?)

Peace.
Colby.


microbarn


Feb 28, 2007, 2:54 AM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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dharmatreez wrote:
In reply to:
I am unsure of the access issues for Breakneck rocks. I encourage you to talk to Exkursion about that. The rumor I heard is that the 'standard' parking is on private ground. Then the normal path to the rocks is on private ground. However, the rocks are free game. The only things I can confirm is that there are no trespassing signs near the parking area and I never heard of anyone being thrown out.

thanks alot, this is the kind of feedback i was hoping for. i'll be in contact with Exkursion soon. i will probably not include it if access thru private land to the public land is in jeopardy at all. is this "normal" parking and trail the only way in the rocks or just the easiest? if there is a different parking area and approach trail on State Game Land then only that could be included in the directions and might help to ease the impact thru private land

thanks

jason

Honestly I am not the person in the know. Parking before the no trespassing signs seems open. Then, I would assume you could cut through public land in a round-about way. The few times I have gone since this has been an issue, I just took the chance of running across the 50 ft of private land to get to the public area. It is my belief the people are more annoyed because people don't back off the road all the way when parking.


truello


Feb 28, 2007, 3:05 AM
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microbarn wrote:
http://climbpa.telerama.com/climbpa.html
Tim is a great guy. He seems like one of the most knowledgeable people around this area. I would highly recommend talking to him face-to-face or over the phone.

I'll second this. I haven't had the chance to meet him in person but he gave me his phone number after I emailed him questioning him about a certain area. A few weeks later I had another question so I called him and he was very friendly and helpful. Definitely does seem to know the crags around Western PA better than anyone i've met thus far.

I found out about Southrocks via geocaching.com strangely enough. Those geocachers love to place caches in points of interest so i've actually found a couple of areas that seem to be untouched this way.

Did you try finding the rocks via the coordinate Jae? I checked it out during the fall so it was a little bit warmer/drier. If you're in the area Beams/90' Rocks is better for TR but Southrocks is a definite bouldering possibility and has a few 25-30' TR possibilities if you get tired of the other climbs like I did. I do NOT know of the access issues of this area, though.

I'm very interested in the bouldering field you've found. Do you have coordinates by chance, or able to guesstimate via topomaps?


dharmatreez


Feb 28, 2007, 3:22 AM
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Re: [chalker7] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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chalker7 wrote:
Hey Jae,
I'm trying to... document the entire area of Boxcar Rocks, so I was wondering if you had any advice. Specifically how do you scale your drawings to make sure that boulder sizes and distance between routes/problems are accurate? Do you actually measure the locations or do you just steal it out of your minds eye?

its actually rare that i sketch the topos at the crag, my climbing partner Rusty has called me a "freak" in the past from showing up a few days after we have been to a new crag with a topo sketch i made from memory. i basically go from memory and exaggerate some features of the rock and area to help get your bearings at the crag. my route ticks on the rock are placed as accurately as possible (usally from the second trip with intial sketch in hand). nothing is to truly to scale but kept as aesthitic as possible. as to measuring, i break out my forestry tape rule only to measure anchor distance on the top from pro placements/bolts/trees to the edge to help one plan top roping gear. if the routes are close together like at Shaffers, then it might be helpful to measure starts (ie...route B is 7 feet right of route A), but that might be most helpful in the route descriptions, and there a standard tape rule will do the trick. if you are looking to measure climb height, the best bet would be a long piece of 2 or 3 mm cord with markings every foot and different markings every five feet, this would allow you to weight an end and walk along the top quickly estimating the various climb heights. even with an extensive past in drafting and architecture i have never broke out the drafting board to make any of the climbing topos, although it would be nice for basic layout, the organic shapes of boulders will be extremely hard to duplicate perfectly, while there are techniques that would allow it, the time spent would far out weigh any beta you could get, but drafting distances such as from the face of a boulder to the next or to place wall angles in correct alignment with others or just general size of boulders would be sweet (still would need extensive measuring and clear notetaking to use at the drafting table)

In reply to:
Boxcar is a really big (long) stretch of rock and I planned on measuring between routes and getting rough distances for the different clusters of rock. I need accuracy because I plan to implement my sketches into a simple free guidebook for the locals that needs distance values in the route descriptions.


Peace.
Colby.

best advice i could give is for such a large area is a few progressive trips, starting by sketching intial layout and cluster areas, redrawing and refining before heading out again to draw the climable faces and boulders accurately in top view and roughly marking routes, then another redrawing before heading out to measure what you need to (adding all measurements to sketch) and defining the final route placements. with this info i would find a suitable scale and draft the area from the measurements you collected (this step will be the most time consuming)

with seemingly such a long ridge it will probably be easier to make an overview map that is to scale but will not show much defintion on the climbing areas. on this overview map, mark off and label the individual areas. then for each smaller area make a map specific for it. that should keep your accuracy good by keeping the plotting areas small (an example of this might be what i am still doing - they are not done yet - for Rocky Ridge Natural Area) and allow you to tackle it in more reasonable sections

i would love to help if you wanted me to. i think i would have about a 3 hour drive to the area, but that is more than reasonable for a day of mapping (something i love to do), maybe make a day of it and revise the intial maps over a trail lunch and retackle it in the afternoon, after that you might only need a day of measuring before final drafting (that i could also help with). send me a pm a little in advance of you heading out there and i'm sure i can make it for a day

jason


eddietheteddie


Feb 28, 2007, 4:18 AM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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Chalker7 that second wall about 40ft past the main wall at boxcar is great, so few people ever go down their though. If you ever want to clean that place up or need help documenting more routes just let me know, i live pretty close. I definitly like the old rusty pitons there, a reminder from years past. Although the military does do climbing/ rappeling training their, but they dont use pitons (at least not anymore, cant vouch for the past)

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(This post was edited by eddietheteddie on Feb 28, 2007, 4:23 AM)


chalker7


Feb 28, 2007, 4:33 AM
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Re: [dharmatreez] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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Jae,

I too have an extinsive drafting background and I do far better work when I'm at the table than I do with a sketchpad, but I agree that it wouldn't yield enough benefits to be feasible. I like the idea of the overview map and will likely do that, possibly in a fold out or as an extra so that its large enough.

I appreciate your offer to come and help. I know three hours is a hell of a drive, but I would be glad to have your help. It looks like eddietheteddie is interested in helping out as well so I'm thinking if we can get a group of people or even just the three of us we could make a great day of it and maybe a weekend for those of us who live close or wanna crash on the couch. I'm going to see if I can't pick a date and make a clean-up/mapping weekend for all parties interested. I'll be sure to post up here and definitely pm you so you can plan ahead. Thanks for all the beta and willingness to help.

Peace.
Colby.


chalker7


Feb 28, 2007, 4:37 AM
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Re: [eddietheteddie] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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Filer,

I always wonder if the Ft. Indiantown Troops came that way, because I can here them doing large firearms drills when I'm climbing sometimes. Cool.

As for helping out I'd be more than happy to have you lend a hand. As I mentioned to Jae above, I think we should get a group to do some regular work at the area, cuz I love the place. Where do you live that's so close. I'm about 30-45 minutes away in Millersburg.

Peace.
Colby.


eddietheteddie


Feb 28, 2007, 4:53 AM
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Re: [chalker7] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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I live right outside of hershey, so its not far at all. did email you the boxcar topo too.

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dharmatreez


Feb 28, 2007, 4:59 AM
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Re: [truello] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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truello wrote:
Did you try finding the rocks via the coordinate Jae? I checked it out during the fall so it was a little bit warmer/drier.

unfortunately no, i encountered freezing rain from the warming hut on Laurel Summit Road to about a mile before the rocks and then it switched to heavy snow (with gathering wind), and by the time i reached the shelter area with plans to ditch gear and find Southrocks i had full white out conditions around me, with fine blowing sand snow powered by 20+mph winds, so i huddled up in the shelter and spent the rest of the day in there out of the wind

In reply to:
I'm very interested in the bouldering field you've found. Do you have coordinates by chance, or able to guesstimate via topomaps?

just passed thru the boulder field quickly on the LHT, only stopping to catch my breath and drool over a few nice lines, plus i am anti-electronics while backpacking, so no gps hit. would not be able to quesstimate really, i made a sketch of my travels on the LHT in my backpacking journal that evening in the shelter, not sure how accurate it is, kinda a head down, sludge on day, but i attached a quick sketch i made from my journal map and notes, give me a few weeks and i will have a more accurate map for you to use this spring.

the boulder field (to the best of my memory) is less than a mile south on the Laurel Highlands Trail from the RT30 parking area, there would be a blue blazed trail from the parking area to the yellow blazed LHT, the Laurel Highlands Trail will go down hill to a small stream and bridge, up the other side of the small valley and onto the large flat shoulder, on top of this shoulder the LHT should wind thru the boulder field before heading thru some thick laurel on the far side of the shoulder before it drops down into another shallow valley with two bridges and Mile Marker #45 (didn't see it, somewhere under the 2+ft of snow), the Mile Marker #46 is only about 100 yards on the north side of RT30, so i am estimating the rocks to be around .75 miles from RT30 south on the LHT

Laurel Ridge State Park - North
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/...aurelridge_maps.aspx
*this map will lack detail but will give you mileage markers and basic elevation data

Laurel Highlands Trail System - Forbes State Forest
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/...sLaurelHighlands.pdf
*this map has more contour line data, but the shoulder where the field might sit is in the upper right corner, the boulders could actually sit right where the LHT goes off the map, unfortunately the segment between there and RT30 is not shown
Attachments: LHT sketch - RT30 to Rector RD.jpg (100 KB)


chalker7


Feb 28, 2007, 3:23 PM
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Re: [eddietheteddie] Climbing on Public Land in Pennsylvania [In reply to]
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Filer,

I checked my email for your topo and my inbox is empty. So something must have went wrong in that process. My hotmail is chalker777@hotmail.com so it might work if you send it there. Thanks.


lodi5onu


Feb 28, 2007, 3:58 PM
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yes wolf rocks in gallitzin forest is a sweet high-ball bouldering junction. a pretty nice roof there too as i remember from my days at upj...several crashpads are nice as some of the high falls can be nasty landings (boulders and small chimneys below)


eddietheteddie


Feb 28, 2007, 4:13 PM
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alright sent it again, to your other email. For some reason my mail keeps telling me I have 1000+ emails in my inbox, i sure dont see them.

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