roninthorne
Jan 11, 2013, 10:15 AM
Post #1 of 1
(258 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 27, 2002
Posts: 567
|
This particular area has been the focus of far too much contention, resulting in animosity and dissention that does the climbing community no good. This is as much my fault as anyone else involved, and I will own that. There were routes to do, and people who wanted to do them. Some of those people were eager newcomers, and some were seasoned vets. Some felt awestruck and honored to be there, some felt entitled. Lines were bolted, and the history remains a tale of two perspectives- that of those who came before and those who came after. First ascents are great, but the danger of pouring too much of yourself into a climb, in reaching beyond your limits, is that there is no guarantee that, even at your best, you will be the first across the line.
The lines tell the truth… the stone never lies. I believe the routes at Long Branch are some of the finest lines in the canyon, in their own very particular way.
I changed the name of this crag from The Darkside to Long Branch in honor of the fine guides and climbers of Seneca, who came there long before me, chose to share it with me, and have provided us all with a vast array of fun and challenging climbs.
Thanks to the pioneers, to those who have passed and to those who are still there, who taught me so much and shared such wonder.
This is the last change I'll be making as WV DB editor or active RC.com member. Some days, right in the middle of all the typical BS and tired old feuds, the phone rings and someone says "You need to sit down, son."
And just like that, all the arguments over access, impact, dogs and fixed gear, all the contention over who came first and did what... all seems about as important as the march of ants along a log.
Less so... at least the ants are accomplishing something.
Not asking for empathy or hugs, sympathy or pity, just signing off and maybe hoping for eventual healing of some rifts. I'm sure there will be lingering hard feelings and raspberries aplenty to follow this post, publicly or privately... spray away, if it makes you feel better.
I've made some mistakes, probably gone about quite a few things in the wrong way in the last 30+ years of climbing, both online and out at the crags. There are a lot of folks who would say I'm one of the worst things to happen to Franklin Gorge and the surrounding region.
Of course, there are one or two who might disagree.
On the plus side of balance, I've tried to provide accurate information on the climbs I've done, the crags I've visited, the climbing situations I've faced and survived and the climbing life as I see it, have lived it, and will continue to live it, headed from this public library wifi hub back to my tent, truck, and lovely wife waiting back in the canyon.
Although my life has just altered course 180 degrees, I will still be working on a guidebook to Smoke Hole canyon and the climbs there (because a contract is a contract), and would appreciate any info, from anyone, about any new routes there, or any older first ascents. I'm not doing this to make a "name" for myself, rewrite history, or rename climbs. I'm trying to set down an accurate record of what I did, with some friends and some of my mentors, in a little corner of Heaven that has been overshadowed, perhaps rightly so, by the icon of Seneca Rocks.
(I doubt it will be the last word on Smoke Hole climbing... more like the launch pad for a much better guide to the entire region, which is probably being written in a little coffee shop in Seneca Rocks even as you read this. And new routes are going up all the time.)
Does it balance out? No clue. History, especially the history of climbing, is full of sarcastic, caustic old bastards who stepped on a lot of toes and burned a lot of bridges while trying to do what they saw as the right thing and making real changes in their world. I doubt many of them ever found out if they wasted their lives or not... I don't intend to waste mine wondering.
Thanks j_ung and not_applicable for good feedback and advice, even when I disregarded it. Kudos to the Access Fund, NRAC and Mid Atlantic Climbers Coalition for your efforts and events. Thanks to folks like camhead, angry, and jt512 (even if he still thinks I'm inane) for great technical advice on the forums and thanks to the multitude who shared insight into some truly awesome climbing adventures and careers in stories, articles, and photos.
RIP daryn... your loss hurt the squad.
Off belay.
/ronin
|
