Ohiopyle Crags (Rock Climbing Part 9)

... pretty much marveled at the size of this wall when first laying eyes upon it years ago - nearly 100ft tall - massive per SWPA standards - was sure that there were routes all over it but, considering the severity of the steep, overhanging face, who's gonna' have the strength and stamina to hang out while fiddling with gear placements - and bolting back then was out of the question... could have at least tossed a top rope down to check out the conditions, but was too lazy and there was plenty of other stuff out there to keep us busy - besides, overhanging faces of that nature were usually in the realm of direct aid climbing... as well, was a long hike in from "civilization" - there was no improved Yough River Trail (YRT) at the time - was still an abandoned railroad with a surface of large gravel ballast... and besides, "... no ones gonna be able to lead that thing on conventional gear anyway!"... (enough excuses?)...

... so more recently, we get a call one day from Tim Anderson "... holy sh*t! Did you ever see the size of that wall along the Yough River Trail?!!" was Tim's comment upon first stumbling upon it... so as expected, he and his gal, 'Laura Hahn', wasted no time organizing some top rope reconnaissance and even lesser time in establishing what is arguably one of the finest sport climbing walls around...

... Tim, Laura and their crag climbing "wheels"...

... 'Schoolhouse Wall' - Laura for scale...

... reverse angle...

... some vertical perspective - Laura climbing...

... not a bad angle for photography as well...

... some old fart that pops up every once in a while...

... sequence of events - Laura spidering out the the exposed roof of 'Arachnophobia'...

... the area actually sports three walls - 'Maple Wall', 'Schoolhouse Wall' and 'Rivers End Wall' - each separated by short reaches of dense forest along maybe a quarter mile stretch - and each a short two minute hike from the adjacent 'YRT' after a 20 minute bike ride from the town of 'Ohiopyle' to the south or a (fast) 45 minute bike ride from the town of 'Connellsville' to the north...

... Tim and long time SWPA climbing icon 'Cal Swoager'...

... Cal still out "gettin' it" after all these years...

... watched him solo (= unroped) climb the 'Sloth' (an "old school" moderate - would probably be rated 2-3 grades harder 'nowdays) up at 'Derry High Rocks' once years ago - while dangling from the lip of that thing he imparted to us the best advice ever up to that point "... don't ever climb something unroped that you can't downclimb" - which he subsequently did - was even more impressed that he could downclimb it... 

... lots of "firepower" out this day - (L-R) Tim, 'Doug (Spyder) Praksti' and 'Jeremy Steck'...

... along with 'Carl Samples'...

... and 'Bob Rentka'...

... tough gals, too - Laura again...

... and 'Dana Steck'...

... Jeremy makin' a long clip...

... and a short but airy difficult traverse...

... Spyder pulling a series of lapping overhangs...

... and a final to top out (don't know why we like that 'lens flare', but we do - pretty cool how it's reflecting off the front and rear lens elements)...

... one final image...

Trump Hollow Sandstone... Macro Mode... What Not

... a small area with some decent bouldering potential...

 

... hadn't checked it out in years - is a short jaunt just off trail of one of the standard MTB routes... a long, low cliff band with a few large scattered boulders with more visible in the distance along the down sloping hillside... 

... some decent looking stuff - never ventured beyond the top of the cliff to check 'em out... not bothering with a map as the area is quite a hike in from the main road and we know most climbers aversion to "long grueling hikes thru the woods" (?)...

... for scale - "trundling" a precarious large stone...

... update 12/26/15...

... went on a (wet) "solo flight" MTB ride yesterday afternoon... had plenty of time to kill so decided to take a short hike in to check out conditions... if anything, the area was definitely prime 'Black Bear' habitat - lots of broken down sandstone rock with many small caves and fissures perfect for establishing a winter den...

... a few decent blocks but nothing great - pretty weathered rock - mostly north facing so it doesn't appear to get much sun to dry...

... subsequently, lots of moss...

... pretty nice area but definitely not worth the "grueling hike in" if  bouldering is your only intention...

... some fun "macro function"...

... 'Praying Mantis'...

... 'Snail'...

... 'Katydid'...

... small 'Toad'...

... baby bird clinging to some steep sandstone...

... a small black spider contrasting with the evening spring snow...

... large 'Wolf Spider' - not poisonous, but got bit once by one on the underarm  - eventually left a welt as big as a golf ball...

... 'Stink Bug' - some pretty cool markings...

... some type of 'Caterpillar'...

... nuthin' in particular...

... translucent cave ice...

... a large 'Sulphur Shelf' or 'Chicken of the Wood' mushroom - edible (depending on to what type of wood it is attached) - supposedly tastes like chicken when prepared with other ingredients - don't know, never tried one...

... was smellin' something bad around the homestead for a few hot summer days - finally decided to investigate - found this 'Possum' who had "bought it" after getting his "big fat ass" stuck in the neighbors wood lattice...

... 'Black Bear' claw scratches...

... the "prints" climbed the whole way up this tree (probably 20ft) to the top of this large sandstone boulder...

... "Cat on a Cold Low Carbon Mild Steel Roof"... hey - that would be a good title for a play...

Zion Canyon, UT

... drove up to 'Zion Canyon, Utah from Vegas a few years back for a quick one day excursion...

... here's a large roadside boulder on the way into the park (buddy Matt for scale)... visited in late fall to avoid the crowds (we're sure it's an "ant colony" up there during the summer tourist season) - besides - the canyon road is open that time of year for private vehicle access...

... was only a "sightseeing trip"... had "mapped to memory" many of the main formations prior to visiting, but forget most of them now - so these images will have to "speak for themselves" when appropriate...

... a few sights along the drive in - pretty spectacular place...

... pretty rugged terrain...

 

... that massive arched "amphitheater" is pretty impressive ...

... view from one of the overlooks...

... desert high country above...

... deep canyon below...

... overlook trail...

... distant big wall...

... near big wall - two climbers identified in the yellow circle...

... "zoom" image of same climbers...

... canyon floor and 'Virgin River'...

... the classic climbing route 'Spaceshot' with climber (photo center)...

... unidentified climbing route with a few parties on the wall while a few wait at the base - was a short walk from the road and didn't appear too "committing" compared to many of the other walls so it probably is pretty popular - the parking lot at the end of the canyon was pretty empty however - most of the vehicles appeared to belong to climbers...

... another distant wall...

... another near wall...

... don't recall the name of this very cool spire...

... some nice fall foliage - don't know what type of trees those are...

... view from one of the canyon hiking trails...

... some pretty sheer walls opposite the trail...

... some nice contrast along the canyon floor...

... only had the day so we're still pissed we didn't get to check out 'Angels Landing' ("google" it if not familiar)... we'll be back...