Perfect Storm (A Brief Review of SWPA Ice Craft) Part II, aka: "Last of The Buffalos"

 "Few people are as passionate or as dedicated to rock, ice and mixed climbing 

as Tim Anderson... he continues to develop new areas and pioneer new routes

at existing crags... the climbing community is very fortunate to have such a strong

climber with such a powerful drive to develop modern routes for all of us to enjoy."

                                                

                                                            - Rob (Griz) Ginieczki, 'Ice Climbing Pennsylvania' (2006)

Quite of an accolade , and from the esteemed "Griz" himself. We'll add:

"If Tim ain't out climbin', or at least involved, ain't nothin' happenin'."

List of Modern Laurel Highlands Ice: 2002 - Present

Secret Cliffs II, Grade 4+ - 6

Secret Cliffs, Grade 4 -5

Confluence, Grade 4 - 5

Plus many, many new routes added to earlier era walls and flows along with introduction of mixed lines and dry tooling, that, knowing Tim and a few of his cohorts, probably grade up to the M10 level of difficulty.

Boy, until setting down to compile this information we had never really thought about it, but just to summarize for the sake of brevity, "That f*k'n Tim put up a lot of impressive sh*t!"

Cover art for a photo book that we began in 2010. Got a few pages into it but then abandoned the project. Never went back to finishing it.

Viewing southeast along the approximate 1,500LF expanse of Grade 4+ to Grade 6 continuous, steep, vertical ice forming the Secret Cliffs II. The northeast striking wall return off in the distance offers very difficult mixed climbing potential.

Lean conditions viewing along the central and right walls.

The awe-inspiring 'Beast Wall'

Viewing up the Grade 6 'Beast' ("Griz" Ginieczki climbing) - we're gonna' go on record to comment that, "This is the largest concentration of hard single-pitch ice routes in the eastern USA"; a bit of paraphrased homage to Vermont's Lake Willoughby's claim to the "hardest multi-pitch" moniker.

Two video clip screenshot extractions - Tim on the imposing, free hanging 'Sick-le'

The 'Beast Wall' in lean conditions (Dr. Bob Coblenz climbing)

'Central-Right Wall' in big conditions (Laura Anderson climbing)

'Beast Wall' in thin, mixed conditions (Tim climbing)

Climbers adding scale to the 'Beast Wall' (Tom Kopler foreground)

An airy spot high on the 'Beast' in good conditions (Tim climbing)

Two new, seldom formed routes at the 'Gun Club' (top: Tim climbing; bottom unidentified)

Video clip extractions - mixed dry tooling at the Meadow Run Amphitheater, Ohiopyle SP (Tim climbing)

Meadow Run Amphitheater (Laura Anderson climbing)

Our loyal scribe at Buzzard (Krahlak) Falls in superb, fat, plastic blue ice conditions - need a thousand feet of this stuff!

A fat 'Irishtown/Mouth of Madness' (Tim Climbing)

Video clip extraction - mixed 'Gun Club/Internet Connection' (Tim climbing)

(Tim Anderson Images)

Always the innovator - Tim and Laura on some SWPA alpine they found

Looks high, windy and cold... we wanna' go!

Overlooking the vast Allegheny Plateau from high in PA's "Twilight Zone"

We came across this old Geologic Map of Fayette County years back. It was annotated with all the old, mostly abandoned mines and quarries of record. We highlighted the mine/quarry markers in blue for clarity. We further annotated the marker bed Loyalhanna Limestone crop lines in red. The Loyalhanna Limestone mines are usually location of steep ice flows as well as karst cave formation. An added bonus - the Mauch Chunk sandstone formation sits directly atop the limestone. The Mauch Chunk formation where exposed, be it walls or breakdown boulders, forms the majority of climbable rock in the Highlands. We further annotated the map with a few locations of the climbing areas discussed herein for ease of navigating the map features..... you're welcome.

Finally, more unexplained phenomena from SWPA's "Goblin Universe" - the odd and mysterious "Wild Climbing Man". Those who have encountered this strange being claim that he leaps from the forest from nearby rock outcrops without warning, usually naked, and in a high pitch screeches "Hey mister - you wanna' climb with me!?" He then swiftly scampers spider-like up the rock face and disappears. Prior to each encounter witnesses claim to an odor similar to "burning fiber rope or burning dry grass and hay", some say "ganja", minutes before his appearance. 

Outer space alien? Inter-dimensional being? Inner earth denizen? Or hoax? You be the judge!

And lastly, we'll speak for all....

Thanks Tim!!

Perfect Storm (A Brief Review of SWPA Ice Craft) Part I

                  "Sports are just like most other human activities. They go through times that, when

                    we look back on them, seem to have been usually lively or dynamic, just as they

                                      go through times when it seems little is happening."   

                                                                               - 'The Bear Hunters Century' (Paul Scullery, 1988) 

... to which we add "especially if the sport is as singularly dependent to optimal weather conditions as climbing frozen waterfalls,"

Been quite a few years since we've experienced cooperative weather conditions conducive to the efforts of a few local folks pursuit of the fun of more often than not enduring near frozen fingers and toes and occasional self inflicted fear and dread while dangling high above implacably hard ground secured to a hulking, unpredictable sheer wall of ice by nothing more than the tempered steel points of two potentially body piercing pickaxe and a few foot spikes, themselves potentially limb breaking, body flipping (or both) in the event of a fall; the ice protection is sparse, spread out and unpredictable; the golden rule of ascent being "the lead climber must not fall!"

Maybe ten years.

So, ventured out to the 'Gun Club Wall' a few days back to check out the current ice conditions. Temperatures hereabouts have not breached the high 20's (Fº) as yet this new year, piquing curiosity. Still, didn't expect much considering the "flash freeze" and dry, near desiccated ground consequential to consecutive months of drought weather pattern and low relative humidity.

The extended dry period prompted this mid-summer warning posted to the club's facebook page

Gun Club, 24Jan25 (or, 24 days -32ºF)

Our expectations were somewhat correct. The main flow not lookin' bad, with an added opportunity about for a mixed line or two. Using this as a visual measure augmented with past experience, we're bettin' that proximal walls with sufficient channel flow; e.g., Layton Falls, Buzzard (Krahlak) Falls, were maybe "in"; possibly "fat". This also considers ice buildup we've observed along the waterfall of a local nearby creek as well.

Gun Club Wall 2014, when it all comes together. 

Alternating cycles of freeze/thaw (cold nights/moderate days), sufficient seeping groundwater, adequate snow precipitation, moderate relative humidity.

Gun Club Wall early 2000's

Then if lucky ya' get the super elevated conditions (abundant precipitation and groundwater, cycling freeze/thaw, moderate to high humidity). Maybe once every fifty years. We'd been climbing there for around twenty years prior to that season. If we'd have had no knowledge, or had not been there ourselves, and ya' sprung this image on us, we'd have had no idea where this was.

Used ta' be that touching upon the notion of climbing ice, or "mountain climbing" in general, within the Laurel Highlands region, and specifically the 'Chestnut Ridge' of SWPA, was looked upon the same as if ya' mentioned encounters such as Bigfoot, UFO's, Thunderbirds and such phenomena frequently reported, always unsubstantiated, throughout the forests of the "Pennsylvania Twilight Zone"... "Ya' need to go out west to Colorado for that stuff!" was always the comment, even from seasoned climbers that we knew. 

Well, we knew that stuff was out there - and some pretty spectacular 'ta boot (through the help of a few bygone quarry operations). We'd seen it. And had photographic evidence...

Early encounters, '80's - '90's:

(For historical purposes, note that blue highlights, i.e. '00, indicate first year that we, or others we know of, have climbed on these frozen formations.)

Layton Falls '82 - a large portion of the upper falls collapsed, precipitated by that large pothole, shortly after taking this photo - and after having been ascended a few times this day. Just missing us. Our introduction to ice climbing.

Layton Falls late 80's. 

Meadow Run, Ohiopyle SP '82 - some now archaic gear. High tech at the time.

Buzzard (Krahlak) Ice Falls '84

Buzzard Ice Falls early '90's. Standard rack for the (Grade IV) vertical stuff pictured herein. A few Black Diamond SS chromoly screws and quickdraw runners pictured.  All these areas are pretty short lengthwise; <80ft. Heck of an improvement over the earlier (Type 4340?) steel Chouinard screws, along with a couple cheap Russian titanium screws we owned. And you could set and place 'em with one hand. The crux of the climbing using the old steel screws, commonly more so than the actual climbing itself, was hanging and getting the screws to bite, needing both hands free, then cranking them into the ice. 

We seldom placed more than 2-3 screws. Other than the pump factor, vertical, thick, plastic ice seldom feels (at the easiest) more difficult than 5.8 rock climbing. Usually liked to get a screw near the top, though. Steep top outs with tools and crampons always felt two grades harder and quite often scary when the ice doesn't form all the way or falls short of the face, with the top frozen turf or rock.

Still wish that we had that now vintage 'NFL Films' cap. Was given to us by a retired NFL films cinematographer we had come to know. He'd worked most of the 60's and '70's NFL seasons and was full of tales. Flipped a river boat once and lost it. 

Meadow Run. Testing out a budget tool set. 'Sabres' we think they were called, manufactured by Forrest Mountaineering. Bought 'em as a spare set for use whenever we could coerce a non-ice climbing friend along. More ice routes than climbers back then. Not their 'Lifetime' brand tools. Fixed hammer/adze heads (although, recall a roller pin fastener - never saw replacement heads in their catalog, though). If ya' broke 'em they were done. Unless swung dead on they skipped, bounced and vibrated like crazy. Scary stuff - don't flame out with these in hand. Their lifetime tools and Mjollnir hammer were ok, though. Still, all that stuff was susceptible to breaking. First time we observed "modern" dry tooling which involved liebacking and torquing pick tips in thin cracks, successfully without breaking of coarse, we were bitin' our nails. We'd broken earlier picks just levering them, overdriven, out of plastic ice. Breaking a pick was our biggest dread if on lead. Never passed up an opportunity to hook a tool. No excuses, though -  a crusty, old time '50's-'60's era river runner once harrumphed, while lookin' over our flashy new Dagger WW canoe "Hey - if you can really paddle you can navigate a ten foot wood 2x12 down the river!". We still believe 'em.

'Sliding Board' at 'Victoria Flats Ice Falls', Ohiopyle SP '87.

There's a few pretty good Grade 2/2+ gullies flanking the Yough River gorge. Over 200ft length and a bit of a wilderness experience. Used to be able to drive to the base of 'em before the Yough River Bike Trail was built.

Ice "bouldering" along the upper wall at 'Irishtown' '84.

Ice bouldering the small flows along the old 'P&LE' mine on a warm day, '84

Although dated much later, we're including these two images as they illustrate optimum conditions. Both areas were climbed back in the '80's.

Top: 'Irishtown' and 'Mouth of Madness' '84 (photo: early 2000's)

Bottom: 'Rod and Gun Club' '84 (photo: early 2000's)

List of significant Laurel Highlands ice, 1980 - 2000

Rod and Gun Club, Grades III - IV

Irishtown, Grades III - IV

Buzzard (Krahlak) Falls, Grade IV

Layton Falls, Grade III - IV

Meadow Run, Grade III - IV

Darlington Quarry, Grade III - IV

Victoria Flats, Grade 2 - 2+

P&LE Mine, Ice Bouldering

We'd hung up the tools at the beginning of the current millennia. Shortly thereafter we became acquainted with a highly motivated and (as ourself) wonderfully irreverent fellow named Tim Anderson. Quite a bit younger, Tim was out lookin' to climb everything. At the time climbing in general was experiencing a bit of an overall transformation: popularity, ethics and gear innovation. Tim was on top of it all. We acquainted 'em with a few areas he wasn't aware of as to unburden 'em with much of the search and error that we experienced throughout the earlier years. Photography was goin' thru a bit of overall transformation as well: conversion as an overall digital medium including simplistic video editing systems. After little consideration, we figured "Well, we'll stick by for a few more years to follow this guy around to see what he's up to. An opportunity to experiment with some digital photography as well -  Sounds like fun!"... more on that in Part II...

'Stinky', lookin' a bit haggard after a long day

                                                        

Seemingly Snow

Made it out into the woods this past Sunday to take advantage of a few bouts of recent snowfall. Headed up to the standard trail. Appeared a winter wonderland...... appeared, if goin' skiing. A bit deceptive conditions, to say the least. Local temperatures have barely topped the high 20's (F) since the first of the month. All the snow that fell, say four to six inches, laid as totally dry, unconsolidated powder. Usually what you're lookin' for ya'd figure. Not so much this stuff. If it had had any moisture at all it would maybe have been an inch in depth. Zero structure. You could have probably had blowed the trails dry using a power leaf blower (as we had earlier noticed the neighbor using to clear his walks down to bare concrete). No consolidated base ta' boot. Gliding along ya' usually just plowed thru the stuff right down to the turf - constantly stumbling over choked gravel and rocks. Downhill was pretty rough, anticipating the hidden tripwire that ya' knew was commin'. An entertaining tumble or two - especially if dashing ahead. Was about ready to pick up the phone and call the groomer... or a taxi.

An at times borderline "It don't have to be fun to be fun" ordeal. Hey... still beat home confinement ducking a rainy winter day, as is the norm now'days. 

These guys didn't seem to mind...

... having seen countless days of better conditions, I sure did... must be gettin' old.

Rust Never Sleeps

We have an '06 Jeep Liberty (KJ) Renegade that we've owned for just about forever - 3.7L V6 - always has and still runs great. Has always been a decent off-road vehicle ta' boot, thanks in part to its short wheel base and four-wheel drive. If Jeep would have ditched the IFS uni-body and put a solid front axle and heavy spring and coil-over suspension on those things, á la Jeep CJ, that would have been one solid off-road machine. We beefed up the suspension somewhat a few years back while adding a 2.5" lift. Added a set of 29x10.5LT15 Interco Super Swampers. Looked pretty good. Wasn't gonna' go do any rock crawlin' or wadin' of three foot deep creeks, but good enough to get around the local trails we've been forever navigating. 

The past several years, however, we've pretty much relegated it to near beater status, thanks to severely corroded lower door panels along the bottom jamb of all four doors. And both side rocker panels matched the door panels. A common issue to just about every '02 thru '07 KJ we've observed still on the road. The good news is that we routinely see two to three still roaming the highways just about every time we're out and about.

Typical corrosion along the lower doors - pretty bad

Was due for state inspection, that in turn requiring some new tires, by the end of this past September. While given it a once-over, decided to crawl around underneath a bit to check out the condition of the "frame" and undercarriage. Other than those door panels and rockers, the framing and underbody was totally fine. 

"Ya' know - four replacement doors and two replacement rocker panels, and this thing is once again good to go." All we needed to tell ourself. We immediately checked out the local tire shop and again returned to Interco - this time ordering a set of more pavement friendly but still off-road capable TrXus STS radials - 29x10.5LT15's. As with the Swampers, we had to drop the wheel diameter from factory 16" to custom 15" so the 29x10.5's fit the (2.5" lift) wheel wells. We already had a set of 15" slotted ProComp steel wheels. After we had worn out the Swampers a few years back, in the interim we'd had returned to running regular street tires, albeit a slightly aggressive tread. 

After gettin' a new sticker, we searched the local salvage yards for four workable replacement doors. Our luck couldn't have been any better. Called one yard on a Monday morning and was told that they had by chance just received an '06 Liberty that prior Friday. Had yet to inventory it, but the guy on the phone said that other than one broken glass and one door in need of a new window regulator, body-wise all four doors were in good shape. We were settin' in his lot waitin' for 'em to open shop early the next morning. We found a set of replacement, slip-on rocker panels on-line. Ordered from a supplier, Body Shop Price, located in Connecticut. Pretty quick service - had 'em in two days. 

We repainted the lighter blue salvage doors. A local auto paint supplier mixed us a batch per the original factory paint code spec. Still, resulted a bit off color. Difficult to accurately match old, slightly sun bleached paint we figured. Like trying to match old brickwork. If we did it again we would have painted the doors after installing and feather-blended the spray into the adjacent body panels so as not so noticeable. Spraying an additional two coats probably wouldn't have hurt, either. No big deal - we're thinkin' about re-painting the entire vehicle come next spring time, anyway. 

Each source that we researched stated that all Jeep Liberty models '02 thru '07 were interchangeable component-wise. Conversely, trial and error found that we had to re-wire the two rear salvage doors using the original door wiring harness because of difference in the pigtail connector plugs.

When all possible, we prefer to build things for later ease of disassembly if eventually necessary. We considered welding in the replacement rockers. Bearing in mind that we would be splicing lap joints we decided against that idea as we couldn't figure a weldable sealant product - and the (unsealed) factory lap jointed door skins contributed to the door corrosion to begin with. We went with #8x9/16" self-tapping truss head screws and sealed the joint with a heavy coat of Through The Roof brand sealant. The (flat) truss heads gave us the adequate clearance to avoid raking the bottom door jambs when later opening/closing the doors. 

As a side note, we'd never had attempted to weld thin gauge sheet metal. And all the annoying "experts" within ear shot of us when discussing the issue immediately piped up as to the improbability of our success - "You'll burn holes right thru it!". We especially don't like to be told we can't do somethin' by the same people who we know can't do somethin'. We re-visited the salvage yard and picked up some scrap metal (coincidentally, and again by chance, replacement slip on rocker panels for a Jeep XJ) to attempt some test welds of our own. Those panels were identical 22 gauge as our installation. We saw-cut the test rockers length-wise. We then lap-jointed 'em maybe an inch overlap (no pre-drilling), clamped 'em tight, then stitch-welded 'em maybe every three inches of length. We ground those welds then repeated, staggering the process. Our welding procedure was flux-core wire feed set to the lowest amperage and wire speed capable of a small 120V Lincoln welder we own. Each looked great, no burn-through and with pretty decent penetration. To get really anal regarding the issue (as those guys), we'd bet 'em that if you cut a coupon and clamped it in a test jig, resulting failure would be ductile metal. 

TrXus STS radials and completed passenger side doors/rockers.

We decided to final gift the vehicle with a new set of custom fog lights - considering the we'd been running around for probably ten years with one busted factory lens. Don't know what's up with the skewed passenger side lamp in the image. Think that we may have accidentally jarred the adjustment washer when fighting the bumper for reinstall. F*k it - as difficult as it was fitting those lights and trimming and replacing the bumper, we ain't goin' back and correcting it. 

Still a bit rough overall paint-wise. As mentioned, may give it a new coat of paint come springtime (maybe not). All-in-all, was really just a patch job. To be done correctly, and if we'd have had the preference, the vehicle would have been put in a shop, stripped down, sand blasted/grinded/sanded/welded, then a complete re-painting. Ya' work within' your capabilities, however. As is there's still some corrosion lurking. If we get another two years out of the machine before it "rears its ugly head" (if at all), we'll consider the job well done.

By The Wayside Part II (aka: Silent But Deadly)

Ralph's Army Surplus carried an assortment of martial art Melee type weaponry. All of it in demand accoutrement immediately after first ever viewing in the latest James Bond film adventure:

(YouTube video)

007 - "You Only Live Twice (1967)

Fighting knives, throwing knives, daggers, nunchucks, fighting and throwing axes, swords. Supplement those with some home made clubs, bo staffs (everyone's grandmother's bamboo clothesline props all the sudden became missing) and such, and most guys soon had amassed a bit lethal private arsenal. The parents overlooked the knives, axes and such. Everybody had a jack-knife, hunting knife and camping axe purchased by dad, anyway. The parents all drew the line with the purchase of a sword, however ("No - you're not gettin' no !!##!! sword - don't ask!")

So we were all soon  equipped ninja-style. Silent but deadly. Defensive. None of that stuff was ever used one against the other. Heated arguments and disputes were still settled hand-to-hand. Any minor injuries were usually the result of guys attempting to display their prowess with the various implements - mainly (usually hilarious) attempts to twirl about nunchucks or home made bolas a'la Bruce Lee. Bo staff matches ended after the first good misdirected and unintentional whack to a combatant's knuckles.

Now'days we wouldn't have gotten a foot beyond the middle school perimeter concealed carrying that stuff before the local S.W.A.T unit was dispatched. Conversely, woe to any intended disrupter infiltrating the premises back then - he'd have been met with a barrage of razor-point shuriken throwing stars. And if hunting season there were potentially a few shotguns safely stored upright* in the corner of the cloak room along with the coats, hats and galoshes.

*Unloaded. Shells pocketed in the hunting jacket

By The Wayside

A few mornings back, as routine early every morning, we tuned into the local television news to get a check of the days weather. Shortly after being primed to the headline murders, robberies, beatings, fires, storms and other such tragic delight, first report from the lighter side informed of the intended closing of Ralph's Army Surplus, located just outside Pittsburgh in Monroeville, PA. Ralphs had been at that location since opening sometime in the late 1950's.

(Internet Image)

Throughout the '60's and maybe into the mid '80's, Ralphs had a heck of an inventory of military surplus, as the name implies. Subsequent years the actual surplus became a bit lean and the shelves stocked a bit more retail ware.

Back in the day, the ol' pop would take us, along with a good buddy or two, on an occasional, and eagerly anticipated, trip down to the big city to check out Ralphs. Over time, after maybe a half dozen visits, we had accumulated quite a bit of gear... an old army-issue canvas pup tent, which was used primarily for summertime Saturday night back yard bivouacs with the buddies - "Don't poke the roof of the tent with your finger when raining and wet or it will leak!" - that theory was always not believed but subsequently learned by all by actual field test... genuine fabric (no synthetics) sleeping bags, external frame backpacks, utility belts... metal (no plastic) canteens, mess kits, utensils. We still have a bit of that stuff up in the attic. 

(Internet Image)

Our most functional purchase was in '75. Ralphs sold inflatable rubber life rafts. Don't know if they were surplus issue or some manufacturer brand. All but the floor material was (we suspect) waterproof canvas-coated neoprene. The display model hung from the ceiling like a beacon as you entered thru the front door. The boat was the exact same model as the boat used on our first several trips running the lower Yough river whitewater rapids below Ohiopyle SP. That boat was borrowed by a friend from his uncle, who routinely had "shot the Yough" since the late '60's. Just a few trips that first summer and unfortunately we ripped the entire floor out of the boat while hung up on Rivers End Rapid's 'Snaggletooth Rock'. Our buddy was subsequently a bit reluctant in returning the boat we had destroyed, fearing his uncles wrath. The floor had also been hand inked by his uncle, illustrating a pretty nice river map showing all the obstacle rapids, which further raised his dread. I recall a year later seeing the boat still rolled up in the trunk of his car. To this day don't know if he ever returned the boat to his uncle or not. Regardless, now we needed a boat of our own, so we picked one up at Ralphs. Think it may have been one hundred bucks cost.

Not the performance of an actual river raft of the times like we saw the commercial outfitters using. No self bailing floor - those were maybe ten years down the road. Flat bottom hull - no rockered bow/stern. Nor cross tubes. We cut those useless "seats" as shown in the photo off. Was a basic rescue life raft as labeled. A bit slow to maneuver for turning. And man the bailers after any rapid bigger than class II. We had pretty much a four-man crew - Vince, Tommy, Ronnie, Woo - occasionally rotating amongst others when needed. Tommy had worked a previous summer as a rafting guide for one of the local outfitters, so the first  few trips we had a bit of direction - but screwin' up was the most fun. 

We soon developed a standard pattern. We always drove up the night before launching and stored an iced cooler full of "provisions" in the woods at varying select down river locations near the end of the rapids, usually 'Stewarton Landing' or along the opposite side of the river which was then a railway, but drivable (later to be the current bike trail). It was a thirsty five mile float beyond the designated outfitters takeout, then located at the mouth of Indian Creek valley. That takeout was later relocated further upriver to the current Bruner Run takeout. Indian Creek involved crossing railroad property below a stone trestle carrying a high speed rail line. The move also kept the takeout within state park boundary. Every once in a while we'd encounter a bit anal commercial guide who viewed our boat with disdain, and who thought that he was there to police the river (and had nothing to do with us) who'd comment on our cold Budweisers - "You're not allowed beer on the river!" -  to the reply - "F*k you!" - and would really get worked when we'd bypass the takeout as we continued our journey toward home in downriver Connellsville five mile beyond, shouting "You gotta' take out here!..You gotta take out here!"....... "F*k you"

That boat took a beatin' for around five years, both lower Yough river runnin' and bottom Yough beer trips, before we upgraded to a real whitewater raft around '80. The park service eventually built an official boat launch complete with check-in booth manned by staff tasked with policing your boat and gear. They probably wouldn't have let that boat on the river, anyway. It finally met demise at the local gas station after accidentally being over-inflated at the outside air pump. The guys inside the station said that it sounded like a truck hit the building after a seam exploded.

---------------

Got us thinkin' about other local gear shops that used ta' be....

(Internet Image)

Exkursion Outfitters - Just up the street from Ralphs. Beyond mail order, Excursion had just about any piece of gear ya'd need for climbing or backpacking. And owner Fred Gunther was an expert and competent real climber with practical experience with just about all of it. He'd even actually climbed a real mountain or two with snow on top! Still have the first pair of (long worn out) EB rock shoes we picked up off Fred.

Avalanche Outdoors - Was up along Rt.31 in Jones Mills. First place we ever actually saw real climbing gear in a shop. Also sold issues of 'Climbing Magazine'. Picked up our first rope there  - a 150ft, 11mm Bluewater dynamic rope. Still have it.

Herman Sporting Goods - Was located at Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg. No climbing gear but always had an assortment of cross country/nordic skis, boots and gear on hand. Sold a decent Rossignol or Trek nordic ski package - skis/bindings/boots/poles - for $99. You'd quickly split the bamboo poles and have to upgrade. Still have the several pairs of skis we purchased. Also still have an original 'Snurfer', a forerunner to modern snowboards, in the basement. Used to ride that thing a lot on the local hills or up at the Sugarloaf Knob toboggan hill at Ohiopyle SP. Snowboards appeared on the scene shortly thereafter. We never really got into 'em because for a few years initially they weren't allowed at the commercial ski hills and it was easier just jumpin' on the Snurfer in between repeated slogs up long snowy hills.

Pulled from the cobwebs - The 'Snurfer' - top and bottom view. Had a metal bottom fin.

That thing was fun to ride. Wish we'd had stuck with it and upgraded to an actual snowboard.

Outdoors Unlimited - Uniontown. They had some limited climbing gear. Mostly a bit of stuff for rappelling - carabiners, figure eight's, rappel racks. For the most part was a ski shop. Big into snowboards when they first came out.

Laurel Mountain Outfitters - Over in Ligonier at the base of the Rt 30 summit. Similar to Exkursion. Carried quite a bit of nordic ski gear. Also provided lessons. We would always see 'em out back of the shop showin' people how to kick 'n glide if snow on the ground. Would run into owner RK Meyers occasionally climbing at Derry High Rocks as well as Seneca a few times. Ran into 'em one evening at (Fairchance) White Rocks showin' iconic climber Henry Barber, who was a Chouinard Equipment rep at the time, around the place.

The Mountaineer Supply Company - Up along Rt 31 in Donegal, just up the road from the old Avalanche store. Rock/ice climber and boulderer Tim Anderson's old shop. Anyone familiar with most of the posts and videos herein should be familiar with Tim. Carried the most current gear or could get ya' whatever ya' needed. Was also a fun place to hang out. Tim was the main protagonist for most of the new local rock and ice climbing development from late '90's through late. 

Rob Goodman's cousin Mark ran a small shop out of his house, fronting Rt 982 in Youngstown, PA, in the early '80's, selling climbing and camping gear and clothing. Don't recall the name of the place. Is through a climbing trip with Mark that we eventually got connected with Rob. There was another shop for a time in Mt. Pleasant, early 2000's. Don't recall the name of that place or the owner, who was a friend of Tim. Think that Tim mentioned once that he helped the guy get the shop started. May be wrong.

Edenbos (Connellsville) and Bergey's Archery (Vanderbilt) - Both specialized hunting, gun and archery shops. No climbing/skiing/backpacking stuff. Edenbos was a time machine. All the old timers from as far back as the '30's hung out there, including ol' pop. A young kid could overhear some pretty fascinating tales of hunting, fishing and such if he kept his ears open while browsing the place. Bergeys was specialized archery. Was there one day purchasing a new bow. Was out back at the range waiting for Bergey himself to measure another guys draw while fitting him for a new compound bow. Bergey had a long, blunt wooden arrow shaft that he had marked off in inch increments for measuring draw length. The guy had that measure arrow pulled to full draw. Bergey had his own hand near the end of the arrow shaft verifying the length. Bergey said something that the guy must have misunderstood, who then released the arrow. The shaft immediately splinters, with the rear half going right thru Bergey's hand. We helped him pull the shaft out. Was bleeding pretty good. Bergey's only comment was "That is why ya' only shoot aluminum arrows out of a compound bow - never wooden!". We're figuring that he soon notched an aluminum shaft in increments as well.

Route 130 Boulders

Up until near the end of the last millennia east coast "mountain climbing" was virtually unknown. You could still search the backwoods and find secret and untouched small cliffs and large boulders and develop them with just you and your friends. Most distanced beyond the beaten path and usually of little interest to anyone but the most ardent of local hunters and hill walkers. Even those guys were few and far between. Other than along roadside pullouts or trailhead parking, or along the numerous four wheeler trails, we can't recall ever encountering anyone more than several hundred feet beyond the "road". And even then it was the same guys from the times before. It was total freedom. That doesn't mean that there weren't near roadside attractions. 

Was recently in the neighborhood so thought that we would drop by a "just off the road" area we hadn't visited since probably the late '80's...

The Route 130 Boulders

Singular form 'Boulder', actually, since the main attraction is a pretty large (not so picturesque) isolated sandstone block. The limited surrounding protuberance isn't much to speak of as far as boulder climbing is concerned. Never touched it.

Was introduced to the place by our good climbing buddy, Rob Goodman. Probably around '82. Was actually his "secret local training spot" since around '77. Maybe a fifteen minute drive from his house. 

A bit of a "highball" - particularly sans 'crash pads, which, at the time, were still maybe twenty years down the road. 

A main attraction steep eastern face. Other than a short vertical crack, there was no definitive routes of note that we can recall. You could work eliminates and traverses 'till the digits barked. For practice and an added workout we would occasionally carry (unroped) a lean rack of small wires and stoppers with the intent of developing some "hang time" endurance fiddlin' with 'em in all those thin horizontal cracks (a valuable and usually necessary skill when frequenting WVA's steep Seneca Rocks).

Not a spot we'd travel much distance to visit but if in our back yard we'd have been a regular. 

As told to us (and assuming that the facts are correct)... In recent years the area was re-discovered and became frequented by a small influx of local climbers new to the now popular "sport". In keeping with the times the outcrop had additionally sprung up as a local SWPA climbing resource on an on-line rock climbing database.

The rock is situated on property owned by the local sect of a particular devout persuasion. Routinely engaged en masse, the new activity garnered the attention and ensuing wrath of an individual (who could that be?) who subsequently notified the presiding cleric of individuals frequenting the property for vile and heathen pursuit outside that of the sects virtuous doctrine. Shortly thereafter the site was posted as closed to all access (see first image above - first tree photo left). The area was additionally removed from the on-line resource. 

We're not advocating that anyone visit this place - that would now be considered trespassing. Posted only as a historical reference.