Tag Archives: Red Rock Rendezvous

Red River and Red Rock Rendezvous

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I love short spontaneous trips, which is why I was psyched when we decided to take a quick two-day trip to the Red just before heading out to Vegas for the 2012 Red Rock Rendezvous. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent time in the Red –since fall 2010, I’ve spent a day or two in the spring 2011, which was met by very unpleasant bouts of hail, and five days last October in sweltering temps in the pseudo “fall” month. The Red is like my second home, and while I haven’t spent much time there in the past two years, I do miss it ALL THE TIME.

After leaving, we headed back to Chatty for a day then out to Vegas for the Red Rock Rendezvous. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been to this event, but it still has the same energy. The weather was, thankfully, nice this year. With just a bit of wind on Sunday.

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I taught a sport climbing clinic for Black Diamond on Saturday and got to hang with the BD crew, like B-Rad with his bottomless well of stoke and Eddie-the-closet-badass-Whittemore, a former Southeasterner himself. I saw lots of friends, drank some delicious New Belgium beer (and attended a beer tasting) and partook in the many festivities. If you’re ever out in Vegas in March, check out the event. It’s a great way to be a part of the climbing community.

While the trip was short with only a couple of days of climbing, it was well worth it. I’ve forgotten how much I love the desert. It’s been a few years since I’ve been there. The wide open skies are so drastically different from those in Chattanooga, where you feel hunkered down below a canopy of green.

But now it’s back to the Southeast and the best sandstone in the country.  We arrived late last night and upon returning to Chattanooga, I found my raised bed garden overtaken by  giant human-sized weeds that have sprouted out of no where. Summer it seems has sprung.

Trail day at LRC and other event

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As the weather gets warmer and hits record temps in the Southeast for March (mid-80s, yikes!), climbers get ready for upcoming events starting this weekend at the Stone Fort (known to some of you as Little Rock City) Trail Day. This year is especially exciting because the Southeastern Climbers Coalition was awarded $2,000 by Wild Trails/Triple Crown and Rock/Creek to go towards tree installation at Stone Fort. This addition will not only enclose some areas, but help with erosion.We planted roughly 45 trees around the entrance, the front area and near Crack of Doom, added some stairs and did other trail maintenance. Go check out the results! The trail day was sponsored by Wild Trails/Triple Cown, SCC, REI, Access Fund & Access Fund Jeep Conservation Team, Rock/Creek, The Crash Pad as well as Five Ten, and Horton.

The last weekend in March, March 31-April 1, is a big weekend. The Red Rock Rendezvous in Las Vegas, Nevada will bring in lots of people from all over the country. It’s a great way to meet lots of people and have a blast with hordes of fellow climbers. I will be attending this event and teaching an intermediate sport climbing clinic on Saturday, March 31. If you’re attending the event, check out clinic details here, and get more info on the event here. In the Southeast, there are two other events going on: the Red River Reunion, which will benefit the  Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition, will take place March 31 at Miguel’s Pizza. Here in Chattanooga, the SCC and Access Fund Jeep Conservation Team team up for the Tennessee Wall Adopt-A-Crag Trail Day. You can get more details on the T-Wall Trail Day here.