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January 01, 2007
Franklin Trail Work
Franklin, WV.- This dispatch from Roninthorn back in the first week of December. This crew got a LOT of trailwork done! Thanks guys!
Just back from a weekend of trail work and cleanup and climbing at Franklin.HUGE thanks to Nolan LaVoie and the seven incredible young men of the Blue Ridge School who showed up just after sunup on Saturday to bag trash, haul logs, set stone and lay trail in temps that started out at 28F.
Daniel Desenberg (the big man), Chris (with a bullet) Pistell, indomitable Dominic Walker, Taylor Playforth (Mr. Attention to detail), Conner McCormick(who HAD to climb it his way, and did), Alex Stroutmann, who turned out to know as much more about climbing and trail than I had expected from anyone his age, and Bryan Whitford, who was everywhere, doing everything.
These guys worked like twice their number, rebuilding the steps from the parking lot to the wall, lining the trail from there to the boulder field, setting new steps above the big cut, and following it all with a frenzy of climbing and fun that left nothing to the imagination and made my stomach hurt from laughing. We had more fun than most people even know how to have, and after a day of this insanity and a night in sub-freezing conditions, these young tigers wanted to do more!
Gentlemen, I salute you.
Thanks as well to longtime Harrisonburg resident and climber Neil Curtis, who saw a post in passing and showed up in the wee frosty hours to pitch in as runner, cleanup, trail hand and climbing instructor. We couldn't have done it without you, Neil... way to hang tough on SLAP... how sore are your abs?
Honorable mention of intentions to Marika, Joe and friend who showed up just as the trailwork frenzy was winding down... please come back and join us in the future. Sorry about the epic on Wintermute, Joe... and nice job on Early Retirement, M.
And, last but never least, thanks and kudos to my climbing partner and best friend, Michael Fisher, for showing up to brew strong coffee, snap pics, instruct, inform, inspire, ropegun and get 'er done. You're the best, dog.
Posted by WiredNut at January 1, 2007 12:26 PM