The Southeastern Climbers Coalition

Beg, Borrow, or Steele GOES BIG!!!

Beg, Borrow, and Steele was more fun and successful than we ever could have imagined. It was truly a grassroots organized fundraiser with numerous people involved that came together to unite a community behind a common goal--a huge summer party-- I mean, the purchase of STEELE! This one belongs to everyone. Like last year, it was held at Adam Henry's back yard/crag/river paradise.

Access Fund visits the Dirty South!!

Just letting everyone know that Joe Sambataro from the Access Fund is visiting the Dirty South for the week. We had a great weekend of Alabama climbing, bouldering (even in this heat), and had a great meeting up at Brad's House. Joe is here with us for the rest of the week and we will be moving on to Tennessee.

Rock Town Trail Day Write Up

On June 19th, 24 volunteers spent 3 hours in the summer heat spreading gravel at the trailhead at Rock Town. The gravel was WICKED heavy!! It took four volunteers at a time to carry it up the trail in tarps. Everyone worked really hard and it was very hot. We were able to move about 1/10th of the pile, which seemed to never go down. We covered the trail from the beginning to the little foot bridge and then took care of some of the water steps on the first big incline. Carol Simmon's friend, Jeff, cleared away dead trees from the trail with a chainsaw.

R.I.P. Tommy Taylor

Most of us have the Dixie Cragger Atlas or the Horse Pens 40 Bouldering guidebooks. A few of us have probably read the short blurbs at the front of these describing just how these crags and boulders were found and the people instrumental in opening these areas up to the next generation. On June 28th, the climbing community lost one of their own, one of the "who's who" of southern climbing: Tommy Taylor. Tommy had many of the first ascents at Griffin Falls (such as the popular Knife Crack) and was a pioneer at Steele, Shades Crest, as well as some areas in North Carolina. He was a prominent figure in the Grand Tetons as well, summiting and guiding trips on the Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, and Mount Owen. He leaves behind a legacy all of us can appreciate, as we are all affected by the passion he and others have had in opening up and leading the way into the unknown and unexplored areas of the Southeast. If you would like to contact the family, email me at crittcg@yahoo.com for info. - Cosby Crittenden

Trail Day Shows Climber Support of Sunset Park!

Once again this year, SCC volunteers along with some non-climber locals gave back to Sunset in a very appreciable way! Our continued efforts speak volumes to what a focused group of individuals can accomplish and we certainly continue to impress the NPS and other park users alike.

SCC Board Meeting Minutes

On May 15, 2010, the SCC held a board meeting at my house in Huntsville, AL. While it was a small meeting, several issues were discussed and many actions were taken which are detailed below. There are definitely some good changes that are coming to the SCC right now. And while I know many of you will wonder why Sandrock is not detailed in the below minutes, rest assured that the SCC is tracking this on a daily basis. We will continue to work on this as well as many other access issues throughout the South. The light IS ON in the SCC office and will stay on as long as there is a job to do. Thanks to all who came out and provided input. Especially those from Chatty and ATL who made the drive! Stay psyched throughout this heat. Just think, 2 more months till September. - Paul Morley

Dirty South Film Fest Satisfies

Cool May weather ushered in another great year for the Dirty South Climbing Film Fest at WallCrawlers Gym in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. With a line up of awesome local climbing videos along with a national thriller - the stage was set for a killer evening of good times.

The SCC donates to CCC - Rumbling Bald Land Purchase

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition donated $1,000 to help the Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) with there mission to purchase land and secure access to the Rumbling Bald boulders. The CCC has been on a crusade lately with their grand-daddy purchase of Laurel Knob, a lease of the Asheboro boulders and now Rumbling Bald. The SCC wants to continue to support our brothers and sisters in their fight to open and secure access to our many southern climbing gems.

Sand Rock Spring 2010 Trail Day Writeup

By Michael Cox (SCC Sand Rock Rep) - A common theme in our trail days for some time to come will be about controlling erosion and this trail day was no different. With a walk through the Fun Wall and Holiday Block areas it�s easy to see the amount of run off we are getting. Some hardy volunteers managed to reposition the downed tree next to Kennel Club to help slow down the erosion plus several small water bars were installed close by to slow the water.

Sandrock - Action Alert!

After a stormy Saturday, our Sunday outing to Sandrock revealed damage to the area caused not by an act of nature, but instead by the act of man. The installation of a hideous concrete barrier at the park�s property boundary during the past week brought us to a halt in the middle of the road to gawk open-mouthed in surprise. Up in the parking lot a large excavator sat next to the remains of the rock barrier.