Climb Nova Scotia

I spent the last two weekends on Paces Lake, and on both occasions I came across garbage left behind by people before me. Beer cans, gatorade bottles, a family-size bag of dill pickle sunflower seeds, and other miscellaneous trash. What bothers me about this is that I found this junk at climbing areas, not just on public paths. The people who littered were almost certainly climbers.

Access to First Face is already a contentious issue. Landowners have accused climbers of making a mess and I rebutted these claims vehemently by stating that no one from my beloved climbing community would ever do such a thing. And yet, there I was, confronted by garbage left behind by climbers.

Leave only footprints (And maybe some chalk. And blood.)

When you are out enjoying Nova Scotia please strive to Leave No Trace that anyone was ever there. Pack out your trash and pick up after slobs. I packed out the refuse I found and if you find any kind of garbage in the wilderness, it is your duty to do so as well, whether it’s convenient or not. I don’t know who left their crap behind and I’m not about to start pointing fingers, but it’s disappointing that a fellow climber would think this behavior is appropriate.

Please don’t litter.

-mick

Contrary to popular belief, fixed hardware does not get there on its own. Developing new climbs takes a lot of work. Someone needs to scout out an area, find anchors, clean off the rock and look for holds, remove choss and loose stone, and hope that the line is good enough that others will want to climb it before getting the drill out.

Don't worry, those are safety flipflops

Nette found an area outside of Baxter’s Harbour last winter that showed some promise for ice climbing, so he returned in the spring to see if it had any rock lines as well. The rock was dirty and often loose and certainly would not take any natural protection so the decision was made to place some bolts. Scott and I rolled down to the valley with the drill and spent the day getting soaked in the pouring rain, rapping the lines again and again with a crowbar and wire brush, trying to find good clipping stances and solid holds.

It was more work than we expected and we only got two lines bolted, neither of which we had the chance to climb. “Ash Face” and “Mud Butt” both look like a lot of fun, probably in the 5.9 range, and there’s definitely potential for another 8-10 lines there, some of which could be reasonably hard. Expect to hear more about this area in the coming months.

-mick

I would just like to remind all our fellow climbers out there how to successfully book a boat to Dover Island.

Please be respectful of Norms time and effort. Give him proper notice of your planned trip and call 2 – 3 days ahead of time. Leave a message if he does not answer. He will call you back.

The cost is $15.00 per person, with a minimum boat charge of $75.00. That is, if you only have 3 people, the boat shall be $25.00 a head. If you have 5 people or more, the rate is $15.00 a head.

More info here.

-Scooter

Scooter on 8 Inches

The popular Chebucto Head climbing area gates have been closed for several months now, with signage indicating dangerous radiation being apparently emitted from the lighthouse for some reason. If this is the case, the only noticeable effect it has had is a strange new breed of mutant climbers capable of pulling harder than ever before on the tiniest holds imaginable.

Greasefest

Sadly, I am not one of those climbers. But I did visit Chebucto Head a couple times recently and had some good times pulling on classic problems with friends. The warm and sunny weather of late made for some greasy conditions at the Twin Sisters inland side, but not enough to stop Scooter from sending.

Even with the new gate and no trespassing notice, the actual climbing at Chebucto Head is on Crown land in a public nature preserve and it takes more than two small signs to officially close that down. Continue to clean up after yourselves, pack out any trash you find and strive to leave no trace. The party line from Climb Nova Scotia is stay away from the lighthouse, don’t block the gate and, as with all climbing areas in Nova Scotia, climb at your own risk.

-mick

Scooter hauling planks deep into the LOC

On Sunday CNS Executive Craig Stamp (Access Chair) and myself , Scott Richardson (Communications), cleared out the ‘scrap wood’ bin at Kent with a purchase of 18+ 4ft wooden planks. The idea was to improve sections of trails in the LOC.

In particular, we hit up the very boggy sections of the trail leading to Bop Gun. For those of you have been there you are well familiar with the very damp and soggy sections along the trail, and maybe even lost a shoe or two…if not a leg! The trail has started to widen along these sections as hikers often move to the side or higher sections to avoid the bogs. Stamp and I stretched some planks out along these sections to avoid further trail damage and provide a relatively less frustrating (and dryer) hike to the boulders. Proper footwear should still be worn! The planks are there to provide solid footing so you don’t sink to your ankles! Thin layers of water may still cover these sections, but you are least likely to end up with a full on soaker!

CNS Access Chair Craig Stamp crosses newly laid planks in LOC

The conditions were a little less than perfect for the task as it was super wet from the days rain. On the plus side – I counted maybe one or two mosquitos! We hiked in carrying 6 planks a piece via makshift shoulder harnesses out of tubular webbing. It was a painful process but we trust it will be worth it in the long run.

We hiked in from a marked path off the side of the road just past the Legends of the Fall area. This approach is actually quite faster than the more popular trail accessed via the large parking lot across from the baseball diamond. You may be able to find a wide enough section of the shoulder to park your car but we had decided to park up at the Polly’s cove area and walk along the shoulder, just to be safe.

Our next trail project will be the approach to Area 51 via Bop Gun and Hephalump boulder in West Pennant. The majority of this trail (Hephalump) is easy as it uses a well traveled ATV trail. The end of the trail, however, is a large bog that splits right to head into the woods and is often extremely wet! We will take a couple of planks there in the near future, so check back for an update!

If you have any route development or trail maintenance ideas/concerns/ questions please email us at climbnovascotia@gmail.com. Let us know how we can help!

- Stamp & Scooter

Climb Nova Scotia has been contacted by the owners of First Face crag. Apparently someone on Paces Lake Drive has complained to them that several times dozens of people have been seen trespassing on a neighbor’s property, camping out and making fires, and leaving litter and garbage behind. We have also been advised that neither the dockside nor the pullout parking spots are public, and in fact the entire road is private all the way to the highway.

The owners have requested that climbers do not park on Paces Lake Drive – park only on the side of the 357HWY and walk in, being careful to stay on the path along the water’s edge and away from the houses on Paces Lake Drive. The landowners expressed their satisfaction with their relationship with Climb Nova Scotia and do not have plans to revoke climbing privileges provided we respect their wishes.

I’m confident that the climbing community is not responsible for this disrespectful and boorish behavior, but that is beside the point. Likewise I know you will all continue to show respect for the people who are kind enough to allow us access to their land to enjoy climbing.

Stick to clear and designated trails and strive to Leave No Trace that you were there. Always pack out your own trash and any other rubbish you might find and note that there are no camping or fires permitted at First Face. Remember that climbing on private land is a privilege not a right. Please do not park on Paces Lake Drive when climbing at First Face.

Sincerely,

Mick Levin
Climb Nova Scotia President