"What's a 'Cragging Classic'?" Was probably the most common question I was asked last week when I told friends and acquaintances what I was doing for the weekend.
The American Alpine Club is sponsoring Craggin' Classics all across the country. At destinations that are both nationally and locally significant, the event is a celebration of the local climbing community, and the crags that inspire them.
This weekend's event was organized by the Oregon Section of the American Alpine Club, and sponsored by Outdoor Research, CAMP, Boreal, and Evolv. It included breakfast burritos on Saturday, pancakes on Sunday, and bacon cheeseburgers at the Terrebonne Depot on Saturday night. Actually, it featured the Terrebonne Depot every night - that place is fantastic, puts out an awesome spread, and the only faster way to wrap sore hands around a cold beer is to have a cooler waiting in the car. But then you wish for a chilled pint glass.
But I digress. I'll let the photos tell the story. If you spend 15 hours driving to get to and from someplace, you're bound to see something interesting. Like a classic Porsche Carrera on fire and stopping traffic.
 |
Another great reason to travel. Great coffee, like that from Thump
in Bend, Oregon. That's a mean trad cap, know what I'm saying? |
On Friday morning I woke up early and went for my only run of the trip, a meandering figure-eight-ish loop over Misery Ridge and a couple of times through Asterix Pass.
 |
| 1.25 miles: Passing underneath the Picnic Wall. |
 |
2.5 miles: Crossing Misery Ridge, underneath
a falcon hunting for breakfast. |
 |
Looking down at the Smith Rock group around mile 3. Mile 4-6
were spent running around this thing. |
 |
The third class of Asterix Pass slowed this run
waaaaaay down. |
 |
| The view from mile 5. |
 |
As I finished the run, the Crooked Creek fire continued to grow.
The smoke eventually settled in the area, and put a full stop to
my plans for a second run on Wednesday. |
Oh yeah, the event. The Terrebonne Depot hosted the organizers and sponsor reps on Friday night for sign-ups. We were expecting a somewhat small and tame group of 60.
 |
| By breakfast in the morning that 60 had grown to over 80. |
 |
In addition to the clinics on movement skills, trad gear, and
aid climbing, there was a service project. We spent 8.5 hours
over two days building trail and staircases near the Shipwreck. |
 |
Saturday night the sponsors put up tables and talked about how
cool our stuff is. And it is cool, let me tell you. |
 |
There were 130 tickets issued for dinner at the Terrebonne Depot.
For the following show of Reel Rock 7, the Depot owners
estimated the crowd at 150. |
 |
| I chose to sleep in my car after the after-party at Greg's. It was that epic. |
Sunday featured a climbing competition with points given for pitches climbed on lead. Bonus points were awarded for climbing trad, multi-pitch, locations, and costumes. A few of us stayed around to go climbing on Monday and Tuesday.
 |
Eddie climbing pitch 4 - the money pitch - of
Wherever I May Roam, quit possibly the best
5.9 ever. |
 |
Eddie and Linda crossing the river to the Shakespeare
Wall, Lower Gorge. |
 |
| Whisky, beer, and pizza: Glenn enjoying the fruit of his labor. |
 |
My last view of Smith Rock, filled with smoke from the Crooked
Creek fire. |
Statistics: Outdoor Research, American Alpine Club's Craggin' Classic at Smith Rock State Park, Oregon. 14 September: Trail Run, 8 miles and 2000' elevation, 1:45. 15 and 16 September: trail building. 17 September: Smith Rock Group, West Face, Wherever I May Roam (II 5.9, 5 pitches), with Eddie E. 18 September: Shakespeare Wall, Sauron (5.9), Peck (5.10a), Othello (5.9), and two others I can't recall, with Eddie E., Linda P., Pete K., Phil H., and Aaron T. Posse!
