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5th Annual Rock Climbing and Camping at Rocktown!


The Basics:
Event Type:Outdoor Climb
Event Location: RockTown&LostWall
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Apr 28 2012  10:02 am >> Sun, Apr 29 2012 6:07 pm
Registration Opens: Wed, Mar 14 2012 7:20 am
Registration Cut Off: Wed, Apr 25 2012 7:20 am
Event Duration:1 Days 8 Hours 5 Minutes
Difficulty Rating:D4: Moderate to Difficult
Trip Leader(s):
Judy Bowers
John Bell
Email Trip Leader(s)
You must be logged in to get the Trip Leader contact information.
Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:12
Minimum Group Size:6
Number Registered So Far: 9 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:
5th Annual Rocktown Camping and Climbing Weekend
Saturday:
Day - We will meet at Rocktown at 10a.m.

From the parking lot, we will hike about 20 minutes on primarily flat terrain to the  climbing areas in Rocktown. You will have the opportunity to climb, boulder, hang with the group, hike about or just relax. We will climb until about 5:00p.m., then head to set-up camp to enjoy campfire food and good company.

Night - There is primitive camping available on Pigeon Mtn. The plan is to camp Saturday night and continue climbing on Sunday morning after breakfast.

Sunday:
Wake up early, have breakfast and off to climb!

We will head to the trailhead to LostWall at 10am after packing up camp. The trail is thin and rocky (a bit of an ankle turner - wear appropriate shoes), we will hike in about 10 minutes or so to our first set of climbs. We will set-up what is available, have a great day of climbing at Lost Wall ending around 3:00p.m. or so to head back to Atlanta. For those who want to, we will probably stop at Five Guys for dinner (location is subject to change).

The parking lot is uber small, best to get there early or to carpool.

NOTE: Beginners are welcome, bring your own harness, shoes, belay device, locking carabiner and helmet. Review the notes section to understand if you are a beginner, advanced or intermediate climber.

Everyone must know how to belay and be willing to belay others.
Belaying is the technique used to stop another climber's fall- it is an essential part of climbing. It is a specific method of moving rope through a belay device as your climbing partner ascends, letting it out when needed and braking if they fall. Belaying is one of the first things a novice climber should learn. With everyone able to belay, this keeps the rotation between climber / belay-er going which allows everyone the chance to climb.

You can rent climbing shoes at one of the local climbing gyms if needed. We will not supply additional equipment.

Experienced climbers will be on the trip to emphasis safety.

Be sure to bring camping gear and your permit!

Permit information: http://georgiawildlife.com/node/2844
On sale since Nov. 1, the GORP is available at www.georgiawildlife.com/recreational-licenses, by calling 1-800-366-2661 or through retail license agents. 

 <<There is not a carpool for this event, if you wish to run one on Saturday, email the trip leader.>>


Required Items to Bring:
Permit
Helmet
Climbing Harness
Climbing shoes
Locking carabiner
Chalk
Great sense of humor!
Tent
sleeping bag, pad, or air mattress
Wood for fire (seriously!)
Water (about 7-8 liters)
Snacks when climbing
Food for Lunch Saturday
Food for Dinner Saturday night
Food for Breakfast Sunday morning
Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
Water
Camp chair
bug spray
sunscreen
Hat
sunglasses


How to Get There:
Event Directions:Directions will be provided for LostWall via email. The directions below will get you to the vicinity, but not the Lost Wall parking lot.

Pigeon Mountain, Lafayette, GA 10:00 a.m. - Rocktown Parking Lot

Take I-75 until north of Atlanta.
- About 1/2 way between Atlanta and Chattanooga watch for I-75 exit for Resacca, Lafayette, (HWY 136) - Turn L onto HWY 136 & cross over I-75.
- Go 6.5 miles to T intersection turn Right to stay on HWY 136.
- Go 14.3 miles (through Villanow & over mountain) to T intersection & turn Left to stay on HWY 136.
- Go 1.3 miles and turn Right to stay on HWY 136. (be careful this intersection will sneak up on you).
- Go 3.9 miles to HWY 27/136 (traffic light) - continue straight ahead to HWY 27 in the town of Lafayette, Georgia.
- Turn Left onto HWY 27/193 and go a short distance. HWY 193 north will turn Right.
- Go 2.7 miles on HWY 193 to Chamberlain Road and turn Left onto Chamberlain (Fina station on Right)
- Go 3.3 miles on Chamberlain Rd to Crockford-Pigeon Wildlife Area sign on Right - turn Right onto gravel road. Take this road approximately. 1.8 miles (as the road steepens it gets rougher, and goes up the Mt. via a series of switchbacks) Lost Wall Parking is just past the fourth switchback on the left. Continue past the Lost Wall pullout up the mountain. The road improves again once it levels off near the top of the mountain.
- When the road splits, take the Right fork (Rocky Road ) 1.3 miles further.
- Turn Left onto Rocktown Road (sign) dirt road 1/3 mile to parking area.

Trailhead is @ the right corner of the parking lot, next to the information kiosk. There is a flat trail leading 1 mile to the climbing area.


Notes:
Wondering if you are novice, intermediate or advanced rock climber? The route ratings are below, if you are climbing outdoors strongly in a particular rating - that is an indicator of your personal climbing status. Being an advanced climber also means you are able to set-up and clean routes. Always try a route, even if you are a beginner. It is how we learn. :-)

Class 5 sub-categories
 5.1-5.4  Easy  Climbing a steep section that has large hand and foot holds.
 5.5-5.8  Intermediate  Small foot and handholds. Strength and rock climbing skills required. Low to vertical terrain.
 5.9-5.10  Hard  Not for beginners. Technical, vertical and may have overhangs. Rock shoes required.
 5.11-5.12  Hard to Difficult  Not for beginners. Technical, vertical and may have overhangs. Rock shoes required.
 5.13-5.15  Very Difficult  Not for beginners. Technical, vertical and may have overhangs. Rock shoes required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

To further define a route's difficulty, a subclassification system of letters (a, b, c or d) is used for climbs 5.9 and higher. For instance, a route rated 5.10a is easier than one rated 5.10d. Some guidebooks or climbing gyms use a plus (+) or minus (-) rating instead of the letters.


Camping notes

Obligatory Note: Alcohol is prohibited at this wildlife management area. The rangers will make you pour your drinks out if caught.

Needed Gear

If anyone has a camp fire grill they want to bring - let us know.
If anyone has a rope they can bring - let us know.





* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost Includes:If you carpool, pay your carpool drivers.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note: This is not a rain or shine location. If the weather is not suitable for climbing, we will change the event to a day trip to a location that is not wet.

Please be considerate and remove yourself from trip as soon as you know you can not attend. (we will miss you!)