The large primitive southern half of Castle Rock park is a prominent sight
from our kitchen window. The proximity of Castle Rock and other protected
lands in my neighborhood were positive factors in my decision to buy my
property 19 years ago. Careful management of parklands will make the Bay
Area an attractive place to live for a long time to come and will enhance
our long-term property values.
Historically, rock climbers have been proponents of wilderness protection.
John Muir made many difficult first ascents of peaks in the Sierra Nevada.
His solo first ascent of Cathedral Peak is an inspiration to all who have
followed in his footsteps and handholds. Ansel Adams was an early
mountaineer. David Brower, Galen Rowell, and Yvon Chouinard (founder of
Patagonia) were all pioneers in the big wall exploration of Yosemite. Many
current climbers will become well known conservationists.
Climbers have supported restrictions on their activities for preserving the
wilderness. This has included voluntarily eliminating burning firewood in
alpine settings; high compliance with closures of popular climbing areas
during peregrine and raptor nesting seasons in Yosemite the Pinnacles and
other areas around the country; compliance with new Park Service
regulations concerning "solid waste" removal from multi-day climbs in
Yosemite. Yes, we now haul "it" with us all the way up El Capitan and
bring it back for proper disposal. Climbers make every effort to not leave
trash behind and frequently remove trash left by others. Most Yosemite
climbers, the American Alpine Club, and the Access Fund have long
supported the Yosemite master plan which will eliminate easy vehicle access
to hundreds of popular climbing routes. We are more than willing to expend
considerable effort to walk or bicycle several miles with heavy packs to
reduce vehicle impact in the Valley.
Castle Rock is a valuable public resource but the notion that it can be
entirely preserved in a wilderness state adjacent to a major population
center is debatable. Even if climbing were prohibited in the park there
would be increasing impact from hikers seeking escape from Silicon Valley
and increasing pressure for expanded trails. The local impact from parking
and traffic on Skyline Blvd on weekends is obvious.
Climbers have four main impacts on a climbing area:
- Parking (The same impact as any other user)
- Usage of established trails (The same impact as any other user)
- Access to crags (The same usage as any other user if the trail is
established such as at Castle Rock proper and Goat Rock)
- Climbing-specific impacts such as climbers' trails to off-trail
crags, removal of vegetation (mostly moss) to create a safe climbing
surface, and fixed anchors (bolts)
Climbers' trails: These trails cause very little long-term damage
when they are seldom used. When overused such as at Goat Rock they can
significantly alter the immediate vicinity. The base of Goat Rock was
virtually pristine until the hikers' trail was built. Damage to areas
more than a few feet away from climber's trails is minimal except in
areas of very high erosion.
Moss removal: This has virtually no impact beyond an arm's length of
the climbing route proper. Climbers do not remove bushes or trees.
Any impact other than aesthetic is problematic.
Fixed anchors (bolts): Anchors are used in two ways:
 | To protect the leader from a dangerous fall when she is belayed from
the bottom. To adequately protect a leader where there are no natural
features requires an anchor every 10 to 30 feet depending upon the length
of climb and its difficulty. Climbers use natural features for anchors
wherever possible.
| To anchor the belayer for a top roped climb or provide an anchor for
rappelling the descent. Top rope and rappel anchors are only needed every ropelength, approximately 145 to 160 feet. Secure and reliable belay
anchors are required for any form of roped climbing. Climbers use natural
anchors such as large boulders, natural rock features or large trees
wherever possible. Immovable boulders are used as belay anchors such as at
the east end of the top of Goat Rock. Trees are used as belay anchors but
may be damaged in areas of high usage, so bolts are sometimes a preferable
alternative. When necessary, a minimum safe belay or rappel anchor is two
3/8" bolts sealed in epoxy to eliminate weathering and erosion of the
adjacent rock surface. Bolts cause no physical impact beyond a few inches.
The aesthetic impact of bolts is minimal. Often climbers have difficulty
finding the bolts on a route when they know where to look.
| |
Climbing is an historical usage of Castle Rock. When I started climbing in
the mid 1970's there were already many bolted climbing routes that were 15
or more years old and the large belaying post on the top of Castle Rock was
several years old. Climbers removed many of the questionably safe bolts
from these old routes.
Goat Rock was seldom visited as late as 1980. The approach was directly
uphill from the falls trail through chaparral and poison oak. Three
climbing parties at Goat Rock on Saturday was a "crowd". That all changed
when the Park acquired the Boicerank [sic] property and cut an all season
hiking trail to Goat Rock and over the top.
The late 1980's saw the emergence of sport climbing with an emphasis on the
athletic nature of the sport and a influx of climbers from outside the
traditional wilderness exploration roots of climbing. The simultaneous
availability of battery-operated portable drills caused major repercussions
throughout the country. It takes from 30 minutes to an hour of very hard
work to drill a bolt by hand.
Climbing at Castle Rock should be allowed as a valid and historic
recreation usage. At heavily used climbing areas such as Goat Rock and
Castle Rock fixed anchors (bolts) should only be used where required for
belay/rappel anchors. The State Park administration should continue to seek
the input and cooperation of the Access Fund and American Alpine Club in
the development of MINIMAL regulation. Simple, sensible, and well-publicised
regulations will bring a high level of voluntary compliance. The Spring
Mountains Wilderness Area (near Las Vegas) should be noted as an example.
There are rogue climbers as there are rogue elements in any sport. Mountain
biking, motorcycling, and power boating come immediately to mind. Climbers
have historically been self policing and peer pressure has been very
effective in our own efforts to conserve our climbing resources and the
larger wilderness environment.
I am sure many of my comments will be controversial. Where I have made
errors of fact I welcome corrections.
