You know those places where you sometimes find yourself and you think it’s super lame till someone from there proves you wrong. Well, after complaining about the how lame the outdoor activities in the Midwest are to the outdoor director at The College of Idaho (who’s from around here), Bix mentioned a place called the Red River Gorge. The Red River Gorge is tucked away in central Kentucky just East of Lexington. It consists of a network of dense treed limestone gorges all perfectly suited for climbing. It is honestly quite the jaunt from STL, though a six hour drive is truly nothing when it gets you to the best climbing spot East of well… Denver.
I learned about the Red, as it is colloquially called, more and more as I sat in front of my computer dodging engineering homework and lusting over adventure. Past hearing its name from Bix all I knew was it’s a midwestern climbing spot, until one day I stumbled onto one of Patagonia’s movie premiers in Youtube. I won’t get started on these short documentaries because they are all amazing but this one specifically caught my imagination. The film is called Stone Locals documenting important stories from around the world that bring context to what modern climbing means today. One story particularly caught my attention, the one about Miguel and his famous Pizza place in the Red. Not only is Miguel’s Pizza the place to get food after a long day at the craig but it’s also the place to stay. The story of Miguel’s, in a way, seemed to be the story of climbing in the Red and after realizing this context and the importance of the Red in climbing I knew I had to go. So needless to say when the climbing club sent an email about a trip there, the form was filled in less than a minute.
Being with the climbing club I knew I was going to be in good hands and we ended up staying at Lago Linda Hideaway, a small open campground nearby a small lake. It was the ideal place to be with 27ish climbers, 8 tents, 7 cars, and the energy I swear only college students have. One of my favorite things was just waking up early and walking through the mist to explore the early fall foliage. It was quiet in the mornings too, it turns out climbers are late to bed and well… late to wake up unless there’s a climb itching at them.
“We showed up in the cover of darkness shrouded by fog and condensed moisture. Arriving in the dark is hard for me especially when in a new place. But when we awoke to dew dripped grass and fresh sticky air it was all worth it. The rock felt new reminding me of swallow tail bird homes, honey combed and holey. Sandy rock and leafy mud made this place feel foriegn to me.
Though, like all good things, comfort came quickly. A couple long days at the crag will do that to you. There’s nothing quite like red skin and burns up sharp chalked rock to solidify a group of new friends. I think this is what I’ll always remember about the Red, beyond climbing and picture taking, it is a place where you find yourself in the dark. You’ll find yourself jumping over mud puddles with your phone flashlight because there’s always one more climb and never enough light in the day.”
I want to write about how amazing this place is, the sights, the climbing, the people you meet. But, it would be weird if I did, I think, something like telling everyone how great your new car is after only driving it for 15 minutes. Can you really get to know a place by being there only three days? I’m unsure, though I can say I caught a feeling and it’s a feeling that will likely bring me back someday. What I can share is how I spent my time and the experiences that make me want to come back.
It was a quick trip during the fall break at WUSTL which consists of Sunday through Tuesday with class starting Wednesday. So we ended up leaving late afternoon friday arriving just after 11:00 that night in the thick mist and a landscape only lit up by car headlights and reflecting street signs. I had no clue what the landscape looked like when we got to Kentucky and little did I know I wouldn’t truly get to see it till the drive back Tuesday morning.
The first day started early(ish) with instant oatmeal packets, brief introductions, and a quick rundown of how the trip would function. We started off at the Bald Rock Fork Recreational Preserve at the crag called The Chocolate Factory. It seemed like a popular place and I was glad that we made it there because it introduced the sharp holey limestone and pumpy overhangs that the Red is primarily known for. My first climb was Throbbing Emotions a 5.10a that was far more pumpy than I wanted it to be. But, I got a catch from a wonderful freshman from Colorado who I hope I stay connected with, don’t meet a lot of Copper Mountain Skiers in the midwest! I spent the rest of the day on slabby 5.9 routes mostly connecting and getting to know the wonderful people on the trip. That night the stars came out, stir fry was on the menu, and the beer was still cold. What more could you ask for?
I’m not sure I could really cover the next two days as succinctly as above. The longer I spent there the more I embraced escapism living moment to moment, climb to climb, and from sun up to sun down. These last to days we spent out time in the Muir Valley and The Miller Fork Recreational Preserve. I got to watch climbers take classic climbs like Last Rites, Cell Block, and others. One of the things I loved most about these two days was leaving the crag at sundown pulling out out cell phone flashlights, avoiding mud puddles and exposed roots. You could feel the humidity start to condense on your skin as the temperature dropped and sense the transition from stoke après, a familiar feeling for a skier after a long day.
What I loved about being a part of this group were the traditions, or really rituals, they shared with all of us. It was a blast to see the older members get a spark in their eyes and people new to the trip share in there experience. One of these things is going to Miguels Pizza the place that brought context to this place three years ago. We also had peppermint patties (haircuts as I know them) the first night, yoga in the mornings, and many other little activities that really made the time feel special.
My goal for the trip was to get outside, climb, and practice skills that I haven’t had the opportunity to for a while. I spent most of the first two days trying to climb as much as possible, lead belaying, setting top ropes, and cleaning gear at the end of the day. I realized how informal my climbing experience really is, other than top rope and anchors, I realized that my climbing progression is much different than others. One the one hand it’s good because I find I climb more confidently than others when outdoors. On the other hand though, I know the apprehension of others comes from a better understanding of the risks involved. Either way I was glad to learn from everyone around me and to teach others about the few things I do know.
Needless to say I climbed a whole lot, especially for someone who hasn’t climb consistently for awhile, and was pretty tired the last day. So after flash pumping off a 5.11 (not like could do it anyway) and doing a couple short 5.9s I headed over to one of the classic routes, Last Rites (5.12b). A couple of the seniors and my new friend from Colorado were taking turns up, and I knew I had to take some photos. With my poorly picked kit of a wide lenses I shot the story I could. I found frames I could fill and others that showed the scale of the place and missed so many wonderful shots in between. To be honest though I thought this was good. Good for my creativity to pump the most out of my one lens and to remember the importance of always having a long lens in your bag. Regardless, I had an amazing time with this group and I’m looking forward for another opportunity to capture moments like these. All in all it was a trip to remember!