Vermonters in the New
BY Deane Calcagni
The trip became official when I rolled up to the gate at Burlington International Airport and spotted Sean and Travis sitting with their crag packs occupying two additional seats. We caught up for a bit and talked about routes we had been eyeing before boarding the flight to Dulles, where Mischa would be waiting to drive us the remaining five hours to Fayetteville, West Virginia. Joey would meet us there to round out our CRAG-VT crew.
The flight was on time and uneventful. Upon arrival we efficiently packed Mischa’s Subaru Outback full of gear and eager climbers for the drive to Fayetteville. We made it through exactly two songs from the official trip playlist before deciding we didn’t actually need to listen to “Country Roads” on repeat for the next 300 miles.
A few more familiar faces would meet us in West Virginia: Dustin, one of my main climbing partners (and the diabolical curator of the aforementioned playlist), plus Jess and Stephanie from the Western Massachusetts Climbers’ Coalition and Katie from the Central New Hampshire Climbers’ Association. With the whole crew assembled, we spent the first few days exploring the almost overwhelming quantity of quality southern sandstone at the New River Gorge. Vermont Rock guidebook author and CRAG-VT founding member Travis Peckham put his encyclopedic route knowledge to work, pointing us toward one classic after another.
I could go on and on about the climbing with its sculpted features, bulletproof edges, and seemingly endless walls, but I’ll let a few photos tell the story instead.
After a much-needed rest day, the Access Fund Conference kicked off. The opening session mixed participants from similarly sized LCOs for introductions and a big-picture conversation about shared challenges. Community building and information-sharing came up again and again, a reminder that even though our landscapes differ, the work we do is deeply connected.
The rest of the day was packed with presentations on climber education, wildlife considerations, affinity groups and facilitated access, insurance for LCOs, landowner relations, fixed anchor policies, data collection, and even exit strategies (yes, poop at the cliffs). Our group split up to cover as much ground as possible and compared notes throughout the day. We all walked away with new ideas and a better sense of how other organizations are tackling similar issues.
During lunch, we had the chance to screen Humble Schist, our short film about CRAG-VT’s approach to community building and it was incredibly well received. I’ll admit, seeing those aerial shots of our cliffs and hearing others talk about what makes Vermont special hit me harder than I expected. We may not have the endless walls of the New or the same density of climbs, but what we do have is a community with heart. A community that shows up. A community that cares.
My biggest takeaway from the day was a deep sense of gratitude and a renewed responsibility to continue stewarding and protecting the places we love.
The second day of the conference split our group between a case study of Summersville Lake and a hands-on rebolting clinic. Summersville Lake is home to some of the most popular crags in the New River Gorge region, and NRAC has worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers on erosion control projects there. When the area was slated to become an official state park, climbers were at the table helping shape the future of access. You can see this work in action at Whippoorwill and Orange Oswald; real examples of what long-term collaboration can accomplish.
Meanwhile, the rebolting clinic gave us practical skills to bring back to Vermont. Maintaining fixed hardware is a highly visible and essential form of stewardship, and learning best practices from national experts gave us additional confidence in our ability to maintain our local bolts.
By the time we packed up to head north, we were tired in the best possible way, full of new ideas, connections, and renewed energy for the work ahead. The Access Fund Conference reminded us that while every climbing community is unique, we’re all part of something bigger. The challenges we face with access, stewardship, education, and sustainability are shared across the country. And the solutions grow stronger when we learn from one another.
The immortal words of Mr. John Denver hit me just a little bit harder on the long drive back to Vermont.
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong…
