Climbing at Smith Rock

After going rappelling several weekends back, and then belaying Joey as he climbed, (Followed by running out of rope so I wasn't able to climb) I have really want to go rock climbing again.

I used to go semi frequently with a couple of my good college friends. I has been more than a year since I have climbed (crazy how time flies) because the closest good climbing is 3 1/2 hours away. Gone are the days living in Utah when one nice afternoon after work you can impulsively decide to hurry up to the canyon for some quick climbing. I never knew how spoiled I was.

Smith Rock State Park plays a large role in rock climbing history. It is a mecca for climbing and is the birthplace of modern climbing, Allan Watts introduced sport climbing in the US in 1983 by creating and climbing the first 5.12b there. The first 5.14 was climbed in Smith rock in 1988 by J.B. Tribout. Smith Rock used to mainly have climbs that were rated 5.11-5.13. As the popularity of climbing has increased, the number of casual climbers has increased, and so has the number of routes that are rated between 5.8 - 5.10 difficulty, the easier rating.

The park has over 1800 routes. It has good options for both beginer, casual, and advanced climbers. We climbed a route on the cinnamon slab a 5.8, and one on the Left Dihedral a 5.7. Both were fairly challenging, but were still fun. I didn't feel I climbed enough when we left. But I was exhausted and sore. I look forward to our next climbing trip!