First Climb of 2012

Everything was dripping at Rockwood, but I did manage to find 4 problems that were dry enough to climb today.  They were very easy, and it was fun to move on real rock for a change.

This is from today at the Main spot.  Notice the limestone below, and some sort of granite or gneiss above.

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Nothing has been published about this place, even online, so here's a bit of a history on the bouldering in Rockwood Park, Saint John:

The first Friday in March of 1998, I and Graham MacK, were likely the first climbers to boulder for earnest in Rockwood Park.  Some shitty TR's and sport routes had been established earlier on a 20' tall road-cut at Lilly Lake, and over the years people had probably played around on the short loose cliffs in the Arboretum.  Likely, much of what we stumbled upon on the Western boundary had been at least attempted previously by local kids.

We explored enough to find three cliffs with 8-12' overhangs, some with 20' of additional 4th class slab.  That spring and the one that followed, we'd head out when we'd be home for March Break or after exams.   Hazen S and Will H joined us and together we climbed pretty much everything there.  From the get-go our attitude was to eschew naming and grading any of the problems.  Aside from collective laziness of not wanting the burden to record and store documentation (we'd just finished exams, remember), we felt this was most appropriate given the nature of the rock: for starters, the climbing is mediocre.  It is heavily featured, and crisscrossed with obvious, and not-so-obvious routes.  Keeping track of each problem would be next to impossible, and as far as we are concerned utterly pointless.  All that being said, it's a fun place to play after work.  The approach is a flat 200 meters.  All the landings are good.  Though heavily featured, few holds are positive or in-cut, making for fun movements.  And a small group can have fun without moving the pads between V0 and V5 problems.

Over the visits, names did emerge for the three walls.  Right-to-left, they became the Crime Scene (after a plastic gun found at the base), Limestone (how creative), and the Main Wall (or cave, or spot, or area, or the "Y'know, from the power lines you go to the left –that one.").  There are a number of other outcroppings nearby, some we've played on, others not.  Also, some are outside the park boundary and therefore on private property, so use good judgement.  To get there, head up Patricia Lane off of Sandy Point Road.  Turn right at the transmission tower, and follow the trail.  Just before it gets steep up to the next tower, turn right to hit Limestone and the Crime Scene, and left to the Main wall.  You can also approach from Fisher Lakes.  From the Northwest edge of the parking lot, head up the horse trail to join the power lines.  Continue straight under the lines when the paved trail makes a sharp turn to the right.  Just after the next tower, head down the knoll and turn right or left.

 A fun slab on one of the outcrops