Beacon Rock 

You might also add that the east face is currently closed to climbing.

The last few years have seen a revitalization of climbing and stewardship at beacon rock. There has been extensive anchor restoration, route cleaning, and new route development in the last few years. This summer there are plans to reclaim several more once popular routes of foliage and debris.

Okay, I know I am not the most qualified to suggest this, but would anyone be up for helping with the putting together of and participating in a Beacon Rock clean up day. My view is that Beacon is the best place around PDX for climbing, but that a lot of the routes don't get climbed because of vegetation and moss (only a few routes get done often enough to stay clean). My idea is mainly to clean the faces/routes, but to also do a little work on the trail. If the rock was cleaned to a fuller extent, more routes would open and more people (may be) would hit the rock! The potential of Beacon to be the best trad/big wall training ground is there, (and it's not only a training spot, it's a rad wall) but because of the short season it gets dirty dirty dirty and then people don't venture up what would otherwise be classics. Just recently, I climbed Bears in Heat, Stone Rodeo, Old Warriors Never Die, Dastardly Crack, etc. and all were great climbs, but were way too dirty...which is probably why no one has ventured up them for so long). Any Ideas/comments...Lets get cleaning???

I'm in!

Well, may be if we set a date more people would be interested. How about October...15th? We will need brushes, ropes, grigris, gloves, etc. and I guess I should probably ask the rangers too? (but it doesn't seem like a problem to go out and clean up some routes).

It was brought to my attention that I should also post this on Cascade Climbers...I will do that. Also, as far as cleaning goes, there should be no removal of pins or pitons or any historic climbing artifacts (I know this is a concern of others and I myself find the Beacon Climbing history very cool and the legends are made better by seeing the sweet gear).

J. Healy brings up some very good points. I am by no means a Beacon veteran, but I have been going out there a good amount over the last few years and repeating lines that have only been freed once or twice before and also doing the classic lines (and what fun they all are). I think it is important to work together to keep Beacon a fun place to go and to also open up the routes (not to "the masses" but to climbers who would otherwise never even glimpse at a line because of its grime/veggies/dirt etc). I know keeping the adventure in climbing is crucial, but I don't think that cleaning the existing routes will do much to destroying adventure (and I think you agree with me J.?). I simply was thinking it would be fun to get together a group of people who like Beacon and get it looking ship-shape. It's tedious always asking people what they got on out there and it being one of five routes. A little cleaning might even bring back some Beacon adventure and some fun whippers too. I just wanted to let everyone know sort of where I am coming from...and thanks J. for offering your tools.

the bolts, hangers, and slings on jill's thrill are in great condition and in NO way need replacing - perfectly safe. active maintenance of the slings and anchors at beacon rock occur as it is needed, and the slings presently in place, while faded, have suffered no loss in strength. i use these anchors several times per week and i have not yet seen a set of slings in need of replacing(or bolts. or hangers). if i had, i would have changed them myself.

i feel it should be noted that joe healy is NOT an official spokesperson for climbing at beacon rock. i do not want to seem defamatory toward him in any way, but he speaks only for himself and frequently acts without consulting any of the regulars who climb at beacon on a daily basis during the busiest climbing months. posting here, on an internet forum, is NOT a substitute for consulting the regular climbers (the locals). by comparision to my own usage, joe healy is NOT a local at beacon rock, and just because he says it doesn't mean it is coming from a concensus... in fact, this is rarely the case.

all that aside, his points on cleaning are hit and miss. trundling should NEVER occur during the peak climbing days - so on the weekends between july and october - because those are the busiest times on the rock and at the base when the crowds are building up around the start of the se corner and dod's jam/free for all. during the week, cleaning and trundling is much more acceptable, though, if there is excessive cleaning requiring the removal of a lot of material then please inform the rangers of your plans and post a sign at the trailhead to inform others of the circumstances. rocks are falling off of beacon all the time and while it seems as though there is a genuine concern for falling rocks routinely hitting the railroad it should be said that the railroad monitors this stretch of track VERY frequently, and coordination with the railroad for "track closures" around beacon rock is, in reality, just a waste of their time - they know the instant a rock comes close to the tracks (a series of wires are strung for quite a distance along side the tracks, adjacent to the rock, and if any of them break a signal is sent to a crew to come investigate the tracks - they break if they are struck by large enough rocks and the smaller rocks don't faze the trains or tracks).

mainly, the point i want to be emphasized is that communication with the most frequent users is the most important (not to mention respectful) thing to consider. as long as you are talking with the locals then word of what is going on at beacon rock is being circulated to those who climb the rock the most. yes, this is a public park on state land and everyone has the right to use it. but those who come once a season to climb(or less than seven times in the seven months it is open) should not be making decisions without talking to locals about the issue, first, since they have less stake in the climbing out there. i don't want to sound like there is a group that isn't welcome at beacon rock, because everyone is welcome as long as they can be honest, respectful of others, and willing to be open to the opinions and viewpoints of others. unfortunately, these traits are not found in all those who climb at beacon rock, but the vast majority of us are willing to listen to everyone, while certain folks are just too resistant to this idea.

thanks and hope to see y'all out here!