By Storm Myburgh
CityROCK Gym, Studio & Marketing Manager
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After a series of rainy days, the sun finally made its grand appearance, gifting us with beautiful, clear skies on 27 May for our Silvermine Clean & Climb. Eager to make the most of it, we rolled up our sleeves and prepared to embark on a day of conservation and adventure. Our mission was to give one of the popular crags at Silvermine a little TLC, and with the help of some awesome CityROCK members, we were ready to put in some elbow grease and get our hands dirty for the day.
Funnily enough, Friends of Table Mountain had also chosen this day to do some maintenance, and they were hard at work cutting back the main walking path, which left us free to hit not only one but two areas: Blaze of Glory and Main Crag.
Our mission was to clear the paths of encroaching vegetation and debris, add some extra cairns where necessary, reinforce any vulnerable sections with stacked rocks, and clean up the steps going down to Blaze. Making sure that paths are well-marked and free of vegetation is important not just because it saves us from getting whacked in the face by branches, but more so because it prevents people from making alternate paths to navigate around overgrown bushes, thereby helping to reduce our environmental impact.
Similarly, reinforcing paths and steps where necessary is crucial to prevent them from gradually shifting lower and lower as people continue to use them over time. Just a few hours spent doing some gardening (in one heck of a garden) not only makes some immediate improvements but also aids in the long-term sustainability of our beloved crags by curbing erosion and keeping the foot traffic where it needs to be. Of course, many hands make light work, and it was fantastic to have six volunteers joining the CityROCK staff, making us a group of nine who managed to get the job done in a couple of hours.
With our work on the crags complete, a sense of fulfilment permeated the air as we made our way to Lower Silvermine for a well-deserved climb – the ideal way to cap off a great day. Despite some seepage from the recent rains, the crag buzzed with activity as many fellow climbers, from SA and abroad, took advantage of the lovely weather.
To our delight, this would be the first outdoor climbing experience for a few of our group members, who had a great time tackling real rock, with a couple even ticking off their first outdoor lead. Crag days are always a great way to break into outdoor climbing safely (and have a lekker time), and it’s always fantastic to be a part of the very special experience that is someone’s first outdoor climb.
If you’ve never climbed outdoors before, or if you would just like to do your bit for the planet, why not come along to our next crag clean? Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for future events, and go touch some rocks!