Wednesday, October 7, 2009

New Boxcar Rocks Routes

Joe F. Photo
More Bandits Visit the Train

If you've ever visited Boxcar Rocks near Tower City, Pennsylvania, you know it is a high-quality climbing area in the commonwealth. Boxcar has been a popular destination for Central and Eastern PA climbers. The bouldering at this area is pretty amazing too. One of the things that draws climbers to this area is the interesting fashion that the cliff and boulders lie in. Large 80'-high blocks that are covered with pebbles lie next to each other for 3 miles, making what resembles a stone train steaming through the forest. If that isn't enough to make you want to climb here, the baseball-sized cobbles that cover the cliff should.
Recently, a lot of activity has gone on at this crag. The area now boasts many sport routes and good, solid anchors. This past month Joe Forte added some new anchors and a new line on the main wall. This new route is a gem amongst a backdrop of excellent routes. Ryan Lukas toproped this route when we bolted the first sport route here. Joe recently added the climb and lead it calling it "an excellent introduction to Boxcar sport climbing." The route was previously unnamed. Joe has named this route "The Apprentice," and graded it 5.9. The route has 5 bolts and is an excellent lead.

A complete guide with topos, route descriptions, and grades is available in the new Pennsylvania rock climbing guidebook available before Christmas, 09. More info can be obtained at www.paclimbing.com.