Trip to Joshua Tree
Every year, the Friends of Joshua Tree host the Climb Smart event at Joshua Tree National Park. This event promotes educational opportunities for climbers, as well as stewardship for this world-renowned climbing destination. Recently, Armbury had the opportunity to attend this event to experience firsthand how it positively impacts the local climbing community.
This amazing event gave climbers the opportunity to come together and learn valuable information regarding climbing safety and stewardship in Joshua Tree's beloved national park. This allowed climbers to feel comfortable tackling some of the park's tough terrain, knowing they had been given the necessary tools to do so in a safe, prepared way. Additionally, Armbury was pleased to be able to showcase some of our gear for this event by having a booth set up in the main campground, as well as providing each volunteer guide one of our Blizzard ropes as a thank you for donating their time to Climb Smart.
Different AMGA guides volunteered their time over the weekend to teach courses about setting anchors, how to lead climb, multipitch seminars, and more. In addition to technical climbing courses, climbers ended the day with presentations and discussions on ethics within Joshua tree and other national parks. These presentations included talks on maintaining trails and provided environmental education so that climbers can continue to enjoy their time at this beloved destination without damaging it further. It’s a great way for climbers from all over the world to come together and give back to the incredible places we have all come to love so much. One of the seminars that really stood out was Kate Rutherford’s presentation on Farm to Crag.
Kate's presentation about farm to crag was an amazing way for climbers to think about smarter and more sustainable ways to eat on their trips. Not only did she dig deep into the potential benefits to sourcing local ingredients near climbing destinations, but she also provided strategies for using them in a practical way. From ideas to minimize food waste while cooking outdoors, to getting the most flavor possible while maximizing nutritional value, Kate's insights gave us the confidence we need to incorporate farm-fresh ingredients into our outdoor adventures.
Throughout the week Armbury will be continuing this blog to highlight parts of the trip that stuck out to us. Keep your eye out for posts about setting climbing anchors in Joshua Tree, what a standard rack of gear looks like, and an overall highlight of the trip with some hints at what is next for Armbury in 2023!
