Every cold season in the weeks leading up to Crag Clean Up Day, we find it a bit challenging to explain why a Saturday of moving rocks and collecting trash is our favorite day of the year. A good portion of people probably sign up for the event out of pure curiosity. Why are the CMRCA family and long-term community members so excited about spending a potential climbing day whacking itchy jungle weeds?
When a circle of smiling folks fills the parking lot below Crazy Horse on the morning of Crag Clean Up Day, the answer is clear. It’s a day when we are all active participants in the amazing community and sense of stewardship that make Chiang Mai such a uniquely positive place to climb.
The 7th annual Crag Clean Up Day picked up where the 6th left off. With the help of a 20+ person fire line and two significant piles of gravel, we finished terracing the base of the main crag. The new Crazy Horse features flat, spacious belay areas at the bottom of Chiang Mai’s most popular climbing routes, which will resist erosion and reduce the dust that infiltrates our gear during dry season.
Another group combed the Furnace, Junkyard, Hanging Gardens, Tamarind Village, and Anthill crags for trash, clearing trails along the way. They came back with the satisfying report that garbage was difficult to find. Crag Clean Up Day veterans Jens, Ted, and Andrew prevailed against a nasty bamboo stump that posed a threat to ankles at the base of a bouldery 6a+. Yet another team cleared brush from the trail past Aircon wall and Buddha Buttress to the high entrance of Anxiety State Crisis Cave. We even swept the forest path leading up to Gatekeeper Buttress and the Rooftop.
As always, a major highlight of the day was lunch: fresh papaya salad created by the Uppakham family, and a vat of delicious green curry from Mae On Patchana Restaurant. The crowd of over 70 folks meant that all of our local red truck drivers joined. It was a perfect day to appreciate our local providers and celebrate the diverse, committed community that sustains Crazy Horse Buttress.
Thanks everyone for all of your hard work and for helping CMRCA take care of our crag. Please continue to be responsible with your use of plastic and disposal of waste, and let us know if you find anything at Crazy Horse that needs maintenance (threads, anchors, huts, railings, etc). Climb safe and Climb On!
