photos by David Halterman

Local climbers dropped their chalk bags and picked up their trash bags early Saturday morning at the boulders at Turtle Lake. Sponsored by Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Access Fund, the Forest Service and BLM, Saturdays Adopt a Crag gave those who use the area a chance to earn some climbing karma with squirt bottles and nylon brushes. Scrubbing problems from the ground up, chalk and rubber gave way to nice, grippy sandstone with what may have been the most thorough cleaning these boulders had seen since the Great Flood. Volunteers also scoured the surrounding area, dragging everything from gas grills to cold hard cash from the brush and into truck beds for proper disposal. The coordinators of last weeks event hope to continue this approach with other popular climbing areas as well.

Dan Wright scrubs a hold with a little help from his friends. Keith Roush, background, gets busy while another volunteer uses a pressurized washer to blast chalk out of the smallest crimps. Volunteers began the morning by picking up garbage from the area, including old bike tires and a bbq grill. Mother Natures toothbrush. Ian Allison, with Pine Needle Mountaineering, inspects his work while Fabio Wen lends some elbow grease. Kelly Wright, center, and Jen Allison have a laugh as the cleaning gets under way. Jim ONeil, center, with the Forest Service, donates some sweat and muscle for the cause.