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Rock climbers connect to protect popular Calabogie spot

Kristal Dubois said as more new climbers start coming to the area, it's important the more experienced ones show them the ropes to keep everyone safe.  (Robyn Miller/CBC - image credit)
Kristal Dubois said as more new climbers start coming to the area, it's important the more experienced ones show them the ropes to keep everyone safe. (Robyn Miller/CBC - image credit)

Jim Clark still remembers his first outdoor climb 23 years ago in Calabogie, Ont., on a cliff called Flaky Flake.

Then 13, he spent countless hours learning to reach new heights just west of Ottawa. Now he and other Ottawa-area rock climbers have banded together to protect and repair the climbing area, or crag, that has become a popular destination for many who try out the sport for the first time.

"We've had a lot of new climbers, partially due to COVID ... and along with new climbers comes some education," Clark said.

"How to behave in the outdoors ... don't walk off the trails and don't cut down trees, don't start fires, that kind of thing."

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Clark and other climbers formed a group in the fall called Ottawa Crag Care Community. The climbers organize garbage clean-ups and raise money for new trail signage, bridge repairs, and general maintenance in Calabogie and other climbing areas near Ottawa.

Robyn Miller/CBC
Robyn Miller/CBC

Over the years Clark said there have been threats of losing access to crags and he hopes this effort will lower that risk in the future.

"We wanted to be good citizens and be doing the right things to show the people who control this land that we want to take care of it and we want to use it," he said.

The main boulders at Calabogie are tucked away in the trees under the popular Eagle's Nest lookout. The area, which is Crown land, is right next to a parcel of land included in the Algonquin land claim negotiations in Ontario that is set to be transferred to the Algonquins of Ontario upon final agreement of the treaty.

Sean Decaire, an Algonquin climber, said Ottawa Crag Care has made efforts to include the local Algonquin community in their remediation work at Calabogie and at Red Rock near Pembroke.

"Everything that we're doing shouldn't impact the land. It's to enhance the activities and the safety measures out there," Decaire said.

Steep increase in popularity

Both the boulders and the lookout at Calabogie have become so popular for hikers and climbers, the township recently had to build a large parking lot off the nearby highway to accommodate all the traffic.

Earlier this month, the climbing group also installed new signs to warn hikers not to kick or throw anything over the edge of the cliff.

Robyn Miller/CBC
Robyn Miller/CBC

"We really need to make sure that people who are hiking above recognize and understand that there are people below," said member Kristal Dubois.

Dubois has climbed in the area for the past 10 years and said the sport has a long history of mentorship and this effort is just an extension of that.

"But because we're staying farther apart from one another, that's a little more difficult. So there's been a lot of need to reach out to people, explain ... good ethics," she said.

A 'little lost' on the trail

Scott Fraser has been climbing indoors for the past five years but said when gyms closed during the pandemic he decided to make the move outdoors.

He described his first time at Calabogie as a bit intimidating because he wasn't sure where to go.

"At first I was a little lost on the trail, I couldn't associate anything to the guidebook that I had downloaded so I was a little confused, a little scared, a little nervous," Fraser said.

Fraser said he's happy to hear about the work to make the area more approachable for new climbers and would like to volunteer his time as well.