Climbing & Caring at Smith Rock

With close to 2,000 climbing routes, Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon is considered the birthplace of U.S. sport climbing. And KEENer Beth Hedges is helping make sure it lives a good long life.

Beth recently used her paid KEEN service leave to volunteer at the Smith Rock Spring Thing, an annual volunteer event that started in 1993 by the Smith Rock Group – a non-profit organization working to protect and preserve the natural, cultural, and recreational resources of Smith Rock State Park. More than 30 years later, it brought together hundreds of volunteers for a full day of trail maintenance and habitat restoration. Read our Q&A with Beth to learn more about how she gave back to her favorite place in the world to climb.

How did you hear about/get involved with the Smith Rock Group?

Beth: The first time I ever climbed was at Smith Rock. It's where I fell in love with the sport! I learned about Smith Rock Group through some other pre-KEEN volunteer work that i did there. Smith Rock Group is a pillar of the Smith Rock climbing community – they are responsible for a lot of crag maintenance in tandem with the state park. Aside from Spring Thing, they also organize smaller trail days throughout the year.

What did you do? 

The group that I was in headed out to Llama Wall to reinforce belay stations, steps, and the trails. I worked on a main belay station where we gathered loose rock from the trails and surrounding areas and reinforced below the existing rock surface where washout has started happening. I got to use a pickaxe (woo!) and it was so cool to give back to the best place to climb in the world (I might be biased).

Before and after reinforcing a washout area. It's much more stable now!

What was your favorite memory from volunteering? 

Seeing the before and after of all our work and the immediate impact! Making the crag and the trails more accessible to everyone – all skill, mobility, and ability levels – is the most rewarding thing.

What was your biggest takeaway from this experience? 

It's possible to make a tangible difference in outdoor spaces! it seems daunting alone but when everyone comes together, the park benefits (and so do we!). The Spring Thing hosted by Smith Rock Group is the largest climber-led volunteer program! 32 years and going strong. :) 

What would you say to others interested in participating in this volunteer experience? 

It's a great way to give back and to meet others – everyone is so friendly, it's such a great community.