Running and Rock Climbing in Kentucky

Over spring break, from March 1st through March 8th, I traveled with the CSS Rock Climbing Club to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky for a little running, climbing, and relaxation. I was a little apprehensive about going on this trip, as I have only been climbing seriously for about six months, but even with those few months of work I was able to keep up with most of the others on the trip.

For the eight of us on the trip, we started with a straight shot drive to Kentucky. We arrived after about 15 hours of driving and set up camp in the Daniel Boon National Forest just outside of Campton, KY. Sunday was just a ‘chill’ day for us to recover from the drive.

Monday morning was our first climbing day – and the weather was great for it too! It reached about 55 degrees and the sun was shining all day. We went to a great wall in the Muir Valley – a privately owned preserve that allows climbing and trail use for free. The wall we visited, Practice wall, was a good warm with many 5.7’s to 5.9’s.

The weather held for most of our trip with rain one afternoon, but the rain came just as we were finishing our day’s climbing. Wednesday was also a bit on the cold side, with highs in the mid 30’s, but other than that the weather was good. I got in a lot of strength training from all of the climbing and I did a morning and afternoon run every day racking in over 70 miles from Monday to Saturday.

The food was great, and the company was even better! This trip was a great opportunity for me to get some base miles in for running, but it also really got me hooked on climbing. Though running is still my favorite activity hobby, climbing is my new number two. It is quickly becoming my only strength training.

Bellow are some photos from the trip: