Not everyone explores our parks and forests on trails or on the water. Some do it 80-feet above ground attached with only a rope and harness. 

These Pennsylvanians are in search of rock. They want boulders and outcroppings. They want cliffs and crags. 

They want places with crimps and sidepulls and pockets and pinches. They want to climb no matter if its sport, trad, top roping or bouldering. 

They are Pennsylvania’s growing population of rock climbers.

While there’s countless places for hikers and boaters in our state park system, that’s not the case for climbers.

Of the 124 state parks, only three allow rock climbing as an approved activity. Ohiopyle and McConnells Mill State Parks in the west and Ralph Stover State Park in the east.

On this episode, I am joined by Dana Caracciolo and Mike Varlotta. Dana is with the Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance of Climbers. Mike is with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Climbers Coalition.  

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Hosting, production and editing: Christian Alexandersen
Music: Jon Sauer
Graphics: Matt Davis