Hey, look! An update from ICC President Cliff Marr! Haven’t seen one of these in a while, huh?
We all know losing climbing access to Muscatatuck earlier this year was a serious blow to Indiana climbing, and as such, it’s taken the majority of our focus. In the beginning we were all scrambling, trying to figure out what to do. The ICC thought Muscatatuck was secure and could be our homebase for years to come… After having the rug pulled out from under us, we reached out to neighboring climbing orgs, the Access Fund, and local stakeholders. Eventually we developed a game plan and started executing it. It could be going better, but it is progressing. (More details elsewhere in this newsletter).
Through all of this with Muscatatuck, I realized that I was neglecting my duties to the rest of the organization. We now have a new action committee to focus on Muscatatuck, and outside of that, I’m focusing on some other lessons I’ve been reminded of in this past year.
Here are some of those lessons I’d like to share:
1) It’s easy to take the good for granted. We thought Muscatatuck was a safe, secure place for our climbing community, and then it was gone in a flash. But you know what? Indiana climbing is more than one park. We have a ton of boulders in Hoosier National, several great gyms, and an amazing community of Hoosier climbers, that I am eternally grateful to. And of course, I’m grateful, and excited for the potential our state has to offer.
2) Our state has an incredible amount of potential for home grown climbing. Not just at Muscatatuck, but all over. I know we tend to think of this place as being pretty flat, but from Muscatatuck to Shoals to Covington to Hoosier National, and several places between, we’ve gone from suspecting to knowing that this state has some quality crags. Our Land Management Committee has some exciting things in the works, so stay tuned.
3) We are stronger together. The ICC is a young and small organization that has big goals. We need to grow if we’re going to be able to open or reopen some of these places for public climbing. If you’re anything like me and you’re excited for the opportunities our state has to offer our climbing community and you want to help make a difference, then get involved by joining one of ICC’s various committees or subcommittees.
Regardless of how you choose to support us and Indiana Climbing, Thank you!
