On our trip up to Brattleboro for our big hike up Monadnock we planned some stops along the way. One of the stops was for a little bit of rock climbing.
If you head out to Chapel Ledge, heading north on Williamsburg Road you'll see parking on both sides of the road. You'll want to park on the left side.
As you head up a small hill you’ll come to a sign for the ledge trail. Very quickly you’ll find the most popular area to climb, a large slab to your right. We decided to head up and summit the small peak together and to then look for the top of the ledge to set up our gear. The hike was pleasant, short, and not difficult at all. It would be a great hike for families with small kids whether you wanted to do any rock climbing or not. The slabs of rock continued to impress on our way up and there was a lot of growth snaking out of the cracks including fully grown trees.
The summit offered a nice view of the surrounding land and we had the joy of a skyline beginning to be dotted by reds, yellows and oranges. The rock ledge at the top of the peak was not the wall we wanted to climb so we headed down the other side. There is a sign that informs you that you’ll want to head back over the summit to get back to the parking lot. We continued past this and easily located the spot we were looking for. There are a number of fixed anchors on top of the ledge, which was a nice discovery for us. Kevin clipped in and set up the rope while the kids had a snack. We then headed back over the summit and down to the base of the wall. On our way back down, Kevin hazarded a guess that he could likely reach the top of the wall from an access point of the trail instead of having to go back up over the summit to retrieve our gear.
At the base of the wall Kevin got set up to belay and readied Eleanor. He showed her how to use grandpa's chalk bag and this was exciting for the kids.
I have to say, it was so cute to see them reaching back and dipping their hands in the chalk, and for them to then clap the excess off and reach up onto the wall. The rock was wetter than we thought it would be and the more sloped area we planned for the kids to climb, along an edge, was not as accessible as we hoped given how Kevin’s line came down. He ended up belaying off to the side while the kids worked over to the edge. There was more resistance in our line than planned as well. As it turns out, it was sort of jamming in that edging as it came over the top of the wall. Despite these issues, the kids had a lovely little climb. Eleanor worked her way up farther than Des did, but he was pretty tired from our earlier excursion.
We were so proud to see Eleanor give it her all. I think with more exposure she will really find her stride. Desmond, who is a natural climber, ended up being pretty uninterested this time. And that’s okay. When you head out into the woods with small children, don’t push them. A reasonable dose of encouragement and positivity is great, but if they are incredibly resistant, pushing it will only discourage them and give them fear of trying again. So when Desmond wasn’t showing interest in really trying we told him it would be fine if he just wanted to come down.
After the kids were down I went up, but I was in hiking boots and it was just not really happening. The resistance issue in the rope also made me worried that the downclimb would be difficult, so I only made it as high as Desmond did. I would like to lose another 20 to 50 pounds before I really give climbing a try anyhow. I came down and belayed Kevin and even he did not top out.
He didn’t change into his climbing shoes so the hiking boots were an issue for him as well, but he wasn’t going up to practice or really enjoy the climb, he was hoping to make our gear retrieval easier. I lowered him back down and he headed up and was able to access the top of the ledge from the side of the trail instead of going up over the summit.
Things we learned this climb: if we want to continue doing this with any degree of seriousness we should get a second kid’s harness. Switching them in and out of the harness is a pain. We also need to invest in kid’s climbing shoes. This one hurts. Children grow out of shoes so quickly! But this is how it is with any sports equipment, and we have to remember that this is the type of sport our family leans towards. So we aren’t likely to end up spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on any type of ball gear, so why not budget for some climbing gear? Of course, we have no clue what the kids’ interests will end up being, but this is what we all enjoy right now and we ought to invest in doing it properly. We also made a helmet of Kevin’s work for them, but it was definitely too big and that becomes a safety concern. So an actual kid’s climbing helmet would be a good investment as well. Basically, we learned that if we want to continue to pursue this hobby and sport with our children, we need to spend some money. Oh, and we need to get set up with the purpose of practicing coming down. It’s hard to learn to trust that the person belaying you has you, and to trust the rope enough to stand your feet against the wall and repel.
Overall, Chapel Ledge was a great spot for family hiking and beginning climbing. With or without kids you could head out to this spot to enjoying cavorting about on the wall for some easy fun. Or, if you just want to go for a short, easy family hike, this is a great destination.
