Rock Climbing on Shannon Island: Training for a 2,000’ Big Wall in Newfoundland

Описание: If you can remember, back when I started this project, I was working full-time as a route setter at a local rock climbing gym. I largely set climbing aside while I built Arabella, but my goal has always been to sail Arabella to remote places where the climbing is steep and wild.

Nova Scotia is not that place…but Blow Me Down—a 2,000’+ cliff face in Devil’s Bay on the south coast of Newfoundland—is. And that’s what we’re training for, starting now.

I start with a mock trad lead, just getting used to having the weight of my gear on my hips and moving on the wall, and then we start blasting around to as many local crags as we can.

Then, a special visitor arrives: Aaron. You remember Aaron. He was 9 years old when he started “interning” at Acorn to Arabella. He joined just on our very first motor out of Mattapoisett Harbor after launch. And now he’s here to adventure and explore from the decks of the boat he helped build.

Aaron and his mom are also rock climbers, so we bring them out to Shannon Island for some oceanside climbing. Aaron sinks his teeth into a new project—climbing a route named, ‘There will be blood’, and Akiva curls up and gets comfy in his very own cave.

Their visit goes by too fast, and soon we were talking about when their next trip might be—snowboarding in Newfoundland this winter? We bid Aaron adieu…

…and within 24-hours, Nova Scotia closed the outdoors due to wildfire risk. No more climbing. No hiking or trail running or mountain biking. No anything in the woods.

So, now what?

Looks like it might be time to mosey onward towards the Bras D’or Lakes and, ultimately, Newfoundland.

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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.

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