Rock Climbing in Kentucky's Red River Gorge

An Oral History of Community, Resources, and Tourism

James N. Maples

Tells the fascinating story of the Red's climbing community through interviews with the people who lived that history and considers how sustainable ecotourism might contribute to the region economically. Rock Climbing in Kentucky's Red River Gorge documents, for the first time, fifty years of oral history from this famous climbing community. Through extensive interviews, Maples reconstructs the growth of rock climbing in the region—including a twice-failed dam project, mysterious first routes, unauthorized sport-route growth on public lands, and a controversial archaeological dig. The book details five decades of collaborations to secure ongoing access to some of the world's most beautiful and technically demanding routes and the challenges along the way.More than a recounting of the past, however, Rock Climbing in Kentucky's Red River Gorge uses the region's extraordinary history to argue that climbing has the potential to be a valuable source of sustainable economic activity in rural areas throughout Appalachia today and in the years to come. The book concludes by offering policy recommendations and lessons learned about building beneficial partnerships among climbers, local communities, and public land managers to encourage community development and ecotourism alongside preservation.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. A Brief Overview of the Red and the Surrounding Region
• 2. The Motherlode
• 3. The Red River Dam, 1962–1969
• 4. Cumberland Climbers, 1968–1975
• 5. Trad Climbing Growth and Climbing Guides, 1974–1986
• 6. Sport Climbing Begins in the Red, 1987–1995
• 7. Climbing Guides, Climbing Bans, and Climbers Organizing, 1993–1997
• 8. White-Haired Goldenrod and the Memorandum of Understanding, 1997–2000
• 9. The Military Wall Archaeological Dig, 2001–2002
• 10. Transitioning off Public Land and into a New Era at the Red, 2002–2004
• 11. The RocTrip, Growth, and Impact Issues, 2005–2010
• 12. Learning to Be a Red River Local, 2011–2019
• 13. What Comes Next? Climbing in the Red and Beyond, 2020–2050
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index