You'd think you'd know a place.
I came back to my homestate, Florida, during The Most Epic Trip, searching for rock climbing or at least a little bouldering. I fully expected the latter and had precious hope for the former. But in my search, I struggled to find little else besides tiny photos so indiscernible I'd never be able to place them in real life even if I walked right into the middle of the scene.
I grew up here. I know the major rock we have (coquina, limestone) and the highest elevation (a whopping 105 meters. If I say it in meters, it sounds more impressive.). I knew that Florida wouldn't have much, but I expected it to have something. It might have been human nature coming into play, but I would not give up my search.
Determined that Florida should not be one of the eight states left off of mountainproject.com, I continued to send out fruitless queries to the giant of search engines.
And then... this.
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| From PMC 1stPix's |
Out of nowhere. I've never seen nor heard of a rock band this size in Florida unless it was in a limestone quarry. But lo and behold, here stands a stretch of rock on the Atlantic that looks to hold a few days' worth of play.
And apparently, DPM climbing magazine thinks there's potential here, too. In a climbing post dated all the way back to 2010, I found that the rock was worthy of some rather high grades - V12, to be specific. Other problems in the area claim robust 9s and 10s. Not too shabby, dear homestate.
So where is this place? Jupiter Island, Florida, about 25 miles north of West Palm Beach. You'll find this glorious beachside bouldering within the island's Blowing Rocks Preserve. Operated by the Nature Conservancy, though, there may be restrictions. Check before you make Florida your next climbing destination.
More photos for your unbelieving eyes:
(From DPM Magazine)
(From PMC)
(From gogobot.com)
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