Seneca Rocks
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Seneca Rocks is a large crag and local landmark in Pendleton County in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, USA. It is easily visible and accessible along West Virginia Route 28 in the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area.
Purchased by the federal government in 1969, Seneca Rocks is one of the best-known scenic attractions in West Virginia. The sheer rock face is popular with rock climbers.
Geology
The rocks are a magnificent formation rising nearly 900 feet above the North Fork South Branch Potomac River. Eastern West Virginia contains many such formations of the white/gray Tuscarora quartzite. Seneca Rocks and nearby Champe Rocks are among the most imposing examples. The quartzite is approximately 250 feet thick and is located primarily on exposed ridges as caprock or exposed crags. The rock is composed of fine grains of sand that were laid down approximately 440 million years ago, in an extensive sand shoal at the edge of the ancient Iapetus Ocean. Years of geologic activity followed, as the ocean was slowly destroyed and the underlying rock uplifted and folded. Millions of years of erosion stripped away the overlaying rock and left remnants of the arching folds in formations such as Seneca Rocks.
History
Rock climbers have apparently been a visitor to the area around Seneca Rocks for a long time. Some evidence suggests that the Native Americans of the Archaic Period may have camped at the mouth of nearby Seneca Creek. The famous Seneca Trail followed the Potomac River, allowing the Algonquin, Tuscarora, and Seneca nations to trade and make war.
The first European settlers in the region appeared about 1746. At that time, West Virginia (or western Virginia as it was then) was the edge of the great wilderness. Slowly the area was settled, disturbed by the events of the American Revolution and the Civil War, which pitted brother against brother in these border counties.
It is unknown who the first person was to climb Seneca Rocks. Undoubtedly Native Americans scaled the rocks prior to European settlers reaching the area, but there is no record of their ascents. The historic ascent of Paul Brandt, Don Hubbard, and Sam Moore in 1939 found an inscription of "D.B. September 16, 1908." This has been attributed to a surveyor named Bittenger who was known to be working in the area.
The documented climbing history of the rocks began in 1935 with a roped ascent of the North Peak by Paul Brandt and Florence Perry. In the 1930s and 40's only a few climbers, mostly from the Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh areas, attempted to climb Seneca Rocks. In 1943-44 the U.S. Army used the rocks to train mountain troops for action in the Apennines. Evidence of their climbing activities can still be found on the rocks.
Due to the hardness of the Tuscarora Formation, and the degree of climbing difficulty, Seneca Rocks offers rock climbers an opportunity unique in the east. There are over 375 major mapped climbing routes, varying in degree from the easiest (5.0) to the most difficult (5.12). There are two climbing schools located in the communities of Seneca Rocks and nearby Riverton who train prospective climbers in beginning and advanced rock climbing. The school in Riverton also offers a climbers rescue course.
Seneca Rocks is also a popular rock climbing destination. The North and South Peak offer single and multi-pitch routes up to 300ft in length. Because of the way the rock was uplifted, there are many vertical cracks that offer excellent jamming and good protection. Routes range from 5.2-5.13 nearly all of which require the leader placing protection (traditional climbing). Some routes and their rating in the Yosemite Decimal System are represented in the picture on the left. The South Peak is rumored to be the tallest peak east of Devils Tower, WY that is only accessible by 5th class climbing.
On October 22, 1987, the Gendarme, a pinnacle rock at the peak of Seneca Rocks, named because it looked like a police officer, fell to the ground.
References
- Tony Barnes (2006). Seneca Rocks: The Climber's Guilde, 2nd edition.
