Rock and a high place

GRANT CO. - For those who enjoy climbing, there are a few places in Grant County that might be familiar to them or interest them in a visit.

“Especially when we meet people who have really traveled to get here and we get to say ‘oh, this is in our backyard, this is our gym, this is where we go’,” Michelle Koch said of rock climbing at Frenchman Coulee. “We’re very lucky.”

Frenchman Coulee, located off Old Vantage Highway about eight miles from George, is a popular spot in the summer for rock climbers of all levels and from across the state.

Two of the most popular spots to climb at Frenchman Coulee are The Feathers and Sunshine Wall.

Randy Bracht, Erik Koch and Michelle climb at Frenchman Coulee frequently but each came to enjoy rock climbing at different times and for different reasons.

For Michelle, she had been accompanying Erik and Bracht for a while before she was ready to take the plunge. About five years ago, because of their encouragement and to improve her mental health, she finally started climbing.

“I needed to do things to scare myself so that I could teach myself that it was okay, that being afraid of something was okay and that I could get through it and be okay,” said Michelle.

Michelle loves climbing now and says it's a great way to make friends and for her and Erik to spend time together.

“It’s been absolutely life-changing,” Michelle said.

Bracht, who has been climbing for about 30 years, said he enjoys the fact that climbing is a focused activity where most day-to-day worries go out the door and is a great excuse to explore the world.

“It’s a chance to get out and see some great country and go exploring,” said Bracht.

He also likes that it gives him a new and different perspective.

“I used to do some hiking and you’d look up at these peaks and go ‘I wonder what it’s like up there,’ and there's only one way to find out,” Bracht said.

Bracht also noted how diverse climbers can be; he said that people of all ages and walks of life climb and can lead to many significant relationships.

“I would say the people I’ve met who are long-time climbers, they are some of the most life-enhancing people you could meet,” said Bracht.

Michelle, Erik and Bracht said they advise anyone who wants to get into climbing, to start out with an experienced group or mentor, take the time to learn the ins and outs of the activity and not be afraid to ask questions.

They also said they don’t get bored because there are dozens of different climbing routes just at Frenchman Coulee.

“Every day is different,” said Erik.

Another area that Bracht and Erik have climbed in Grant County is just off State Route 155 along Banks Lake.

While Frenchman Coulee and a lot of the corridor along Banks Lake is basalt rock, there is some granite to climb at the northern end of the corridor, Bracht said.

They do more than just rock climbing there, they also do a little ice climbing when available. They also have ice-climbed at Ancient Lakes, just southwest of Quincy.

“The conditions need to be right,” said Bracht.

As challenging as rock climbing is, ice climbing presents a whole new challenge. Bracht said that ice is very volatile and can change within a matter of hours.

“They each have their own challenges and that's part of the overall package is the variety,” said Bracht. “That’s why this area (is so popular), you could be on sandstone, granite or basalt within an hour and a half. I mean the variety we have here is tremendous. It's all local.”

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.