That's why news that the climbing, as well as other forms of recreation, in Lost Horse Canyon southwest of Hamilton might be affected by the reopening of a rock quarry struck him as shortsighted.
“I haven't climbed at that many places, but it's clear that Lost Horse is worth protecting,” said Piersol, who works at Bob Ward and Sons.
Piersol had the BCC in mind when he started organizing the Lost Horse Climbing Festival and Boulder Bash, which will take place Sept. 6-7.
“All the proceeds are going to BCC, because they're really doing the work here along with the homeowners,” said Piersol.
Although Piersol's effort is essentially a plea for public support, the fate of the pit eventually came under the purview of the law, as U.S. District Judge Don Molloy recently ruled that the mining can commence, which it has.
Climbing has been around in Lost Horse for more than a decade, but gravel mining has been there much longer.
Still, the quarry that sits just west of the Lost Horse Resort hasn't been used in years. Recently, however, Ravalli County asked for access to the pit, which sits on Bitterroot National Forest land, for about 1,000 cubic yards of rock to be used for rip-rap on a bridge project.
Over considerable public protest from Lost Horse homeowners and recreationists, the U.S. Forest Service approved the proposal. That approval was followed quickly by a federal lawsuit from the recently formed Lost Horse Canyon Coalition.
The suit alleged the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act when it failed to fully assess the project's possible effects. The suit sought an injunction, which Molloy declined to grant.
In reaching its decision, the Forest Service used what's called a “categorical exclusion” to exempt the project from extensive review, an exclusion available because the project involves 4.99 acres of land. Review is required on a project of five acres or more.
In its response to the lawsuit, the Forest Service claimed the canyon coalition hasn't shown irreparable harm would result from the new mining.
Piersol knows that his climbing festival is now a sideshow to the lawsuit and the subsequent mining, but he thinks there's a value in bolstering the morale of those fighting the mining proposal.
“I just figure that any support we can provide is a good thing, and these things can take a toll on you,” Piersol said. “We just want everybody to get excited about the canyon and stay excited. This is really now more about making sure this doesn't happen again.”
Lost Horse offers two sorts of climbing - bouldering and roped climbing. The roped climbing takes places on soaring granite walls that rise above the quarry, while the boulders are scattered around the canyon.
“We're going to have a little bit of everything going on, Piersol said.
The festival, which Piersol is also promoting on the social networking site Facebook, takes place Sept. 6-7, but most of the planned activities - including a barbecue, a raffle and some friendly competition - will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6.
For $10, climbers get food and drink, and a raffle ticket for some excellent outdoor swag will be $5.
Piersol has lined up a host of supportive companies, including Mountain Hardwear, Trango, Metolius, Scarpa, Rock and Ice magazine, Sterling Rope, Boreal, MSR and Mad Rock.
He's also gotten support from the Trail Head and Pipestone Mountaineering, as well as from his employer, Bob Ward's.
Climbing will start as soon as people show up Saturday, Sept. 6, with food at 2 p.m. and the raffle at 7:30 p.m. or so, climbers' time.
The gathering area will be near the Gravel Pit bouldering area, which sits about a half mile west of the resort, on the south (left) side of the road.
Plenty of camping is available, and Piersol hopes folks will stay for the weekend.
“It's gonna be pretty laid back, but it's a great cause that really needs the continued support of the climbing community,” he said.
Climbing guide
For more on the climbing at Lost Horse Canyon, see Joe Josephson's new climbing guide to the canyon. It's for sale at all outdoor gear shops.
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