Rock Climbers Gather On Mt. Washington For 28th Annual Emerald View Park Cleanup

By: Royce Jones

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- On Saturday morning, high atop Mt. Washington, approximately 450 feet above the City of Pittsburgh, a group of volunteers took city cleanup to a whole other level.

Experienced rock climbers from the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group and Explorers Club of Pittsburgh volunteered for the 28th annual Emerald View Park Cleanup hosted by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

"It's been a long-standing tradition for us to want to help the community," Nancy Tran, President, ECP, told KDKA.

Rappelling from the Overlook at Grandview Avenue and Maple Terrace, garden bags were stuffed with trash tossed over the steep hillside that had been piling up for the past year.

It's the pinnacle of preservation for one of Pittsburgh's most prominent features.

Michelle Peifly, a volunteer, said, "It's a super fun way to help clean up our city. We get to use our skills that we train in and refresh them every year and we get to help clean up our beautiful city in the process."

"We're putting the skills, in our case rescue skills, or in the Explorer club of Pittsburgh's case, climbing skills, and putting it into good use for the community," Chris Ruch, Chief, AMRG, told KDKA.

While the annual event makes the Steel City look pretty, the volunteers make the job look easy!

"The volunteers look forward to this event every year and their positive impact on the area is substantial and necessary," said Jennifer Flaggs, Explorers Club of Pittsburgh. "The area has seen its fair share of debris abandoned on the hillside and there is still a need to maintain the area for residents and visitors alike."