Travels and Vagabonds
Bradley Falls
In the morning we awoke to sleet, freezing rain, and all around awesome weather for climbing. Taking this as an exploring rest day, we decided to pack up, drink a lot of coffee and go to a new area, none of us had been too. However, first I took in the sights of the Apple Belt of NC.
Approach up to to Sauratown for Climbing
I missed all the fun and festivities last when the CCC (Carolina Climbing Coalition) got access restore to the Sauratown Cliffs. This year it was made a point to get out there before things would close down. Also, if you somehow wandered to this post for Sauratown Beta (through google or other devilish search engineering methods), give the CCC a few bucks for getting access restored.
Stone Mountain
One of North Carolina famous granite domes is called Stone Mountain. Before the onslaught of springs pollen and greenery, we went for a hiking loop around the mountain saving the scary slab climbs for another day.’
Continue reading “Stone Mountain Hike”
1Linville Gorge from Table Rock
Weekend trip up to Linville Gorge started off pretty odd. It was all because I happened to pick not the best place to camp for the night.
Kelso Ridge
Late July, I convinced Derek to finally hike a 14er with me. We drove up in the pouring rain to the Grays Trailhead. The Blazer powered through some steep rutted 4×4 roads, after watching a Subaru burn through its clutch. Two and a half hours after leaving the house we were at the trailhead and settled in for a quick nap in the back of the blazer until 3:30am.
Continue reading “Grays and Torreys (Via Kelso Ridge) : 14ers”
The Trail Up to the Summit
Next Morning after climbing the Wetterhorn, we mustered together and set off to climb Handies. It is one of the easier of the 14ers. Handies is located in the American Basin, next to cinnamon pass, which will lead you straight into Silverton. The road was ruff and we combined cars halfway up.
Wetterhorn Basin
Bruce and I carpooled out to Lake City late on a Friday night. Were cruised through Lake city around 1100Pm and made the trailhead by midnight. We had made plans to meet Barnoff in the morning, so we made a quick camp and watch as the milkyway took over the sky.
Massive Fire Place at Grove Park
I arrived in North Carolina FINALLY at 3am on Thursday (Cali time) after being in California for work discussing rabbit farms. Alexis took me to River Jam at the Whitewater Center on Thursday so I could make friends with the climbers and flash some routes and wow others.
Continue reading “North Carolina: Looking Glass, Asheville, Chimney Rock”
Sharkstooth
Early June, Ben and I climbed the Sharkstooth in RMNP. The day was going to be three man team, with us bivying at the start. However due to complications, it turned into Ben and I doing a solid one day push starting at 1 AM in Boulder.
Summit Sunrise
Four 14ers in one morning was a impromptu to decision. At first I was just planning on crashing in the blazer alongside the road and continue up to vail for the Teva Mtn Games in the morning. But during the drive through the high plains of Hartsel, I knew there was easy 14er hike I could do while leaving plenty of time Mtn games. So I made my way to the Kite Lake trailhead.