Category Archives: Climbing

Posts about…you guessed it – climbing! Trip reports, anecdotes, and musings about my favorite recreational pasttime.

Cold, Sleet, Snow, and Generosity…but No Bouldering.

Oct 05 2011

Ah, fall. Always ushered in for our household by the first Saturday in October, where we head up to the High Country of western North Carolina with the other “pad people” to pretend that we are pebble-wrestlers (aka boulderers). Even though roped climbing is more of our “thing” (as is evident by anyone seeing hearing me on a mantle topout), we like to get our boulder on occasionally as well, and ALWAYS on this particular Saturday for the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition. This annual shindig is the first in a series of 3 comps collectively known as the Triple Crown. …Read the rest of this entry →

Morning Drizzles in the Highlands: AKA Life in the Clouds

Sep 21 2011

From wallowing in the sunny, upper 90’s of the Obed a mere 3 weeks ago to bundling up with foggy mornings in the 40’s at Grayson Highlands this past weekend, one would think we skipped over autumn altogether and moved straight into early winter. Though the forecast across the Southeast was looking pretty grim, it appeared as though a lone bright spot was hanging over Grayson Highlands State Park with a mere 20% chance of morning drizzles. However,we soon learned that a lack of actual rain doesn’t necessarily equal dry conditions. It seemed as though the higher we drove in…Read the rest of this entry →

In the Name of Climbing…er, Research!

Sep 13 2011

This weekend’s mission was all about guidebook research…and by research I mean lots of climbing. On Saturday Steve, Cragbaby and I met up with knowledgeable local Eddy Ramirez, who was kind enough to give us a tour of some of the lesser traveled areas of Crowders Mountain – namely the Resurgance Walls. While sitting at home writing about climbing can get tedious at times, the cooler temps and low humidity levels have made my “research missions” a delightful escape. As if I’m not already motivated enough to explore my new local crag, Crowders is probably the one area out of…Read the rest of this entry →

The Perfect SEND-tember Combo: Tall Rock and Deep Water!

Sep 08 2011

With Hurricanes Lee and Katia closing in on all sides, we were extremely lucky to get 2 days of great weather on our Labor Day climbing excursion to the Obed Scenic River. This was substantial improvement over our last Obed trip, when we dealt with thunderstorms every few hours for the entire weekend. Our posse ended up being a fairly large group, with a wide variety of climbing abilities and goals represented, but what very easily could have been a logistical nightmare turned into a weekend filled with adventure, laughter, and of course – some serious sending! ***Note for…Read the rest of this entry →

From Gym Rats to Rock Hounds…

Aug 30 2011

It seems like a lot of our climbing recently has revolved around projecting some harder stuff, so it was nice to take a step back for a day with some local craggin’ on more moderate terrain with a couple of gym rats. The forecast was for temps in the mid-90’s, but with Hurricane Irene baring down on the east coast, it also called for lots of cloud cover and 25 mph gusty winds, which we figured would neutralize the heat a bit. Considering what folks just a few hours east of us at the coast were (and still are) dealing…Read the rest of this entry →

“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN