 4/8/00
- All In A Day's Work -
Gainesville Rock Gym's First Weekend Trip
By Wayne Busch
I knew a couple of the people that met us at the Gym on Friday evening,
but this trip would draw in climbers from across central Florida.
A lot of new friends were made. Every seat was full on the
first climbing trip run by the Gainesville
Rock Gym to Rocktown,
Georgia. Rob piloted a 15 passenger van with a small U-Haul trailer
in tow toting our food and supplies 7 hours up I-75 to the northwest
corner of the Peach State. It was after midnight when we passed
through the town of Lafayette and found our way to the dirt
road that climbs to the top of Pigeon Mountain. We made camp in
the woods near the trailhead. The wind roared in the trees as
a cold front passed over bringing a few hours of rain before
dawn.
We crawled out of our tents to a chilly, blustery morning, grabbed
a warm breakfast at the van, loaded our packs, and headed up
the trail to the boulders at Rocktown. We spent the day progressing
from one huge boulder to the next, top-roping climbs of various
levels, bouldering, and exploring the area. Though it warmed
slightly late in the morning, the afternoon brought slipping temperatures
as the day passed. Returning to camp in the evening, a strange white
precipitation dusted us for about an hour. We built a fire
to chase away the chill (I hate white bunny rabbits). Rob treated
us to a hot dinner, and we were soon huddled in our sleeping
bags for the night.
There was frost on my bivy sack Sunday morning. The sky was clear,
but the sun rose dim and sluggish in the cold. By the time we finished
breakfast it had warmed considerably. Jackets and fleece peeled
off on the hike to Rocktown. It turned into a very nice spring
day. We went north today, visiting several classic lines and discovering
a few new ones. At two, we packed up and hiked back to the
van. We stopped in Lafayette at Don Lolo's Mexican Restaurant for
dinner, then traced our route back to I-75 and home to Gainesville
around 11.
Rob at the Gainesville
Rock Gym ran a great trip. Everybody climbed and had a good
time. The next scheduled trip is May 12th - 14th to Crowders
Mountain, North Carolina. Contact Rob at
the gym.
There are lot's more pictures from the trip at the front desk of the Gym. Be sure
to see them next time you visit.
Submitted by Wayne Busch
Rocktown Climbing
Area page
Rocktown Gallery
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