Labor Day Weekend Report - Looking Glass Rock, North Carolina

By Wayne Busch

Looking Glass Rock had been haunting me since my visit last month. I 'd seen so little of it on my first trip; yet it had been like peeking into a treasure chest - I had to come back. I saw my opportunity as Labor Day Weekend approached, and by the time it arrived, I'd convinced 10 or so friends to come along and explore my find.

See larger photo of The Nose area

That first visit provided an introduction to more than just the mountain itself. I met the man who had first climbed it as well. Despite an early start, we had been stymied by congestion above on our attempt to quickly climb the most popular route, The Nose 5.8*. We had abandoned the effort and were killing time top-roping the first pitch, practicing passing knots and rescue techniques when Steve Longenecker emerged from the trailhead. Jeff recognized him from his picture in Climbing Magazine's (Sept/Nov 1995) article on Looking Glass Rock. We struck up a  conversation, exchanged cards, and our party packed up to allow Mr. Longenecker's team  passage. We had eight hours of highway ahead, and were anxious for an excuse to get started homeward.

Enlarge photo of Steve

Over the next few weeks Steve answered my questions about Looking Glass, and sent me information about the first ascent, excerpts from guidebooks, and details about Falling Creek Camp, where he serves as Director of Adventure Programs. He included an issue of Boulderdash Magazine (#7 Sept/Oct 1995) with the tale of the first ascent in December of 1966. When he invited me to join him in a climb of The Nose, I jumped at the opportunity.

See larger photo of Alex

I drove up from Gainesville, Florida Thursday, August 28th., and spent the night near the Sun Wall trailhead in the Pisgah National Forest. My coffee had just come off the boil when Steve and his dog R.J. arrived a little before 8 a.m. Out came his camp stove, and we chatted over our respective breakfast proceedings. Our third climber, Alex Azis, arrived with his father, Leon. At ten, Alex is the youngest person to have led pitches of  The Nose, and not only carried his share of the load, but demonstrated a thorough knowledge of climbing skills and a talent for the sport. Alex is a testament to the tutelage skills of Mr. Longenecker, who especially enjoys working with young people in the outdoors.

View larger photo of Steve

We loaded up and hiked to the base of  The Nose.  I led the first pitch. Steve led the second, showing me the original route used to allow the placement of pitons. Most guidebooks now show the route detouring right via a thin flake avoided by the original team as too marginal for hammered protection. I was happy to lead the third and fourth pitches to the summit. The partially overcast weather kept the humid summer day bearable. The Blue Ridge Parkway wound along the peaks on the horizon, the Smoky Mountains distant behind the Blue Ridge, some of the tallest points in the east around us. There is probably no more knowledgeable guide to Looking Glass than Steve Longenecker. It was a superb morning. We rappelled to the base, and said good-bye to Alex and his dad.

Steve and I spent the afternoon together climbing and touring the South Wall. I discovered he has a passion for working with persons new to climbing as well as climbers ready to build leading skills. He will custom tailor his services to meet your needs. After my day with him, and witnessing Alex's performance on our climb, I'm convinced it would be money well spent for those looking to learn from the best. We parted as darkness fell. I drove 10 minutes down the graded forest road to Slick Rock Falls to wait for my wife and friends to arrive. They came in three waves, the last washing in just in time to hit the trail Saturday morning.

Show larger photo of Henry

We followed the Slick Rock Falls Trail 45 minutes to the South Wall via an easy approach. I'd left gear yesterday afternoon coming down from a route, and needed to retrieve it first thing this morning. It was hanging in an area next to Lichen or Not 5.5, with a broad expanse of similar rock a hundred feet to the right. We broke into three teams of three or four, spaced out about 50 feet apart, and followed the expanse of rock above up side by side for three or four pitches until we hit too many trees to go further. The most challenging move I managed to find was climbing out of a corner pocket from our second belay station, maybe 5.7 difficulty at best. We took pictures, enjoyed the fantastic views, swapped leads, and became familiar with climbing the unusual "eyebrow" formations in the otherwise smooth granite faces of Looking Glass Rock. We came down early in the afternoon happy and hungry for lunch. After a snack and hydration, Jackie and I left early to go into town. I discovered my enormous collection of climbing gear was lacking the extremely small camming units I'd been thankful to borrow yesterday when climbing The Nose, and I wanted to buy a set of them before I returned to the climb in the morning. Four of us enjoyed $2 hot showers outside Backcountry Outdoors at the first traffic light in town. I purchased my climbing gear across the street at Looking Glass Outfitters, making a dutiful sacrifice of money to the climbing gods. We found dinner at El Chapala, a Mexican restaurant across the street from the climbing gear store. It was about 9:30 when we returned to camp to find our friends coming out of the woods on the dark trail. Their story is best told by one of them.

Enlarge photo of Jimmy

I was not surprised when only two climbers showed up for my planned early assault on The Nose Sunday morning. They'd returned late last night from dinner in town, and were now two nights behind on sleep. Only John and Anita Fisher were up for the early challenge. The three of us ate a quick breakfast and headed up the road to the trailhead. We were met there by James Fendley, a local climber I'd met through the website and invited to join us on this mornings climb. The four of us started up the route, John Fisher leading the first pitch. I took the second and the third pitches, James finished with the fourth. It was another beautiful day. The addition of a fourth climber and the frequent lead swaps had slowed our progress compared to my prior ascent. It was mid-afternoon by the time we were back on the ground. Our plan was to eat lunch, pack up, and hike over to the South Wall to join our friends, but the weather said otherwise. The clouds had grown dark, the wind was picking up, and a few big drops fell. We remained undaunted until the third thunder clap then decided it was best to head back to camp and ride this out. The threatened storm passed over though it did clear the climbers off the rock including our friends. It was too late to go back for more climbing so we called it an early day. We had time for showers before dinner at the Italian Restaurant at the first traffic light.

View larger group photo

See larger photo of Jeanette and Beth

Monday morning found our group refreshed and full of vigor, but skeptical of the mission. Yesterday afternoons' threat of rain had been realized after dark with a soaking downpour through the night. I assured everyone climbing conditions would be acceptable, and coaxed with the admonition - we'll never know unless we try. Nine would climb today, four with me on my third ascent of  The Nose, and four more on nearby Sundial Crack 5.8*. I led all four pitches that day bringing Beth Birmingham, Jimmy Franco, Jeanette Hrubes, and Henry Gholz up with me. Jason Hale, Andy Mitchell, and John Fisher swapped leads on Sundial with Anita Fisher at the end of the rope team. Another beautiful day, excellent climbs, wonderful times, and spectacular views. We all rapped off by 3:30 p.m., broke camp, and headed home.

   See larger photo of Sundial

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