By
Wayne Busch
1/15/00 - Winter rock climbing is one of the luxuries
of living in the southeast USA, though it's never guaranteed.
The weather tends to be unstable and volatile, warm and cold air
masses wrestling back and forth across the southern mountains
and hills. It doesn't stay the same for very long, making any
pre-planned trip a gamble at best. You can only hope your time
off coincides with clear weather, but such is the nature of almost
all road trips. Jason Hale and I found we both had the third
weekend in January free, and sent out word of a trip to Stone
Mountain, North Carolina. A few locals responded, and we juggled
schedules and destinations to try to appease all. The location
was changed to the Tennessee
Wall, but as the departure time drew near, climbing comrades
fell by the wayside. Friday morning found only Jason and I driving
north in my van to Chattanooga via I-75, Andy Mitchell would join
us on Saturday. We left before sunrise hoping to get in a couple
hours on the rock late in the day, but unexpected delays in Atlanta
had us arriving too late for any cragging. Hoping to ease the
disappointment, I suggested we drop into the MudPie for a cold
Turbodog
(on tap). The beer led to a pizza then to another beer before
we left the city for our campsite. A series of roads wander upstream
along the east shore of the Tennessee River into the woodlands
that rise up steeply from the riverbanks. We were the first to
park at the tiny roadside clearing near the trailhead, but it
quickly filled to capacity as the night wore on.
By morning, cars were parked on every available bit of non-paved roadside,
and tents were scattered throughout the trees. A frost had formed, the air was still and
quiet. I heated some water for breakfast, and shook the morning chill with a hot mug of
coffee. A dim orange sun broke free of the horizon, and we loaded up our packs. By the
time I reached the top of the trail drops of sweat clung to my temples. The hike up to the
sandstone cliffs at the rim of the gorge is more than enough to get your heart going and
some heat in your body. The air warms as you ascend, rising with you to flow across the
stone escarpments making climbing up here much more pleasant than in the cool river valley
below. On a clear sunny day, it's not unusual to climb in shorts when there is snow on the
ground below. This day was clear and the sun was rising.
Jason planned to explore some of the excellent 5.10
routes, and had brought his double ropes to tackle a couple of
the aretes. But today, we'd start out slow and easy, get reacquainted
with the rock before tackling the stiffer challenges later. With
crowds of climbers streaming in, many of the classic lines would
go fast. Jason jumped on Nappy 5.7, a run up a long and dirty
corner crack. He followed it with a quick lead up nearby Plastic
Toys 5.7, starting from atop a large boulder, then up the ever
steepening face to the top of the wall. We rappelled from
anchors slung around the stout pine trees that line the cliff
tops. Both of these climbs are just plain fun, a good way to get
stretched out and warmed up before moving on to bigger fish. Only
an hour into our day, it was already time to move down to get
away from the crowds. We walked a short distance, where I followed
Jason's warm ups with a lead up Let's Face It 5.7, running the
two pitches together into one long scamper up the corner
crack to a large roof, then escaping to the left. Jason followed,
and when we returned to the ground, Andy joined us. We continued
down the cliff line passing small groups of climbers until we
came to Sanscrit 5.8. It's a long corner crack, running almost
100 feet to the top. Jason jumped on it, and cruised smartly to
a perch at the top where he secured to the designated anchor tree.
Andy and I joined him in turn, and we savored the view up the
wide river valley below. We slipped down the ropes to the ground,
and packed up. Still, the crowds pressed in, and we walked further
this time, to near the end of the North wall. Here it would be
Andy's turn to hop on Rape Conducive. The route was listed in
the old guidebook as 5.8 in difficulty but the newly released
Dixie Cragger's Atlas
now called it 5.10. Hmm.
Andy
started up the long right facing corner, working up the
crack to a point about 60 feet off the ground. Here, he ran into
a difficult section that stopped him cold. For an hour, he persisted
at working through this tough spot, but couldn't commit to the
move required. Finally, he rigged a solid anchor and was lowered
to the ground. Chilled during our wait, Jason and I deliberated
privately who would go up and finish the route. It was getting
late now, and there was not time to dawdle. Since I hadn't been
on the route previously, I won the honor of completing it. I ascended
to where Andy had paused removing the gear below, then pulled
through the hard section and up he corner to a stance below an
enormous block of stone. A narrow cave lay beneath the overhanging
block. Up and to my right, was the top of the wall devoid of any
solid purchase. Below the cave, a flat edge ran 20 feet out to
the left with a blank wall below. I tried squeezing up and to
the right through a narrow slit between the block and the top
of the wall, but it was far too tight and awkward. Jason called
up with the helpful instructions that I should look for a large
branch that I could traverse to hanging hand-over-hand and work
my way onto the top of the cliff. I saw a huge branch, in fact
it was large pine tree that hung out over the edge of the cliff.
"It's just like a jungle gym, hand-over-hand to the branch, then
up" Jason called. He meant to the right. I took off
for the tree to my left, some twenty feet out from the corner.
The edge held it's sharpness the whole way, and my left foot finally
found a small knob that boosted me up onto the top. Quite a thrill.
I secured myself to the tree, and Andy came back up to complete
the route with me. Jason soon joined us. The light was failing
as the last of us made it back to the ground, and we walked out
in darkness aided by a bright half moon. It was a good warm up,
and tomorrow we will tackle some of the harder jewels. But for
tonight, we piled in the car and drove back into the city for
dinner and drinks at the Big River Grill and Brewing Works.
The distinct soft patter of rain started on the roof of the van around 5 am,
coming in gentle waves until morning light. The clear sky was now cloaked in gray, and a
light wet breeze tickled the last of the brown leaves clinging to the smaller trees. I
heated some water for my coffee, and had a light breakfast. We watched and waited to see
how the day would evolve. It didn't. The rain continued to come in small spits. The sky
remained dark. The forecast on the radio called for more of the same all day. When Andy
suggested we retreat to the Waffle House, it
seemed like the best of prospects. The rain persisted through our Sunday brunch. With
reluctance, we parted ways in the parking lot for the long drive to our homes. Those
harder climbs will be waiting for us when we next return.
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