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jager
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 2, 2006 - 02:15pm PT
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Haven't seen to many North Carolina pics so I thought I would post a few.
From this past weekend at Table Rock, Linville Gorge, NC. The route is white lightning a fun two pitch 5.8, with some decent exposure.
Click the panarama for a bigger view...
Taken from the ledge atop the second pitch, before the 130' rappel. Really need to get a mini tripod or something for these panarama shots. Would make putting them together easier.
Dave starting out on the first pitch.
Bono chillin out at the first belay station. Notice the unibomber shack in the valley.
Me snapping a pic a few feet away from the second belay station.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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For the pano shots, you should try out the autostitch program.
It's easy, free, and is a really small program.
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~mbrown/autostitch/autostitch.html
I got this pano from 7 shots.
Tom
edit: nice shots BTW, we need more photo threads.
More NC rock please you supertacos!
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Gunkie
climber
East Coast US
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Great photos! Maybe I should take a job in Charlotte.
WARNING: You've just become 'Ouch!' bait with that mug shot.
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The Alpine
Big Wall climber
Tampa, FL
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NC is friggin' incredible! God, I love that place.
North Face of Looking Glass:
Waste Not Want Not(5.12c) - stellar route.
Invisible Airwaves - fantastic aiding - it starts off the ledge that Laban is dynoing to in pic #1. 2 pitches of A3.
Glass Menagerie - longest and hardest free route of the east? 7 pitches with 2 checking in at 13. Very easy mixed climb though, 5.9 C1 I think.
Top of Glass Menagerie.
A HELL OF A FALL on Menagerie direct. Ya, that is ripped gear. Ya, he hit the deck.
South Face of Looking Glass:
Hyperbola - my favorite single pitch of climbing ANYWHERE. The direct goes at 11, but their is a 9r friction variation.
Rumbling Bald:
Rotator Cuff - one of the many classic boulder problems to be climbed at this soon to be state park. V5 or 6?
Frosted Flake(5.9) - one of the many classic moderate trad routes found on the cliffs.
Check out my site at http://www.highexposures.com
More to come...
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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can't find any of my more normal climbing pics....but I like this one of Looking Glass. Plenty of holds, right? I love that place.
I do miss the climbing and the general "ancient forest" vibe of climbing in Cackalacky. Hyberbola, indeed - at the top of my tick list next time I'm back in the South. Along with some bbq and hush puppies from Allen and Sons in Chapel Hill.
edit - oop, here's one....Frosted Flake again. The darkness and trees remind me much more of NC climbing than that sun-drenched one above.
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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Thanks so much for the sweet photos. God I miss the climbing there. I'd have to say Warriors's Way on Whitesides is more sustained, and actually is a more difficult redpoint than Glass Menagerie, even though it recieves a lower grade.
Wow, Linville Gorge might be my favorite place in the world. I don't miss rainy season too much, but I really miss the trees and the lonely but beautiful feeling I have climbing there.
Jager, if you like White Lightning, I gotta ask, have you done Cracker Jack yet, or how about Bumblebee Buttress on the NC Wall? Stellar climbing. Boy I could go on forever about that place. People out here have no idea how big that place is, how remote the climbing can be, and how otherworldly good it can be.
Does anyone out there have pictures of Cornflake Crack at Looking Glass, or how about anything from Ship Rock? I may have to move back to NC.
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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I'll tell ya one thing.... the hike out from the amphitheater would be realllllly HOT and tough this time of year!
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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jager, you mention a rappel on White Lightning....didja not do the finish pitch? The Tower Traverse....about as much fun as I have ever had on a 5.8 pitch. Steep, exposed, awesome view down into the Gorge. Finishes in kind of a dirty gully, but even that seemed OK since we bootied a very new looking cam.
If you haven't done it, you've got a reason to go back.
Shortoff pictures....who has Shortoff pictures?
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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You'd be surprised how nice it can be in the Amphitheatre in the summer, when its not raining that is. When I was there last summer, it was very pleasant and over cast as we hiked in to the top of the Mummy Buttress. Then it started raining like crazy and we almost epiced with lightning hiking back to Table.
The Amphitheatre has changed big time since the fire though, and I bet it does get hotter now in the sun. Now, when it rains in the Amphitheatre, water runs everywhere, instead of just down the gulley and the wall to the right.
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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I've got some cool pics, but don't have a server to put them on... any suggestions?
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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I'm a photographer, but don't do much digital (my idea of a server is like a waiter or waitress). Can't you just post the pics here (which I've never done)?
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JAK
climber
Central NC
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Was just outside at Sauratown Mountain yesterday, and it was hotter n' hell in the sun. Most of the worthwhile routes had nice shady belays with talus to sit on but my god...when you topped out or got to the anchors on the wall you were sweating like a pig. I had to chalk nearly every move, lest I grease off!
Awesome climbing anyway, even though some of the routes are a bit sandbagged. Lots of fun sport. Approach trail is kind of a pain in the ass, and we had to wade through a bunch of YMCA campers (YMCA Camp Hanes actually owns the mountain but gives climbers free access and parking to boot! Buy 'em a beer if you're ever in town) to get to our first climb, but for a quick day trip it can't be beat.
Looking forward to heading down to the newly opened Laurel Knob in the fall...tallest cliff east of the Rockies baby! I hear there's a 1000 foot 5.8 right up the center of that thing...sounds great, moderate/easy high flyin' route to enjoy...
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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That souds exciting. I don't know much about Laurel Knob. JAK, can you tell us more?
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The Alpine
Big Wall climber
Tampa, FL
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Shortoff Mountain:
Hiking in...
Dopey Duck(5.9 3 pitches) - God bless Jim Okel (the FA'ist) and his vision.
Pinball Wizard(5.11) - found in the tilted world with many other classics.
Amazing bivy above the tilted world.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Great pix. I agree that there should be more pic threads, though I know that I post to a lot of non-climbing threads (mainly political).
I have yet to post a climbing TR or to a pix thread as 1) I don't have a camera (lame but true), and 2) I am just ramping up my climbing activity (and wondering if I will ever get back to leading 5.11, heck I am finding 5.8s and 5.9s - VS and HVS here in Ireland - gripping at the moment).
Just a suggestion, but it would be nice if route lengths and ratings were included with pix.
For example, what is the length and grade of:
Invisible Airwaves
Glass Menagerie
Hyperbola
Frosted Flake
Pinball Wizard (where is that place and what is the rock and length?)
Dopey Duck (where is that place and what is the rock and length?)
That Looking Glass rock and Table Rock rock sure looks great (granite?). Route lengths and quality?
Thanks for the pix guys/gals.
Chris that guy falling (and decking) on Glass Menagerie, any serious injury? Hopefully none at all. How far was it to the deck?
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The Alpine
Big Wall climber
Tampa, FL
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Pat - I went back and added a bit more info to the pics. Most everything in NC is 5 star granite or quartzite ie: quality fuggin' stone!
Laban, the guy who decked, escaped relatively unscathed. Despite the fact that he bounced off a ledge with his head, he only received a bit of road rash and a sprained wrist.
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JAK
climber
Central NC
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That souds exciting. I don't know much about Laurel Knob. JAK, can you tell us more?
Laurel Knob is a 1200 foot granite chunk in NC that just got purchased by the Carolina Climbers Coalition from private ownership and redone for public access.
So far, about 11 routes have been put up, and that's only a small fraction of the stone. Most are 5 pitches or more. The CCC continues to work on trail construction, but at the moment there's a FA moratorium until things get settled.
Here's a link to the approach/topo information for what's available now, in printable PDF form:
http://www.carolinaclimbers.org/LaurelKnob_miniguide.pdf
And yeah, I can tell you guys from experience 99.9% of the stone in North Cackalacky is Quartzite or Granite. In other words, if you sink that nut in bomber, you could whip your truck off it and it wouldn't budge an inch. No choss here!
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Gunkie
climber
East Coast US
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If you climb @ Laurel Knob, you should consider contributing to the CarolinaClimbers.org. I did, see my tee-shirt [not in NC at the time]. I also received some other swank like a beer cozy. Great investment. Local preservation at its best.
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JAK
climber
Central NC
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Plan to. I'm still in graduate school right now so my income is basically nil, but I literally just started (this past Saturday) a new job which should provide a meager income (and Pro Deals!) which will eventually allow me to spare at least a small contribution.
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sean_barb
Trad climber
winston-salem
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Hey JAK,
I was asked by the Director of Camp Haynes to not climb at Sauratown during their peak camp season ie. summer and I was requested to discourage other climbers to refrain from climbing at Sauratown during the summer. Since they, (Camp Haynes) ultimately control our access and privilege to climb there, its in our best interest to honor their request. I doubt that your visit did any damage to the camp/climber relationship, so don't sweat it! For the future, please inform your climbing partners of this 'unwritten rule'. Hope you had a good time and let's all look forward to the cool temperatures of Fall.
Sean Barb
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