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justthemaid
climber
Los Angeles
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 17, 2008 - 11:05am PT
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I flew off out Alabama last month to visit Dirtineye & family. Curt always hooks me up for good climbing when I'm out there, and I certainly wasn't disappointed this time.
We started at the Palisades in Alabama, but we eventually ended up in North Carolina at the infamous Laurel Knob. Privately owned by the Southeastern Climbers Coalition. Dirt is really messed up from the cancer, but showed unbelievable determination over the weekend. He wanted to get out, do a little climbing while he still could and he was determined to see Laurel Knob even though he could barely walk a few feet without resting and was in constant pain. I was concerned. He's...well... you know- stubborn.
DAY 1: Palisades, AL.
QUOTE: "If I fall and die- just make sure you drag my body over under something hard." - RRK
Palisades is a cool little park with some really nice climbing on super hard-packed sandstone. We met up with Kenny (RRK). I always look forward to climbing with RRK. He's a big guy with a heart of gold, a keen sense of humor, and a sharp mind behind the casual exterior.
*Curt wanted to try a little climbing. I led this easy little 5.4 (that most people solo) RRK giving the armchair belay to Dirt:*
*Kenny heading up Elephant Crack- we joke that this is the hardest 5.6 in the world. The bigger you are- the more this climb sucks. Kenny is 200+ lbs and over 6 feet and has been known to take whippers off it. It's a bad but shot, but that roof is totally horizontal, the crack is small, the foot holds are at waist level.*
***Kenny wielding Dirt's beloved whisk broom:
___
DAY 2: North Carolina- The Big Green aka: "The Chigger Death March"
QUOTE: "Chiggers- proof that God's an as#@&%e." - Dirtineye
So we drove up to Atlanta to scoop up Shannon Stegg to be our rope gun for the big stuff. Shannon is an southern hard man, known for pirating a few 1st ascents at Laurel Knob. New routes are prohibited without committee approval. Shannon is not the type of guy who consults a committee to climb. I'm later informed that he made the "Epics" issue of Climbing Magazine a few years back.
Laurel Knob and it's sister crag The Big Green sit up a hanging valley. A beautiful plateau with a dense forest and unique flora and fauna. Shannon decided to take us up to The Big Green on the 1st day . I got my first taste of what the locals refer to as "rhodo-thrashing" after Shannon lost the trail and we ended up fighting our way through dense rhododendrons, and underbrush for over an hour.
I rarely wear shoes and I hike in flip flops. My bare ankles offered a convenient highway for the chiggers (burrowing itchy mites) to march up and attack my...er... more sensitive areas where I received close to 100 bites. I'd post a picture of the damage they did- but I would be at risk of a Locker-style banishment. Chiggers...The gift that keeps on giving. They itched badly for over a month.
Poor Curt was exhausted and had to take rests every few minutes. I actually had to carry his folding chair in tow. He has no muscles in his mid- section and can't just sit down on a rock like the rest of us. I thought the hike might kill him at one point
*The Big Green: Big serious granite slab. Not a crag for anyone who isn't at the top of their game. I found it dark and intimidating*
*Shannon takes a peek at the topo for Panthertown Knobs- a 5.9+ 150' and the easiest climb on the mountain. It is not frequently climbed. The bolts are sparse and rusty. The protection is scant and sketchy. The 5.9 rating is definitely old school.*
*Check out those muscles ladies. Shannon was driving me to distraction with the no-shirt-thing all weekend.*
* Me- lacing up the JB's*
*** Shannon starting up the pitch, sizing up a slippery move after clipping the 1st rusty bolt. He's like "Watch me". I'm thinking "Watch you what.....deck????"
It was a nice long climb on good granite. The protection was a little sketchy. Cams shoved under thin flakes and slung knobs that didn't have enough height or edge for comfort. A bolt or two if you could find them. We actually dragged Dirt up this climb. He had to take long rests after every move and his hips were cramping badly the whole time. It probably took 45 minutes for him to get to the anchor, but he finished.***
*Rapping off The Big Green.*
QUOTE: "Well, if your gonna die- it might as well be on The Green." - S.S.
_
DAY 3: Laurel Knob
QUOTE: "When are we gonna be there???" - Dirtineye.
The hike into Laurel Knob is long and hilly. Something like 7 miles (?) each direction and Dirt was determined to go even though he was beat from the day before and the slightest uphill had become sheer torture. It took us over 4 hours to reach the base of the climb, with Dirt increasingly adding items to my pack until I finally was piggy-backing two packs. Laurel Knob is an impressive 1200 ft granite dome. It reminded me of Tuolumne. It is marked by it's distinctive long water chutes cutting down at regular intervals. The rock quality is stellar.
It was so late in the day speed was an issue so Dirt stayed on the ground. He was way too trashed for multi-pitch. We decided to head up an easy-going climb called "Groover" (5.8). The rating may be easy, but everything at Laurel Knob is a committing endeavor with lots of run-outs and head-games, and the locals are vehemently anti-bolts. Groover is 5 (full rope length) pitches with absolutely no retreat after the first pitch. The higher you go the harder it gets. We actually did a direct finish on the last pitch up a water shoot which rates a harder 5.10a.
*Laurel Knob*
*Exhausted Dirt and Shannon taking a break at the base*
*Me following up to the first belay ledge*
*Shannon leading up the 3rd (?) pitch. Angry wasps were flying out of his hold*
*Forest and clouds shot while I'm hanging out at the belay*
*Topping out after the 5.10 chute*
We rapped down just as the sun set. Hiked out (4+ hours) in the dark. It wasn't so bad. The weather was nice, we had headlamps. The forest was quite beautiful and serene at night. The ground has a lot of mica in it and sparkles like diamonds when your headlamp hits it. We got back to out car at midnight and headed back to Atlanta. The boys fell asleep in the car. I was wide awake and drove all night.
It was a great experience all around. With all the strenuous hiking I actually dropped 7 lbs in one weekend. Shannon is an awesome climbing partner. Dirt showed unbelievable determination and I thank both of them for helping me to experience climbing in an amazing place I would have never seen on my own.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Nov 17, 2008 - 11:13am PT
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The best of times and the worst of times.
Thanks for posting this.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Nov 17, 2008 - 01:21pm PT
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Nice TR Justthemaid ! Great to see a picture of Curt. Sure hope he is ok today. Like all your TR pics ! Lynne
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 17, 2008 - 01:25pm PT
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Nice report and photos - thanks for sharing.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Nov 17, 2008 - 01:27pm PT
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Good stuff !
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 17, 2008 - 01:36pm PT
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Wow - thanks jtm. Nice report, good to see the Big Green.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Nov 17, 2008 - 01:54pm PT
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A quality TR. Thanks for Posting!
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artmusicsouth
climber
VA
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Nov 17, 2008 - 04:37pm PT
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Never thought I'd see a TR on Palisades! Did you have to dodge the flyin' beer cans?
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justthemaid
climber
Los Angeles
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2008 - 08:08pm PT
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I'll post a trip report about anywhere. I have no shame. Coming soon: My trip to the gym...with pics!!
I've actually never had to dodge anything at Palisades. Every time I've ever been there it has been mid-week with no one around. I suppose the rednecks come out of the woodwork on weekends?
*One-eyed mouse. Poor little guy was wandering in circles at the base of the Green. He was grateful for the popcorn donation.*
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Boise
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Nov 17, 2008 - 09:31pm PT
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Nice Shtuff there, JTM!!
I like yer little buddy, hangin' amongst the popcorn.
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jbar
Mountain climber
Inside my head
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Nov 17, 2008 - 09:52pm PT
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Awe, poor little mousy. Looks like a little poof ball. Wish I were there I woulda took him home.
SS is our southern climbing icon. You go anywhere trad you see his name on the FA.
Awesome LK pics. We don't call it "forest" down here though. We just call it the woods. lol
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Nov 17, 2008 - 09:57pm PT
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Neat report. I'd have thought the leaves might be changing
more down there in NC by now. . . I was hoping for some
real fall colors there. . .
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 17, 2008 - 10:02pm PT
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Thanks for sharing your big adventure (and Curt's). Laurel Knob sounds exciting.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Nov 17, 2008 - 10:03pm PT
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Wow! Great TR and very nice photos!
Looks like good rock in NC. Will have to make it out there someday.
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RRK
Trad climber
Talladega, Al
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Nov 17, 2008 - 10:34pm PT
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artmusicsouth wrote:
"Never thought I'd see a TR on Palisades! Did you have to dodge the flyin' beer cans? "
You're thinking of Sandrock. Palisades is a nice little county park in a dry county. (For those of you currently living in the 21st century, a "dry county" is a place where you can't possess alcohol)
In a nod to the stereotype of Southern climbing and Southern climbers, on several occasions in the past I've proposed an idea for what I would consider to be the ultimate "Southern" climbing picture . In the picture of my imagination, the photographer is looking down the route at the leader- caption something like "Joe-Bob pulling the crux of "yo'mama's crack" - but the true focus of the shot is down-the-rope, at the belayer. The belayer should be tied off to a smoking BBQ grill, Confederate flag flying, with an open cooler and half-empty jug of hootch clearly visible, as are several hounds lying around near the grill, a rifle propped nearby and numerous empty shell-casings scattered around, etc etc. Boy wouldn't that make a great cover for Black Diamond? (and keep our Southern rock safe from the infidels for another generation.)
Good TR JTM. I guess that it was a good thing that I didn't take my shirt off - huh?? Sorry to miss the second half of the trip. We'll drag ol' Dirt back up to NC next time you come out, and I'll do the hauling.
There's a funny story involving Shannon and that Epic story in Climbing which I may have already told. I was in the habit of taking my old Climbing mags to the dojo to get them out of the house without really throwing them away. Later my wife, Cassie, started coming there to walk on the treadmill. To pass the time she would read the climbing mags (in retrospect I should have thrown those mags away immediately). One day she comes up to me with this horrified look on her face holding Shannon's story and saying "honey, you would never climb with anybody like this would you?" I gave her my most sincere, holier-than-thou look and said "no dear - everybody knows that he's crazy". (in truth when I read the story it seemed pretty clear that they would miss happy-hour, but their situation did not appear to be wildly out of control.)
Anyway, later I saw Shannon at Okel's service in Atlanta. I said "my wife says that I can't climb with you". Without missing a beat he just shook his head and said "everybody's wife says that".
Post up some more shots if you've got any
RRK
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Nov 17, 2008 - 11:05pm PT
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Nice thread,
Thanks All.
Zander
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Max V02
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Nov 17, 2008 - 11:22pm PT
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Nice trip report... keep 'em coming and good to see dirt gettin' out there too.
Fletch
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justthemaid
climber
Los Angeles
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2008 - 11:22pm PT
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LOL ^^^ Funny stuff Kenny.
...and yes- you get to be the designated sherpa next time. Shannon's no help. I think he's easily distracted by butterflies, or running water or...er... something. Kept disappearing into the forest for long periods of time, only to come popping out of the woods to intercept us farther down the trail. Scared the crap out of me a few times when we were hiking in the dark. He's like a damn climbing ninja or something.
A few more pics. I only have some of the photos. They are on Dirt's camera and they didn't all transfer for some reason
*Lowering off the last climb at Palisades*
* another shot of the rock at The Big Green.*
*Shannon climbing*
*Look ma- one glove*
*Hangin' at the river on the hike out*
*Posing by the SCC sign*
*Another shot of Laurel Knob*
*... and no trip is complete without the token butt-shot. Egads- those pony tails were out of control*
*...and the world's most perfect omelet*
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Those omelets were SOOO GOOD!
Perhaps we shall return one day... in about a year or so. That's going to take a lot of luck though.
You guys should see the maid scoot up those slabs on second.
LK is a great place to visit.
I'm lucky to have pals like JTM and Steggo to go climbing with. Right before I got really sick, Shannon and I went to lost wall during the severe drought year of 2005 and did everything that is usually wet, haha. we tried to leave ways to do the better ones when the water returns, but some of em ARE waterfalls, LOL, as in, underwater normally.
I really hate trip reports, but that maid does write a good one don't she?
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jbar
Ice climber
(home description... adjective, adjective, sensor
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You got plenty of time dirt. I was at Lost Wall recently and the fall next to spider fighter was gone. Not even a drop. No pool, no puddle, no nuttin.
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