Tennessee
T-wall is a must for all you gear climbers. It is in the middle of a forest, a 20 minute hike uphill to a beautiful cliffline 3 miles long. There are over 300 routes, beautiful and very exposed. The view from the top of the routes is of the beautiful cliffline, forest and the Tennessee river. The cliffline gets sun all day, making for some amazing winter climbing.
Though we did have a couple of days and nights of cold, (it was -15 for a couple of mornings and quite cold at night), the sun warms up the rock quickly and fingers are never cold. It's actually warmer at the crag than at the campground.
The camping is just what I wanted. In the woods off a quiet road, 20 minutes from the nearest anything, no facilities. There is a firepit (thank god given the cold) and we spend a part of everyday looking for firewood. There is even an outhouse, which consists of a hole, a raised toilet seat (like what you put on top of a toilet seat) and partial walls. No ceiling and a beautiful view of the river when you use it. I have never had such a pleasant bathroom experience, though the hole is small enough that aiming is a challenge. There was a river we were filtering water from until we were told there was a nuclear testing plant not far away. Luckily we haven't started glowing yet and stopped drinking the water. Most of the nights there has been no one else camping and the crag, except on the weekends, has been pretty much ours.
The climbing has been great. I have learnt a lot about placing gear and have been following on a lot of routes, but for many reasons have not led my own pitch. We met someone down here who climbs pretty hard and I've been following on many 5.10 cracks which have been fun and challenging. The climbing is so exposed, it's a little wierd at first, but I still love crack climbing, slowly getting used to hand and fist jamming.
Crack climbing is much slower pace than sport, lots more organization and planning for each pitch. When i sport climb, we get to the crag, throw on our harnesses and climb. It's been a bit of an adjustment for me, and I don't feel like I'm climbing as hard as I want to be, however, it has been a lot of fun. The camping and the company has certainly made up for it.
This weekend I head to Obed, near Knoxville, after a possible stop in Atlanta, Georgia to see a friend. Obed has some great, steep sport climbing, just what my sore knuckles and unused fingertips need.
Yesterday on a rest day we took a drive through some of northern Georgia, went through some small towns and some beautiful scenery with a view of the beginning of the Apalachian Mountains. We finished the day with a wine tasting and then supper in the woods.
Because the climbing has been pretty mellow, we've been able to climb almost every day, today being a rest day for me, a chance to plan my next leg of the trip and be by myself. I sit in a cafe in Chattanooga, after a nice shower (first one in 8 days) sipping a nice smoothie and eating food I haven't had to cook.
I haven't experienced too much of the south, I've been staying away from the cities, and climbing from dawn to dusk. I did however go into a small corner store and was mistaken for a local who the owner hadn't seen for a while, I got a very warm welcome and have been told I have a twin down here. People here are generally very friendly, helpful and warm.
Though we did have a couple of days and nights of cold, (it was -15 for a couple of mornings and quite cold at night), the sun warms up the rock quickly and fingers are never cold. It's actually warmer at the crag than at the campground.
The camping is just what I wanted. In the woods off a quiet road, 20 minutes from the nearest anything, no facilities. There is a firepit (thank god given the cold) and we spend a part of everyday looking for firewood. There is even an outhouse, which consists of a hole, a raised toilet seat (like what you put on top of a toilet seat) and partial walls. No ceiling and a beautiful view of the river when you use it. I have never had such a pleasant bathroom experience, though the hole is small enough that aiming is a challenge. There was a river we were filtering water from until we were told there was a nuclear testing plant not far away. Luckily we haven't started glowing yet and stopped drinking the water. Most of the nights there has been no one else camping and the crag, except on the weekends, has been pretty much ours.
The climbing has been great. I have learnt a lot about placing gear and have been following on a lot of routes, but for many reasons have not led my own pitch. We met someone down here who climbs pretty hard and I've been following on many 5.10 cracks which have been fun and challenging. The climbing is so exposed, it's a little wierd at first, but I still love crack climbing, slowly getting used to hand and fist jamming.
Crack climbing is much slower pace than sport, lots more organization and planning for each pitch. When i sport climb, we get to the crag, throw on our harnesses and climb. It's been a bit of an adjustment for me, and I don't feel like I'm climbing as hard as I want to be, however, it has been a lot of fun. The camping and the company has certainly made up for it.
This weekend I head to Obed, near Knoxville, after a possible stop in Atlanta, Georgia to see a friend. Obed has some great, steep sport climbing, just what my sore knuckles and unused fingertips need.
Yesterday on a rest day we took a drive through some of northern Georgia, went through some small towns and some beautiful scenery with a view of the beginning of the Apalachian Mountains. We finished the day with a wine tasting and then supper in the woods.
Because the climbing has been pretty mellow, we've been able to climb almost every day, today being a rest day for me, a chance to plan my next leg of the trip and be by myself. I sit in a cafe in Chattanooga, after a nice shower (first one in 8 days) sipping a nice smoothie and eating food I haven't had to cook.
I haven't experienced too much of the south, I've been staying away from the cities, and climbing from dawn to dusk. I did however go into a small corner store and was mistaken for a local who the owner hadn't seen for a while, I got a very warm welcome and have been told I have a twin down here. People here are generally very friendly, helpful and warm.
posted by Kim at 1:30 PM
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