southern hospitality

It's been a while. Since my last post, I've started grad school and Eric has embarked on yet another road trip to the Southwest. Right after the start of the new year, which we ushered in with style at a ski chalet in the Western Maryland mountains, Eric and I hopped in the van and headed south for some southern fried fun.

The plan was a two-week trip focused on Rock Town in Georgia's Southern Appalachian mountains. Rock Town is a world-class bouldering destination with a large variety of climbing on some beautiful rock. The first stop was in Birmingham, Alabama, to kick it with our friend Bob, a Forest Service wildfire fighter whom I had lived with in California. Bob showed us a helluva time; a Birmingham experience that no one else could have provided. We hit the local rock gym to get a warm up in and met up with an old friend from high school as well. Then we stocked up and headed to Georgia, sweet Georgia.

Others are overhung as hell, testing your pump before one of Rock Town's difficult top outs. One boulder is featureless save an intricate network of inch-thick iron rails that protrude from the sandstone. Painful crimps on the sharp-edged iron characterize this gem. One this is for sure, whatever style of bouldering you find aesthetic, Rock Town has it in spades. 

Others are overhung as hell, testing your pump before one of Rock Town's difficult top outs. One boulder is featureless save an intricate network of inch-thick iron rails that protrude from the sandstone. Painful crimps on the sharp-edged iron characterize this gem. One this is for sure, whatever style of bouldering you find aesthetic, Rock Town has it in spades.

Dispersed camping is up for grabs right outside the Rock Town area, with pleasing car sites surrounded by mid-growth hardwood forest. The nights were cold but daytime temps in the 50's provided the perfect climbing atmosphere. Unfortunately, after our fourth night at our side, the rain moved in. All night. All morning. Soaked tents, bags and gear. The forecast showed no sign of relief, so we admitted defeat and decided to cruise to Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville is a trendy mountain city in the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachians. It boasts the highest number of breweries per capita of any city in the States. We crashed with friends, Nick and Tiffany, and enjoyed some culture for a few days. With temps in the 70's our last day in town, we had to get outside. 45 minutes along a scenic highway and some gnarly twisties gets you to Chimney Rock State Park. Home to some multi-pitch trad lines and some quality granite bouldering, Rumbling Bald is opposite the water gap from Chimney Rock. Both sides are massive granite temples; the guts of the cross-cut mountain range.

The rain started the second we dropped our crash pads. Another blown chance at new climbing. Oh well, put it on the hit list for next time, we said. We attempted to make up for it by hitting Asheville's downtown rock gym. The effort was lackluster at best; we wanted to be on real rock.

One thing you learn about outdoor sports if you can't plan for the weather. You have to plan around the weather. That's why spontaneity is such a beautiful thing to have in your life. Being able to drop everything and catch a streak of sunny days to get away is a luxury. Even with the rain, the trip was a blast and served a much-needed role.