Let the climbing commence!

View of Linville Gorge

Memorial Day weekend was a week away and I hadn’t planned to do much. My big plans were to stay in town and just to relax for the weekend. A few days before the weekend, I had been invited by my friend to join him and his friend, Russell, to camp out Sunday after we were let out of church. Without hesitation, I agreed to join. Ed was going over the plans when he then mentioned that there was going to be climbing involved.
Note: These guys have been climbing for 7 months and I, on the other hand, had only done it a few times.
Ed wanted me to join in on the climbing and reassured me that they would help and guide me through anything that I might possibly doubt. I went and bought my climbing gear the following day. I was more stoked than nervous for the weekend.

Sunday came around and all I knew was that we were going to Linville Gorge Wilderness Area in North Carolina, northeast of Asheville. I was a little worried that the weather was not going to permit us to go climbing and that camping out in the rain would hardly be any fun either. I kept looking at the weather radar every hour and while in church I kept checking every 3 minutes in hopes that it would change. It wasn’t looking so good. It looked to be that the rain was heading straight to Asheville. I snap chatted Ed a picture of the weather radar. He glanced over and gave me a look. After the service was over he called Russell and came out to be that we were going to be moving forth with the plans.

Heading North on I-85, it was still gray and raining. As we made our way west, it was beginning to clear up. We drove and got lost a couple of times, however, we managed to find the road we needed to be on. We got there later than expected. It was now dark and our original plan went straight down the drain. We weren’t familiar with where we were and didn’t want to go looking for a spot to set camp. So, we camped out in Ed’s Suburban.

Reaching our first climbing route, Jim Dandy

Having to wake and get ready for the morning hike up to Table Rock Summit, a strenuous 1.2 mile trail, was a bit difficult. Considering the fact that we were a bit sleep deprived from having hardly any room to move around as we laid to rest and the fact that we were trying to sleep while Ed snored like a wild beast. All I recall was how tired I became while making our way up to see the view before having to make our way back to the base of the mountain to venture off of the trail to reach where we’d be climbing. With 360 degree views, I understood why it was considered the Grand Canyon of the east. The view was breathtaking.

When we made it to the base of the mountain, we veered off onto another trail that showed hardly any traffic passing through. It was quiet a feat to go up, down and over with all of the gear we had.

Ed preparing to lead climb Jim Dandy.

Our first route was Jim Dandy, with a rating of a 5.4. Ed did the lead climbing while Russell belayed him. I sat off to the side looking up at them. The feeling of nervousness had yet not hit me until I was done adjusting my harness and my hands made their way to the face. We had traveled far and bought all of this gear to do this. There was no turning back for me at this point.”Climbing!” I informed Ed. “Climb on!” he replied.
There were a few things going on in my mind as I began to make my way up the face. At one point, I completely freaked out. I was having a difficult time finding a good placement for me to hold on to 1/3 of the way up. Below, Ed kept with the encouragement. After standing there for a couple of minutes, I took a deep breath and shouted to Ed, “climbing!” “Climb on,” he replied. I made it to the top of Jim Dandy. A 70 foot climb. Now, to get down. Worst feeling ever. But with the guidance of Ed, I relaxed and leaned back. I couldn’t believe I had just done my first outdoor climb. I felt nothing but accomplishment. We kept on with our hike west of where we began. Made our way around while the boys attempted a few other walls.

Jim Dandy 5.4 Route

Even though I only did one route throughout this trip, the hike was great and the company was too. It was a great experience that I cannot wait to begin planning for another outdoor climb. Especially with Autumn coming. As of now, I will keep training at my local indoor climbing gym, Climb @ Blue Ridge. Within a couple of weeks of my training, I have managed to build strength and confidence in being able to complete certain routes and certain strength exercises. An exciting adventure for me.

Russell doing either the Cracker Jack or the Peek-a-Boo Route

On another note, I know this may be a bit long overdue, but, I wanted to take time to thank all those who served and serve. My twin is a United States Marine and I have friends who are and were in the Armed Forces. I know it hasn’t always been the easiest for them to be away from loved ones. Fortunately the bond between brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces are strong. Thank you to EVERYONE who has served and is serving. Thank you for shedding blood and tears for our FREEDOM