Weekend NC Climbing Escapades

This past weekend turned from a fire and brimstone sort of forecast into quite a good climbing weekend. With Friday night and Saturday morning predicted for loads of wind, storms and rain, we basically wrote off climbing for the day and enjoyed a rare, lazy morning. We used our lack of power as an excuse to head to downtown Brevard and munch on delicious pastries at Bracken Mountain Bakery.
Strangely, by noon, the sun was coming out and we started debating what rock might dry quickly despite the torrential rains Transylvania County experienced through the night. As riverbanks and sod fields continued to swell, we grabbed our crash pads and headed to Rumbling Bald, again proving to ourselves that RB season is not yet over. At the ripe hour of nearly two o'clock, the parking lot was nearly empty.

We had a quick chat with Chimney Rock State Park Superintendent Adrienne Wallace- who is quite friendly and worth getting to know- we headed to the West Side boulders. The winds really seemed to keep humidity at bay, and the poison ivy doesn't seem to have infested the area yet, so we had quite a blast with our unexpected bouldering sesh.

Sunday Phil manned the shop before heading to the Sun Wall to dash up a few Looking Glass classics, and I headed to Boone to check out some of the climbing off of 221. It really opens your eyes to head to this area with a friend who has some real Boone knowledge, because there are a slew of climbing and bouldering destinations- much more than the usual haunts of Ship Rock and Grandmother- if you know where to go. As the temps rise, you can count on us to do more exploring in Boone's highcountry.

Little Wilson Creek was absolutely raging with an impressive amount of water, and I halfway expected either a kayaker to dash by or a member of our large pack of dogs to get whisked away. Neither happened, but we did climb some super fun, pumpy routes before heading back to Brevard, where many areas continue to hold enormous amounts of water.

What a beautiful weekend after all! Hope you got out and had fun!

Climb Globally, Shop Locally
Looking Glass Outfitters
69 Hendersonville Hwy
Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
828.884.5854
www.lookingglassoutfitters.com