CAMPING
From Boone we headed into the Pisgah National Forest where we settled into a secluded campsite off of FR 210 (A gravel road through the forest) near Gingercake Road for two nights. Our campsite was surrounded by rhodedendrums on three sides. At night the forest gave us a symphony of insects dominated by the rhythmic cry of the cicada (I can’t believe how loud they are!!!). The road from our campsite to the Table Rock parking lot is about 4 miles long and winds up into the mountains through gulleys and switchbacks with nobody in site except for the Outward Bound school and the North Carolina forest. The road is well maintained and there is a bathroom and trash barrels at the parking lot, so its not like we were in the wilderness.
We sustained ourselves with delicious local produce from Earth Fare in Boone. This included fresh juicy Watsonia peaches from Moneta SC; North Carolina heirlooom tomatoes, organic apples, zuccini & vidalia onions; natural peanut butter from North Carolina; Sweetwater Brewing Co. beer from Atlanta (and snacks provided by the Spooner Family!)
CLIMBING
To reach the Table Rock summit one can hike the NC sea-to-mountain trail or climb the face of the cliff. We decided to climb the face and walk down the trail. We took Jim Dandy (5.5) up to lunch ledge and continued on Cave Route (5.5) to the summit for a total of 5 pitches from top to bottom. The 5.5’s in NC are a bit different than the 5.5’s in the north east. I’m guessing this is due to the way your feet seem to stick to the rock down here making many of the moves just moving your feet to the right location for the next move. The rock is Chilhowie Quartzite with very gritty places in between large pockets of quartz. Check out Syrah’s photo below to take a look. I noticed that both of the routes were very foot orientated with smears on sandpaperish rock and delicate foot work at the “hard” parts. Cave Route could be one of the most wonderful two pitch combo I have ever climbed in any grade. it was completely exposed the entire way. The route meanders up one of the main features of the cliff leaving you with nothing but air below you and what seem like desperate moves above. Surprisingly there wasn’t a move harder than 5.6 on the whole climb. The second pitch even included stepping out onto a isolated block with a void underneath you right before pulling a small roof!!! unreal!!! Since photos during climbing is not a great idea, we don’t have any action shots, however, we got some nice shots of the view and even some videos you might enjoy. I love the fact that we hiked up to the cliff, climbed up it, and walked down the backside over the course of the day. I really enjoy adventure climbs like that as opposed to getting to the top and having to rappel down. My one complaint? Too many bolts!!!
First of all, anyplace named Pisgah has got to be awesome! That looks like a sweet hike/climb, beautiful pictures of the rocks and views. Plural of Rhododendron is Rhododendra, but hey, who’s keeping track! Sounds like you guys are having a blast, thanks for keeping up on this blog, it gives me something fun and exciting to read while I’m getting through this slow moving friday at work.