Nobody wants to read your trip report about climbing 5.4!

Andrew feeling bold on big holds and biiiig air

 

Recently, myself and two other teachers took advantage of our spring break. While our students flocked to the sunny beaches of Florida's Gulf Coast, we headed for the frosty hills of the North Carolina high country. Andrew and I have been climbing together for about two years now since I moved to Chattanooga; his meticulous attention to detail and systems and my general lack of self-preservation work pretty well together. Since Paul has only recently been learning the ways of the stone, we headed for the Southeast's Flatirons -- the Linville Gorge -- for some 5.fun adventure. 

This was Andrew's first trip to the Gorge and Paul's first time to climb multipitch so we chose to link up a few classic "5.easy" routes for a full day of vertical fun hogging: "Jim Dandy" (5.4, 3p, II) + pitch 3 of "Cave Route" (5.5, II) to the Lightning Ledge +  the low 5th class traverse and scramble to the summit. The whole thing can be done with a light rack of draws but we took a few TCU's and Aliens to sew it up.

Leaving behind the bulk of the rack at the base of "Jim Dandy"

I have described "Jim Dandy" as plain old, good, clean fun. Like bombing a hill on a skateboard fun. Or riding a bike around the city at night fun. Or rewatching episodes of 30 Rock fun. The first pitch is okay, but the second ascends a right leaning ramp into the North Carolina sky and then up a fun face and crack to a belay. I have yet to climb it without smiling. 

Pitch three is a 4th class traverse up and right to the Lunch Ledge and can be linked with p2 with some drag. In fact, having done the route twice before, I had no idea there was a set of anchors between the two. We pitched it out. Lunch Ledge is a behemoth; here, you can pick up your ropes and walk right to ascend a number of fun routes to the Lightning Ledge or to the summit. 

Myself looking gooood while organizing ropes at the Lunch Ledge

Andrew chose to set off on the third pitch of "Cave Route," which is separately known as "Block Route" for the eponymous dihedral with a blocky roof. Face climbing beautiful white stone with gym-like in-cuts and really fun moves on deceptively good holds high above the Pisgah National Forest make this pitch stellar. 

Andrew and Paul at the Lightning Ledge

From the Lightning Ledge we traversed back left to the low 5th class scramble out. Previously, I had only solo'd out from here but with a new climber, recent rain, and minimizing unnecessary risk, we roped up with Paul on an alpine butterfly and "hiked" it to the top. 

Finally coiling ropes after the last "pitch" 

All in all, I believe we were on the wall for about 4 hours. For reference, my buddy Evan and I simul-climbed this same link-up -- opting for "K-Mart Special" (5.6, II) instead of the "Cave Route"-- in about 20 minutes and that's with me being an idiot and getting off route for a bit. But, for a party of three on belay, enjoying the views of the belay ledges, teaching and showing along the way, rappelling once to retrieve a forgotten orange TCU, and me being an idiot figuring out rope management on double belays, we made pretty good time. 

Andrew and I survey the Linville River Gorge looking toward the Amphitheater 

The summit of Table Rock offers expansive views of the deep river gorge below. And though I've worked as a mountain guide taking kids up 13-14,000 ft. mountains in Colorado, Table Rock is the most consistently windy place I've been -- spring, summer, and fall. Most of TR's climbing is protected by the southeast face, but if you climb the uber-classic "North Ridge" (5.5, 2p, II), prepare for some wind! 

Paul atop his first multi-pitch

After a day and a half of perpetual and at times torrential rain, we could not have asked for a better weather day. The rock was dry and the views were stunning. I was the most psyched for Paul who got to the summit, and said "I never imagined I'd get to do this sort at this stage in life -- I'm content." Pretty freakin' rad.