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| Journal Day 4 Wednesday, July 11, 2004 |
| MEALS Breakfast: A Pack Snack: A Lunch: A Dinner: A Dessert: A |
| ROUTES: A.M.: Devil's Cellar Climbing, rappelling into Devil's Cellar cave P.M Devil's Cellar Tyrolean traverse more climbing & rappelling |
| WEATHER Sunny, hot, clearest day I've seen from Table Rock- you can see forever. Saw the afternoon thunderstorm coming across the blue ridge mountains. |
| We set up the rappel down to Devil's Cellar. It's a little tedious to load onto- you anchor and take a step down to a ledge then load onto the rappel and come off anchor. |
| We met again in the parking lot and filled water bottles, pulled gear needed for the day, had breakfast and made & packed lunch. Each person packed some of the gear needed for the day. We headed up the trail toTable Rock and went straight rather than right. This trail meanders around the left side of the mountain and comes to a path crossing. I believe the left trail goes to little table rock. The straight trail goes down along the base of the mountain and if you know which cut off there's a trail to the right that is a scramble up to the base of Devil's Cellar. The trail right serpentines up with many trails cutting off it. At one point a trail leads off to the left (really almost straight ahead) and looks like the low path. This goes to the top of Devil's Cellar. The main trail leads to the top of Table Rock. |
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| We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. As every other day each person is responsible for bringing their helmet, harness, shoes, water bottle. And chalk bag if they have one. |
| Since you can hike to the top of Devil's Cellar we could do another anchor class. Later in the afternoon we split folks up and let them figure out the possibilities for the ancor on the non bolted side of the traverse. Others critiqued and finally the Climbing Director, Joe and Nancy, had them tweek a few things to perfect it. Joe set up the bolted side taking a participant, as always, to help and learn the ropes. |
| We set up two climbs, one has a nice bit of an overhang that fools you but you can figure out the moves if you work on it. With the scramble back up we traded off belayers, climbers and rapellers. Another group was in the same area and there is plenty of room for each of us to set up various routes. |
| We had a quick afternoon thunderstorm, pulled the ropes up and covered them and ate our lunch as we waited it out. |
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| We welcomed back 2003 Staff Dave Ritchie who brought along his niece for the day. |
| Not only is this great climbing but it has beautiful views of the Linville River down in the gorge... the Blue Ridge Mountains and Hawk's Bill where there are more routes to climb. |
| The Tyrolean traverse is not for everyone. Some jump in line while others watch a while and then change their minds and decide they will do the traverse. It's challenge by choice and only those who wish to do the climbs, rappels or traverse participate. It is a thrill for those who do. |
| After we had all the fun we could stand we packed up and headed down the mountain. We unloaded at the cars and had some time to practice moves and anchors at the boulders just off the parking lot. It's like having a classroom right there. Bouldering is important because that's where you can gain a lot in honing your technique. You can attack a problem on the wall over and over, trying various holds, moves, lunges until you perfect the move. |
| Dinner was a laid back time to reflect on the day. Again participants enjoyed adding new abilities and experiences. |
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| You rappel down and at the base between the rock face and a HUGE boulder you continue to rappel down through a hole into a cave that has a walk out the back. You hike around the back of the boulder and scramble back up to the top. It's much fun- something different. |
| Here's a zoom in view of the hole into the cellar. |
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