Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Table Rock Adventures: Or Why Climbing is Safer Than Mountain Biking

Hey, y'all. Sorry it's been a while since I've gotten my paws on the keyboard. The Food Guy has actually started working again, so that means that whenever we are not out on adventures he's hogging the computer getting his work done.





I'm happy to report that he likes his new job a lot, and App State seems like a good place for him to work. He's teaching his classes, writing his papers, and enjoying his new colleagues. We even have some money to buy dog bones now that he's actually getting paid once a while. Good stuff.

We have had some good adventures lately. Food Guy and Greg have a weekly "research meeting" every Friday morning at the local climbing area called "The Dump" and it's nice to get out during the week. But, this post is mostly about our best adventure in Boone yet: Climbing at Table Rock. The views there are out of this world. Check out this picture from one of the belay ledges.










A couple of weeks ago Steven, The Sams, Rebecca, and Lisa descended on Boone, so we could head out to Table Rock at Linville Gorge for some multi-pitch climbing action. The Food Guy is pretty much terrified of heights (don't ask me why he likes climbing), so Table Rock was a real head game for him. Four pitches of exposure made for a long, exciting day of climbing on Saturday. He told me that he really started to settle down and enjoy things about 3 pitches into the climb. Check out this pic of him and Sam relaxing at the final belay stance:











I think he was pretty happy when they finally topped out on Saturday.










Sunday, the crew headed back out for some top-rope action, which meant I got to come along. I had a lot of fun hiking around, and then I took some good naps while the people did some laid back climbing.









This weekend, was the start of college football season (I don't want to talk about what happened to my Dawgs), so we stayed in Boone and watched football on Saturday. On Sunday, Gregg, Karen, Jefe, and the Food Guy headed down to Wilkesboro to do some mountain biking at Dark Mountain. And, I think the Food Guy might have put his fear of heights into perspective. See, he didn't get hurt at all climbing multi-pitch at Table Rock. Mountain Biking? Well, that's different story. For all the time that dude spends on a bike, you'd think he'd have no problem right? Wrong. He came home with a broken helmet, a gash on his quad, and a dent in his shoulder. He was riding through a rock garden and decided to test his flying skills. You know what? Food Guys can't fly. He ended up meeting a rock head first on the side of the trail. There's a moral to this story: Climbing is safer than mountain biking.

Well, it's late and I'm tired. The Food Guy came home from teaching today and took me for a good run. We've been getting a good run in most every night. But, we picked up the pace today and I need to get some rest. I'll try to keep y'all posted on our travels a little more regularly now.