Mount Yonah
Another weekend. Another blog entry.
Got back from Georgia very late on Monday and absolutely exhausted but really happy. Curtis and I had a blast on our rock climbing and hiking trip on Mount Yonah in northern Georgia.
It was our first time climbing outdoors, and we wanted to make the best of it, so we left Saturday evening after I got off work. After dropping by Sports Authority for some much-needed new sneakers and some very large caffeinated beverages, we were on the road. We ended up having to stop near Atlanta because I was just too tired to keep driving, but the next morning we left early and made it to Mount Yonah.
After trying to follow some old directions from a climbing guide, we asked for help and found the new parking/camping area and hit the trail. The hike up to the various rock walls was pretty intense. Fairly steep trails going straight up the side of the mountain to a heli pad where the trail split off to the different climbing areas.
We took a couple breaks along the way and ran into this couple Chris and Katie, who were also there for climbing. By the end of the hike we were chatting and had reached the approach to The Main Face, which is at the very top of the mountain. (Picture to be posted.) The skies were the clearest blue both days, and we were comfortable in jeans and T-shirts for most of both days, which made the area even better.
The only way to access this wall was to hold onto cables set up for Army Ranger training and climb across an incredibly steep smooth rock face. The view was incredible, but I was immediately intimidated by the whole thing.
Thankfully Chris and Katie were really experienced and incredibly nice and helped us get started. Soon enough Curtis was at the top of the wall and mountain, rappelling back down one of the balance climbs. It took me a little more time for me to get started. The anxiety and frustration of not immediately getting it initially drove me to tears, but a short pep talk later I was ready to climb again.
Then I was the one at the top looking down at Curtis and out over the view. It was pretty incredible, and even though I was terrified I would do something wrong without Curtis there to check my rope and such, I safely rappelled down too.
With the long hike and time it took to get started, soon we were heading down the mountain again in the waning light, starving and tired beyond belief. After a quick stroll through the nearby town of Helen, we had eaten dinner, grabbed some fudge from a cute little shop and made it back to the motel.
Bright and early on Monday we were back at the trailhead. Unfortunately Chris and Katie had decided to head back to Nashville, but they left us info and invited us to go climbing with them if we’re ever in Tennessee, so I hope we take them up on that sometime.
We headed up the trail to a new rock wall, this time The Lowers, which wasn’t as high up on the mountain, but it had a completely different set-up, and we had the place to ourselves. With one day of experience under our belts, we got going on a couple of the climbs. Curtis started by lead climbing Route 1, a fun little route in the crack of the rock. It was pretty easy for him, and he set up a top rope for me to follow. I found it a bit harder but just as fun, and it was a little less intimidating without the view of the entire mountainside behind me.
We climbed a couple more routes and hung around until the mid-afternoon. We both worked much slower than in the gym and had to really plan each maneuver. Grassy rocks, streaming water and loose dirt definitely made for more interesting and challenging climbing. I was forced to use toe and hand holds I would try to skip in the gym and learned to trust them (a bit anyway).
I definitely came away with scraped hands and a fair share of bruises on my knees and calves, but was overall unscathed. There was one hiccup on the last climb, but Curtis kept his head and managed to rappel safely down the route. And too soon, we had to pack up the gear and hike back down to the car for the drive back to Gainesville.
It’s easy to explain what we did but hard to explain what was so great about it. Getting outdoors was just so different and fun. It was definitely more exhilarating.
Guess that’s it. Pictures to come. :)
Love.
