About a week and a half ago, Christine and I decided to go on a climbing trip with a couple of friends from the climbing gym. I never climbed outdoors before and I had no idea this would be one crazy adventure. I thought we would only be climbing 10-12 ft. boulders and 50 ft. walls max, boy was I wrong.
We arrived at this house that looks more like a hotel resort on a mountain. It overlooked Cleveland, Ga. with the Appalachian Mountains rolling in the distance. This would be our home for the next three days and two nights. The house was gorgeous!
The guys (Juan, Robert, and Joe) climbed the day before, so we missed out on day one. On day two we headed up Mt. Yonah and despite the horror stories of getting lost and hiking for almost 2 hours, we began our journey. We climbed some routes on the “lowers” for a couple of hours; afterwards we headed towards the Main wall. I had no idea we would be climbing the side of a freaking mountain around 3000 ft above sea level. I remember thinking this is not what I had in mind. I thought I conquered my fear of heights climbing at the indoor gym, but this experience totally brought it back. After psyching our selves out, Christine and I decided to go and climb the last part of Mt. Yonah.
Once we reached the top we noticed the sun setting right above the mountains. This was bad. Very bad! We had to hurry up and climb back down the main wall before the sun set. Once we climbed down and gathered all our gear, we had to hike back down through the forest in total darkness for more than an hour. One flashlight, one glow stick, and our cell phones were used to navigate our way through the forest with steep trails, rocks, and several roots along the way. It was pretty sketchy but thank god the guys knew where we were since they went through the trail a day before. We finally reached the parking area around 10:00 p.m.
The next day we drove three hours to Sandrock in Alabama. With no hike and more climbing, Sandrock was exactly what I expected. We climbed throughout the day and tried to hurry back to Georgia for steak and fireworks! Overall the weekend was awesome. It was my first outdoor experience and I can guarantee it won’t be my last.
Juan a.k.a. hit’em in the neck– Thank you for inviting us.
Aunt Joni and Uncle Tommy – You guys rock! Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful home. Your company and hospitality will never be forgotten.
**Click on the picture below**
Back: Me, Juan, Uncle Tom, Joe, and Robert
Front: Christine, Aunt Joni and Gammy
