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baggetja
Dec 12, 2006, 5:52 PM
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Registered: Dec 11, 2006
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¡LAUREL KNOB!
On Sunday December 10, 2006 one of my professors Clyde Carter and I decided to test our skills on Laurel Knob. I had read up on this place and decided that Fathom would be a good moderate route and it would be hard to get lost on it due to the huge crack it followed for five pitches. We had agreed to meet at 6:30 at Brevard College to gather gear and ship out. It was flipping cold when we left Brevard at 7:00 or so but we had an hour drive there anyways. We got to Panthertown and did that long narrow walking-on-the-side-of-a-steep-hill approach trail in about an hour. It was not too bad especially because I was itching to climb such a great wall. Hiking in I was full of nervous excitement and eager to climb. I had never been on a wall any where near that big. I learned how to trad lead on Looking Glass and the tallest thing I had led was the nose. The many slab routes I have done on LG helped me tons once up on the wall. We finally reached the base and roped up me taking the lead on the first pitch. It went well. There is good gear and moderate climbing up to the bolts. Clyde followed up. The second pitch has a long runout on easy slab that Clyde had no problem letting me lead. The rest of the pitch was super fun and protected well. I lead up the next pitch as well and did some fun moderate climbing to reach a set of two new bolts. From there I lead up clipping an old bolt. About 15feet above that I ran into a crack with crumbling rock and an old bolt stud. I placed a bad cam in the crack and used my smallest nut to clip the stud. The climbing is not really hard through here but it is about sustained 5.8 and the exposure started to get to me. I was a little shaken by those poor placements but climbed up to easier terrain and better gear. Then I put a good cam in by the bird’s nest and started out right across the slab. This was not too bad and there was actually some features but it was around 40 of runout to the bolts. By this point I was mentally tired and Clyde was not going to lead on a runout like that so I took off on the next pitch. It should of have been a heady pitch but I was so tired that I just sank into this mindless climbing machine mode and cranked out the 5.9 traverse part. At the bolts I wanted to keep on going but knew I had to come down. I was done. Leading all of those pitches made me physically and mentally exhausted. We raped back down on the Fathom direct anchors packed up, hiked out and reached the car right at dusk. This climb was amazing and I am glad that I got the opportunity to be on such a magnificent wall. Being in such a pristine area and being able to do some semi-adventure climbing made Laurel Knob a special place for me. The wall touched me and changed me in ways that are hard to put to words. If you have ever experienced it you know how special it is and how you would do anything to protect the place that allowed you to feel that way. That being said it is super important that Laurel Knob remain an adventure climbing destination and that it is taken care of. So please respect this natural wonder and have your own special adventure. Mike Fischesser, one of the guys that established some of the earlier routes on Laurel Knob wrote “…I wish you great times in there. I hope you sense the special feeling that many before you have gained and take care of the place as if it was YOUR secret, pristine climbing area.”
Laurel Knob
Here is what I found out there.
P1: 5.7
Start at right leaning diagonal crack. Head up this on good gear across a grass ledge then up a big left facing crack to one good bolt and one older one.
P2: 5.7
Climb up and a tad right on easy unprotected slab for 40ft to gear in a small dish. Then follow the face/crack up steeper terrain to good gear belay next to the tree in the crack.
P3: 5.8
Alternate between crack and face climbing passing some big flakes near the crack and a large left facing flake. There are a set of good bolts on the face 30ft past the left facing flake.
P4: 5.8
This pitch is long. We used all but ten feet of the rope. Staying near the crack climb past an old bolt and into a dark streak of rock. Pass an old stud and use it or the crack with crumbling rock for pro. Continue up staying close to the crack passing an old bolt with two washers behind it (first ascent party gear). Climb to where the angle lessens and there is a large bird’s nest up in the crack. Get gear here then break out right onto a slab covered with quartz ribs. This jaunt over the slab is run out about 40ft or so but it takes you to the base of a huge flake and a new bolt with adjacent sling around a flake.
P5: 5.9
Go up right side of flake then up to the crack and a solid cam placement. Traverse across some slightly dirty rock to a bolt. Leave the bolt and follow the quartz band up and right. This section is somewhat heady and is pure North Carolina slab climbing but 30ft of that will get you to a set of new shiny bolts with rap rings. This is where it meets with Fathom direct.
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braaaaaaaadley
Dec 12, 2006, 6:00 PM
Post #2 of 11
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Registered: Dec 9, 2002
Posts: 576
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Sounds like you had a good time... I can't wait to get out on that thing!!!!
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weatherm
Dec 12, 2006, 6:38 PM
Post #3 of 11
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Registered: Dec 8, 2005
Posts: 89
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Hopefully within a month I'll get there!
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rsmillbern
Dec 12, 2006, 6:44 PM
Post #4 of 11
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Registered: Sep 29, 2005
Posts: 319
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thanks for the TR. I have done Groover and am eager to go back to LK, Fathom sounds like a winner as well!
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dynamo_
Dec 12, 2006, 7:28 PM
Post #5 of 11
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Registered: Apr 13, 2005
Posts: 275
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I have got to get up there!
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saxfiend
Dec 12, 2006, 8:45 PM
Post #6 of 11
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Registered: Dec 31, 2004
Posts: 1208
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Cool! It's great to finally see a trip report here on Laurel Knob climbing. I'm looking forward to getting back up there.
JL
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bernard
Dec 12, 2006, 9:12 PM
Post #7 of 11
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Registered: Feb 26, 2003
Posts: 68
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The route is only five pitches ?
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toddtar
Dec 12, 2006, 9:52 PM
Post #8 of 11
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Registered: Apr 28, 2004
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It joins Fathom Direct at that point. Another 5 pitches, I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong. The pitch through the headwall is 5.10.
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saxfiend
Dec 13, 2006, 12:00 AM
Post #9 of 11
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Registered: Dec 31, 2004
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toddtar wrote: It joins Fathom Direct at that point. Another 5 pitches, I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong. The pitch through the headwall is 5.10.
One thing to consider if you're going to do Fathom is that there's one pitch where you'll run out of rope with a 60-meter, apparently due to misplaced belay bolts. Friends of mine who've done the route said they had to simul-climb 20 ft. or more to get to the anchors. No idea which pitch this is on.
JL
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antiqued
Dec 15, 2006, 12:15 AM
Post #10 of 11
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Registered: Aug 18, 2005
Posts: 243
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[quote "saxfiend"}
There are definitely a number of pitches after P5, though the CCC mini-guide doesn't say how many.
You should be able to get off in two pitches after the headwall pitch. One might be doable with a long rope and the ability to take the shortest way, but that's a pure guess. Two is fact.
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gnarled_hands
Dec 25, 2006, 7:33 PM
Post #11 of 11
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Registered: Jun 24, 2004
Posts: 21
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I'm psyched to hear the climbing is good, and not at all surprised. I lived in that area for four years, and (sure enough) when I moved away Laurel Knob opened and Hickory Nut Gorge became a park!!! Nice Report.
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