Photos by detourdave

We got a little off route on the Daddy at Linville Gorge (Detour Dave strikes again) and wound up going straight up through a large lichen covered section to the top on the last pitch. This was fine for me at the lichen was really grippy when dry but once I got to the top it started raining. My partner Lisa Lorenzin started up on second after it stopped and the lichen has turned into greases goose sh*t. She took her first wild swinging outdoor fall on a remote trad climb while traversing to clean a piece of pro I had set way off to the side. I couldn't see her from the top and just heard screams (unsettling!). Anyway, this line is somewhere between The Mummy and the Daddy so we called it The Baby (probably illegitimate). The small photo in the corner shows where Lisa is belaying from.

This was taken at the last pullout in the Calico Basin area, I think it is called the Sandstone Quarry or just the Quarry? (lost my guidebook - doh!). We hooked up this sweet TR by way of the 5.4 ramp on the right. It ran about 5.9. Anyone know the name of this route? I am not the best route finder even when I know the route (they don't call me Detour Dave for nothing). I don't recall seeing any bolts.

Here I am leading Yardarm - photo taken from P1 on No Alternative. This is a great route up the middle of the big smooth bulge of Stone between the Great Arch and No Alternative (the only routes there with actual "Features"). I have climbed all the major routes in this area. If you like friction and you don't mind the runouts then Stone should be your next destination. Everything is bolted for the most part (except for The Great Arch and No Alternative - my first two trad climbs respectively actually). It is like they had a seriourly limited budget for bolts though, you will be half way up one of these routes with one bolt clipped, smearing on a "hold" the size of an M&M (plain not peanut, that would be a jug) and you realize that if you peel, the next stop is the tree ledge (the large ledge that all these routes run off of). You get a great sense of accomplishment once you reach the top of any of serious fiction routes like Yardarm or Mercury's Lead. Falls on these would be like a motorcycle crash on the highway going 70 in a tee shirt.

Here is a general shot of my lady on the Great Arch, one of the classic trade routes of Stone Mountain. Easy trad with great views - lots of left hand reverse opposition. Rap down one of the decents off to the side as your ropes WILL get caught if you t