Starr Mountain Trip Report

On our way to the meeting point at Cumberland Mall all early birds enjoyed a wonderful sunrise on Saturday morning. Nine club members participated in the trip to Starr Mountain, TN

with perfect, sunny and warm (lunch time 60F) climbing weather. The walk up to the wall was steep and through the bushes, but served as a good warm up.

We stayed in the middle section between ‘The Sound of One Finger Bleeding’ to ‘Men Without Hats’. Jeff set up ‘The Sound of One Finger Bleeding’ and he did a very impressive job on a wet and slippery route. Normally this is a 5.8 but with these conditions it turned out minimum one level harder.

Denmark lead ‘Big Men, Small Airplanes’ in his confident and easy looking technique. Frank started with ‘Lucky Strike’. The variances of that route are wonderful. You have cracks, edges and a pumpy roof. ‘Pleasing to the Touch’ was lead by several members as training for trad leading and was also climbed by all of us with several variations and levels of difficulties.

In the afternoon ‘Men Without Hats’ (5.10c) was set up by Denmark on top rope and some fellow climbers from out of the region. The upper section was still wet and muddy, but it was a nice side pull along a crack.

At 6pm we left the climbing area and met Bill on our way down to the cars; he had not been able to find us. We drove back to Chattanooga together accompanied once again by a wonderful sunset and stopped at a good pizza place (Portofino, 1st exit on I-75 S after split I-75/I-24, turn right), where we enjoyed a nice dinner together.

I would like to thank all of you who shared their experience and good climbing skills to make this trip a wonderful and successful day.