Dec. 6, 2008 - Tennessee Wall, TN
To paraphrase the popular golf adage, a cold day at the crag beats a good day at the office, as the Atlanta Climbing Club learned on its December club trip to Tennessee Wall.
Though the forecast called for temps in the 50s later in the day, Saturday got off to a frigid start, with the temperature in the upper 20s as we left Windy Hill. It was looking like most of the club had decided to stay in bed, as Denmark, Tom, Chuck, Robert and John were the only ones at the rendezvous. So all five piled in Tom's vehicle and hit the road for Chattanooga.
The roster expanded considerably after we arrived at T-Wall. Carole, Frank and Harry met the Windy Hill crew at the parking lot and headed up the trail. Later, we were joined at the cliff by Elizabeth, Ashley, Enid, Brent and others for a well-rounded ACC contingent.
Chuck started off the still-chilly morning by leading Art (5.8), while Denmark and Tom led My Lost China Doll (5.9) and Jay Walker (5.7), respectively. Later, Carole led Nappy (5.7), John led Plastic Toys (5.7) and someone led Sanscrit (5.8). Along with these great climbs, a toprope was set up from Jay Walker on the tough Finger Lockin' Good (5.10b/c), so there was plenty for climbers at all levels to enjoy.
The rock may have been painfully cold early on, but things improved greatly as the day went on. In the afternoon, the sun actually came out, making things quite pleasant. And thanks to Carole, the club climbers got to share some nice pocket hand warmers that made the early chill more bearable.
Several of us had prior engagements, so a carload of members left early for the trip back to Atlanta. But the non-leaders still had some reliable lead climbers on hand, thanks to Carole and Frank, so the climbing continued until sunset.
All in all, it was another great day of climbing at T-Wall. Stay tuned for information on the January club trip; a destination will be announced soon.