The CragBaby

The view of Linville Gorge from Table Rock.

Boone, North Carolina might be one of my all time favorite bouldering destinations with its gneiss boulder problems scattered amongst amazingly beautiful trees.  I unfortunately was unable to get into Hound Ears, but perhaps that is for the best as it may have resulted in me never leaving the city. =)

Best Time to Visit

• The best time to visit Boone is in the fall and spring when temperatures are in the 50′s and 60′s (Fahrenheit).  If it happens to rain while visiting, certain areas (like Blowing Rock) dry lots more quickly than others (like Grandmother).

Guidebook

• There isn’t a guidebook making the best resource for information being Boone Boulders.  I usually would post up beta here on the CragBaby site, but the Boone locals take great pride in the lack of available information and so I will definitely respect them on this matter.

Camping

• Campsites: There are a couple campsites in the area, but they seem quite pricey at $15 – $20 per night.  I heard that the Julian Price campsite on the Blue Ridge Parkway is very nice, but I did not stay there.
• Free Camping: There are a handful of pull offs along 221 where one can find free camping.  Or there is a great spot on Roseborough Road about 5 minutes past the Lost Cove area.

Food / Drink

• Restaurants: I didn’t eat out while in Boone but did hear that Melanies, located downtown is a good place for grub. (I actually tried to go to Melanie’s but it was closed the day I attempted.)  Also, the restaurant next to the Boone Footslogger (I can’t remember the name) is known to have great burritos.
• Beverage: Beer and wine are sold in all stores.  I did stop by the Sixpence pub in Blowing Rock and really enjoyed my night there.  Delicious brews with very friendly locals.

Personal Hygiene

• Showers: A couple minutes off Blowing Rock road in Boone is a swimming facility with nice showers, cost being $3.  It is a little tricky to find, but the Visitor Information right on Blowing Rock road can give you directions and a map.
• Laundromat: I used a couple different laundromats, but preferred Village Laundry adjacent to the mall.

Other

• Locals: Boone was (so far) the friendliest place I have visited on my road trip.  I seemed to always have a crew to boulder with plus I had numerous non-climbers stop and talk to me, giving me their phone number in case “I happened to need anything” while in town.  Amazing!  The level of hospitality made me feel like I was back in Ireland. =)
• Irrelevant Grades: I noticed that Boone climbers seemed to never talk about the grades of climbs.  Seriously.  They would point out a problem, give the name and everyone would try it.  I sometimes would inquire the grade of a problem after working it, but there was something real fun about just enjoying the climb without a number attached.

Sites of Interest

• Blue Ridge Parkway: The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most beautiful stretches of road I have ever driven, being rivaled only by the drive into Denali Park, Alaska.  It is seriously stunning, especially when the fall foliage is still visible.
• Linville Gorge:  Wow! Linville Gorge is stunningly beautiful!  Though a bit of a trek from Boone, it is worth every minute spent driving there.
• Downtown Boone and Blowing Rock: Both these cities have quaint downtowns that can entertain while taking a break from climbing.

After my month stay in the Red River Gorge, I drove to Boone, North Carolina with my friend Pierre in search of gneiss boulders.  I stayed in the area for two weeks, but Pierre could only stay one before having to head home to Montreal to work.

The scenery around Boone is stunning!  It is filled with these wonders of nature called “trees”, something that I don’t often see being raised in the desert of Utah. =)  I was there during the fall foliage and was daily amazed at the beauty of the area.  This pic was taken on top of Table Rock and looks down on the Linville Gorge.

The climbing was extremely fun.  I have bouldered a bit back home, but I really feel in love with bouldering once in Boone.  Pictured is Erich sending M1 on the 221 Circuit.

One of the best aspects of Boone was the friendliness of the locals.  It seemed that people were always looking out for me, plus I was lucky enough to meet a great climbing crew.  Tilly was the first person Pierre and I met and he was such a great contact, joining us on numerous climbing days and providing us with climbing beta.  Here is Tilly climbing at the Main area at Grandmother boulders.

Daniel working a superb problem at The Grandmother Boulders.

I met two sailor boys (he he …I have to write that as I have NEVER known a sailor boy) and we hung out for the weekend they were in town.  The climbing was fun, the campfire HUGE and the bickering between the two amazingly hilarious! Pictured is Chris climbing at the Mushroom boulder at Blowing Rock.

I met JB in the parking lot of Table Rock where we ended up playing cards that evening and then enjoying the hike to the summit in the morn.  He joined the crew of us out bouldering the next day.  Here he is pictured bouldering at one of the local secret spots.

Tilly topping out a heady v2 roof on the 221 Circuit.

Pierre on the Roof of Death at Blowing Rock.  The problem is aptly named as the top out has a potential fall landing on a huge boulder.

The back room of Panera soon became the “traveler hangout” as the wifi was great and the hours reasonable.  Mark (on the left) and I hung out on a regular basis during the evening hours and he gave me continual great beta of things to see on my climbing rest days.

North Carolina is in the heart of the Bible belt, which means that I often found myself in Christian themed stores.  This Christian theme coffee shop wasn’t really up to par with the coffee, but they were incredibly friendly with good wi-fi and late hours.  Plus, they allowed me to print for free. Not too bad if one can deal with the scriptures written all over the wall and the music in the background. =)

On one of my rest days I went to the laundry mat and just happened to meet this house pet, Secal the goat.  The goat was cute, but kept trying to “play” with CB, which consisted of Secal trying to head butt CB.  Umm, yeah.  CB wasn’t too psyched on that idea.d

And… of course… a traditional last blog post picture of CB.  Here she is snuggled in the car one night.  Ah, the best traveling mate ever.

Ahhh, CB is so cute I better put up two photos. Here she is in her layers of clothing at top of Table Rock.  Yes, she IS wearing a bright pink sweater which is easy to spot as she runs through the woods. =)

Boone will always have a special place in my heart as it was in this destination that my road trip started to turn around.  Not only were all my worries at home started to dissipate, but I learned to really love to boulder while in Boone.

After the Red River Gorge I hit the road again with my friend Pierre (from Quebec), with the destination being Boone, North Carolina and its abundant gneiss boulders.

My whole vacation, which started on August 1st, has been a little “off” with lots going on at home and on the road for me to worry about.  Problems ranging from moving, car wreck, dealing with insurance companies (and in this case it was particularly long taking about 2 months to solve), looking for a new house and new car, breakups, job interview, car problems while on the road, the climbing accident and one of my dear friends at home being extremely sick (I actually considered calling the trip for the last two reasons.)

I usually climb to forget about my worries, but even climbing became stressful as being a sole traveler means that I am climbing with new climbing partners daily who I don’t know and who I am unsure know the technique of the soft catch. Add to that the fact that the bolt placements are more sparse in Rifle and the Red in comparison to home, and I catch myself really NOT wanting to fall.  Falling is always scary (my head still being messed up from the broken ankle) but knowing there is a potential for a big fall on a belayer I don’t know is even more stressful   On top of all that, there are so many strong climbers on the road and especially in the Red that my projects are often everyone’s warm-ups, resulting in me really starting to wonder if I truly am a “climber” since I am unable to climb 5.13.

But the past two days have started to turn around with me being truly happy each morning and excited to be on the road. I think it is because a lot of these worries have started to clear up:  my car is working, the girl in the accident is doing real well and I am starting to mentally recover, my good friend at home is home from the hospital and it is just real nice not to be stressing about rope climbing. Though I’ve never considered myself a “boulder-er” since my focus has always been more towards sport climbing, I have loved my time here in Boone and perhaps the end result of all my worries will be me also loving this form of climbing. =)