Archive for October, 2017

RAT`s Annual B-Day Hike – 9-8 to 9-10-2016

Almost every year I have tried to take 4 or 5 days off to go hiking around my birth date in September. Although I have missed a few I managed to make it happen in 2016. This one would only be for 3 or 4 days which is the shortest yet but, it is way better than none at all ! I will also add that the location and the unusually hot weather made it seem much longer. For the first time ever and to my delight, I would be joined by my son Tyler Tarpley. Unfortunately though, my usual compadre Tommy ‘Bol’Dar’ Warden would be unable to attend. The locations I chose for this event was in the Linville Gorge as Tyler had only been there once before and there was much more I wanted to show him. Day one was spent gathering last minute supplies, packing up and driving over where we stopped at the Gorge Rat`s campsite at the Hawksbill trail head with just enough daylight left to complete the climb to the summit before the sunset.

view

View from Hawksbill looking towards Table Rock as the sun began to set on our first day.

(more…)

Posted on 25 October '17 by , under RATtreks. No Comments.

Bonas Defeat-ed – 8-20-2016

At the North end of the Panthertown Valley deep into the Big Pisgah (North Carolina)  where few dare to tread due to the seriously rugged terrain, there is a 2 mile long, boulder filled, slot canyon/gorge called ‘Bonas Defeat’. Named after a significant 400 foot cliff within the gorge, the name ‘Bonas Defeat Wall’ interestingly enough comes from an old legend about a man`s dog named ‘Bonas’ who used to chase deer and such off the edge of this cliff. As the story goes, one day a deer outsmarted him and sidestepped causing the hunting dog to run straight off the cliff where he fell the 400 feet to his demise err, defeat.

wall

The Bonas Defeat Wall

(more…)

Posted on 11 October '17 by , under RATtreks. No Comments.