On Top of The Chimneys (Linville Gorge) – 7-10-2016
I have hiked around in the Chimneys area many times over the past few years yet, I had never took the time to climb to the tip top of them despite, this being on my list of things to do ever since I first laid eyes on them. That is, until now. On this trip I would be accompanied with my son Tyler Tarpley (as this would be his first trip to the Linville Gorge) and my friend John Forbes who would be leading us across the top of these majestic high rock towers starting at their beginning by using access via a new and previously undocumented crack that he had found on a recent trip. This would require free climbing up a vertical crack close to 100 feet up to a hidden chamber at the top that would eventually lead us to the tip top of the first rock spire of the Chimneys as you approach them coming from the Table Rock parking lot. This would be an epic experience that I will never forget.
Looking back across our route thus far, looking back towards Table Rock (where we began) from the tip tops of The Chimneys.
After a quick climb up from the Table Rock parking lot, the morning sun was up and already warming the many cliff tops as we stopped at the usual ones along the left side of the trail before you reach the actual Chimneys. We took the time to climb them all mainly to give Tyler the full effect since after all it was his first time being in the gorge.
Tyler looking East on top of the first rock spire of the morning.
A happy Gnome, gnomin` on the first rock spire of the morning. Brown Mountain seen to the East, directly behind our own John Forbes.
Climbing up onto the rock tower (Photo by John Forbes)
Early morning Gnome pose by the RATman (Photo by John Forbes)
Our early morning view looking back at Table Rock (Photo by John Forbes)
Panorama of Table rock / Little Table Rock etc (Photo by John Forbes)
View of Table Rock as seen from a hidden cave-like room (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler and I looking at a gnome down in the small cave room (Photo by John Forbes)
Big Rat and Little Rat getting in a rhythm as we make our way to the Chimneys (Photo by John Forbes)
Early morning views on our way to the Chimneys (Photo by John Forbes)
My view looking down at my comrades as I take my place on the first rock spire of the day. That is Catbriar Point (cliff) seen in the top right hand portion of this image by the way,,
View towards the Chimneys as we climb around the many rock towers along the way. That is the Twin Towers seen in the far distance on the top right side of this image.
Tyler was first to climb this rock tower it being his first time here and all. (Photo by John Forbes)
John follows suit behind Tyler
You can tell by the look on his face that it`s going to be a great day !
Making our way towards the Chimneys (Photo by John Forbes)
Father and son having some sort of discussion before reaching the beginning of the Chimneys seen behind us (Photo by John Forbes)
Early mornin` gnome pose to get the blood flowing as we get the hike underway ! (Photo by John Forbes)
From the top of this rock tower we got our first unobstructed view of the beginning of the actual Chimneys as they jut up from the earth. We would be going on the left (backside) of that one to find John`s secret crack that we would use to free climb to the top of that rock formation where our journey across the Chimney tops would begin.
Once we reached the beginning of the mighty Chimneys, John proceeded to show us the way to the newly discovered crack climb that he is so proud of. Taking the ‘road less traveled’ or better yet, ‘never traveled’, we would go off trail to the back side and make our way through the dense growth found there to reach this very well hidden crack climb that John has spoken so highly of. It was here that the adventure would truly begin !
Tyler beats back the growth as there is no trail leading to this previously unknown crack
Tyler checking something out on the way to John`s crack
John, happy to be showing his new crack climb to someone new !
Looking back at Tyler as he checks out some rock formations at the entrance to the crack (Photo by John Forbes)
Finally we reach the base of the crack
Upper part of the crack
John begin the freestyle climb showing us the route to take. He would then go around to drop a rope down into the cave-like chamber at the the top to make exiting it easier.
John looking back as he shows us the route to climb. if you look close over his head you can see the sky through the small slit of a crack high above. That is the exit of the small room / chamber at the top.
A zoomed shot of the small exit crack at the top of this crack climb (look for the sky beneath the huge wedged rock)
I went first, so this is me looking back at Tyler as we are about half way up this thing.
My view from the chamber / room near the top of the crack climb. Looking East you can see Brown Mountain.
Looking down , it is farther down than it appears !
Looking up at the exit crack at the top of the chamber/room.
John finally appears and lowers down a rope into the small room located at the top of the crack climb. We ended up not needing the rope as Tyler found us a squeeze route that I luckily was able to fit through !
View from the chamber room at the top of the crack
Finally reaching some fairly level ground as I enter the chamber room at the top of the crack (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler enjoying his time spent inside the small chamber room at the top of John`s crack climb !
Rather than use the rope, Tyler decided to squeeze through a very tight crack in order to reach the top of the Chimneys. I would follow suit.
Tyler, happy with his crack squeezing accomplishment !
Hanging out at the top of the crack !
One last view out the crack before making my climb out to the top
After climbing at least 75 feet vertically, I make my way into the chamber room near the top of the crack ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Making my way higher up the crack (Photo by John Forbes)
Looking out from the chamber room near the top of the crack as John poses to show scale to this crack
Hanging out in the room at the top of the crack, just below the surface of the top of the Chimneys (Photo by John Forbes)
Getting ready to exit the crack (Photo by John Forbes)
Once we climbed out of the crack we were standing on top of the Chimneys perfectly where they begin. The views in all directions were immediate and breathtaking. The first order of business was to check out the tops of the rock spires that border the crack we had just climbed up through. It was equally impressive looking down into it. We then began the slow journey of making our way across the tip tops of the numerous rock towers of the Chimneys. We were so excited in our haste to begin that we all forgot to retrieve the rope ! Of course we did not realize this until we had already climbed up to the top of the next major obstacle but, Tyler graciously volunteered to climb back down and go back and get it !
Tyler points down into the crack we just freestyle climbed up ! (Brown Mtn seen in distance)
More perspective of the size of the crack
Closer inspection shows climbing anchors on the rock spire beside the crack. Climbers apparently climb the backside (not down into the crack) as it is sheer vertical. You would not want to trip over those while walking out on that spire !! it IS a long way down !
This the view immediately after coming out of the crack standing on top of the first rock tower of the Chimneys. Looking back towards Table rock in the far distance where we had started, you can see someone in a red shirt down on the tourist trail and the other large rock formation we were on earlier. I had been wanting to stand here and see this view for a long time. Mission accomplished !
Another view looking back from the beginning of the Chimneys this time to include Little Table Rock and the tip of Hawksbill in the distance.
Huge view from the top of the beginning of the main Chimney tops,, (Photo by John Forbes)
Continuing on across the Chimneys, this would be our next thing to climb over. I could not resist this view around the left (East) side of it which shows Shortoff Mtn in the far distance and some of the other craggy cliffs of the East side. The clouds were awesome all day !
John demonstrates the best way to climb over this obstacle.
Of course once on top of that obstacle we could see many more to come ! Tyler makes his way up the next one !
Tyler drops his pack and staff to do some climbing around on the next rock formation
Tyler after a successful climb to the top of that rock tower
Tyler had to go back down to get his pack and hiking staff, so he waited while I climbed up (Photo by John Forbes)
Carefully climbing onward and upward (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler climbs the wall again, this time with pack and stick ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Looking back at Tyler as he retrieves the rope we left behind at the top of the crack !
Taken with my larger camera, you can see the only other people we ran into during our time on the Chimneys (aside from one lone climber) which was a group of young college age kids that were going the opposite way we were.
Another shot with my larger camera, of the kids off in the distance as they make their way across the Chimney tops
Tyler and I gettin` that ‘Top of The World’ feelin` ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Almost up to bird level !
John follows Tyler around to the top of this rock tower. Looking down from the narrow ledge as it is a long long way down !
Climbing one of many obstacles the Chimney tops have to offer (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler awaits his turn (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler clings to the side of a cliff waiting on me to quit gnome posing and get out of the way ! (Photo by John Forbes)
As I took my turn on top of that rock tower, this was the first thing that I took notice of . That being a birds eye view looking down on the Twin Towers and Catbriar Point.
Looking ahead around the West side of the Chimneys
Always looking back !
Looking ahead around the West side shows the many rock cliffs there and a grand view of Shortoff Mountain in the distance
Following the now very narrow spine of the top of the Chimneys, we make our way to the next test. A friction climb down and then another steep climb up the next rock tower !
The views from the ceiling of the Chimneys are obviously the highest and the best overall views of the entire gorge you can get ! Here you can see a good part of the West side of the gorge over top of the Twin Towers and Catbriar Point.
Looking down at John and Tyler. it seems they are surveying the way down from where they standing.
A wider view of the route ahead. John and Tyler are standing at the top of what we call the ‘friction climb’ which is a near vertical descent down that rock which has no hand or toe holds.
Looking back from the East side, just because,,,
One of the highlights of the journey across the ceiling of the Chimneys is the ‘friction climb/descent’. This is a sizeable obstacle that must either be descended or climbed (depending on which direction you are going). It looks foreboding from either direction as it is almost vertical, and its surface provides no real hand or toe holds so, one can only stay attached to it by means of ‘friction’. Of course this would not be possible if it was the least bit wet and one must possess a certain skill to accomplish it without falling. The main ability required is that of ‘no fear’ and ‘trust’ in that it can be done and that you can do it ! To make it that much more difficult, there is a just out of reach drop of about ten feet at the base where the rock is undercut so, you have to take a ‘leap of faith’ and jump to the bottom which just happens to be about the time you WILL lose your friction traction ! I did capture this with Tyler in mid air ! John made it all possible with his words of wisdom and his demonstration showing exactly how it has to be done since he had done it before. I did not get any pics of John going down but I did get some of Tyler as he was the last one of us to complete the descent.
I begin my attempt at the ‘friction rock’ descent (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler anxiously awaits his turn at the ‘friction rock’ descent while I look and feel for any viable points of contact ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Trying to keep 3 points of contact ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Getting ready to make the jump ! Tyler wanting me to go already ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Here we gooooooo !! (Photo by John Forbes)
Like a fly on a wall Tyler begins the friction descent
This shows the drop off at the bottom ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler making it look easy. The farther down you get, the smoother the rock face becomes !
Tyler making it one foot at a time !
Running out of traction ! Note: It is not good to be wearing anything slick, you need fabric that creates friction against the rock !
having made it to the bottom where all traction is eventually lost, Tyler launches himself for the 10 foot jump to the base ! Despite how this pic appears, he was NOT able to stop at any time !
The mid air image of Tyler `s final ‘leap of faith’ !
Continuing on across what seems like the top of the world, there were more rock towers to climb up, over, and around which gave way for magnificent views in all directions along with many climbing opportunities. We stopped for a long lunch break on the largest of these to relax and take it all in. It was also the chosen location of the ‘group shot’.
John could not resist climbing this awesome pointed rock found on the East side of the Chimneys.
John poses on the pointy rock he is straddling
Tyler on top of the world !
Tyler checking out the top of the world. It is important not to stumble or take a fall anywhere on the Chimneys as you would only roll and bounce once or twice before plummeting a long way to your death.
John doing his signature Gnome Pose at the top of the world on the ceiling of the Chimneys
I named this Little Piano Rock. To those of you that are familiar with the much larger version located near the base of Shortoff, you will know why I named this one as such.
Looking back you can see the pointy rock John was straddling as well as part of the ‘friction rock’
Looking ahead at Tyler who is already atop of the next rock formation
One of the many climbs of the day (Photo by John Forbes)
Offering Tyler a stick to hang on to. he didn`t need it of course lol (Photo by John Forbes)
A BIGGER picture of what we were climbing up (Photo by John Forbes)
Always looking back, the view is breathtaking
Looking back,,,
Tyler already atop the next climb (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler and John looking down into the vertical abyss before we make our way up onto the largest part of the Chimney cliffs.
John getting close to the edge for the ultimate view.
The view looking over top of the Twin Towers and Catbriar Point. The views from the ceiling of the Chimneys are unmatched by any other place in the gorge in my opinion.
Definitely what I describe as the ‘Big Picture’. The clouds were phenomenal on this day.
Say Ahhhhh
view
Looking across the main part of the Chimneys before going up on top of them.
Zoomed shot of Botswanna Arete. I can never resist this as it is one of my favorite rock formations in the gorge and I plan on standing inside the hole soon.
Zooming closer on Botswanna Arete you can see the hole.
John gnomes the tip top of the Chimneys
One of my best gnome poses of the day ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Tyler getting the birds eye view from the top of the Chimneys
Tyler on top of the Chimneys
View looking West from the top of the main Chimney Cliffs in relation tot he Twin Towers below
From this angle you can see the outline of the Mountains To see Trail as it snakes its way below the base of the Chimneys
Panorama of me on the ceiling of the Chimneys from Table rock (left) to our point about midway across (Photo by John Forbes)
Another fine panorama (Photo by John Forbes)
John getting the birds eye view of the world below
Looking back from where we had just came
Another view looking back, only this time from the East side
The group shot
We took two group shots !
Tyler with a good view of the gorge behind him ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Taken with my larger camera on top of the main part of the chimneys during our lunch break
Views and swirly clouds taken with my larger camera
View from the top of our world, taken with my larger camera
Pic I took of John during our lunch break using my larger camera
The amazing view (shot with my larger camera)
The Ditch (taken with my larger camera)
Lunchtime view (taken with my larger camera)
View to the west side (using my larger camera)
After the long lunch we explored around the last few cliffs of the Chimneys before finding our way of descent to reach the MST (trail) below. We would then follow that back towards Table Rock to complete our loop but, since it was still early and since it was Tyler`s first time being in the gorge, we decided to take a side trip to bushwhack down to the Twin Towers. It was a hot, sunny day and the thick growth did get some minor complaints from Tyler however, once we reached these extraordinary rock formations he was happy that he made the effort. I wish we would have had more time to be able to go farther down to the Empire State Tower and over to the top of Catbriar Point but, that will have to be done on another day. Always so many reasons to come back to the gorge.
Tyler stands high atop one of the last of the main Chimney rock towers as we near the end of the main rock spine
View looking towards the East end of Shortoff mtn (in distance)
A happy gnome always does this
Tyler taking a lunch break on the tip top of the Chimneys
View from the main Chimneys (note the bird in the top right)
The view
Looking back across the main chimneys at the way we had just came
Some have said that hiking is for the birds. I disagree, I think it is hiking with the birds ! Here John relaxes on top of the main Chimneys at bird level during our lunch break
High point of the Chimneys.
Taken with my larger camera, John is a happy gnome to be on top of the world. Notice the Z clouds behind him !
View from the opposite end of the Chimneys as our journey across the ceiling comes to an end. Shortoff Mountain see in the far distance.
Looking out over the lower end of the gorge you can see a tiny piece of lake James peeking out from behind Shortoff Mtn
View to the SouthWest
Looking North
John checks out the last part of the Chimney Cliffs
best shot of the bird and clouds I could get
Tyler and john on the last part of the Chimney Cliffs
A knee knocker of a descent down from the top of the Chimneys (Photo by John Forbes)
Our view looking back up as we make our way down off the Chimneys to the trail below
John gets a shot of us making our way down the bushwhack on our way to the Twin Towers. You can barely see part of the Chimneys behind us as the growth swallows us up (Photo by John Forbes)
Looking around the base of one of the Twin Towers
John at the base of one of the Twin Towers
John pointing something out while at the base of the Twin Towers. Table Rock and Little Table Rock seen in the distance
John absorbing the positive energy of the gorge from atop one of the Twin Towers
Looking down on Catbriar Point from atop one of the Twin Towers
Looking up from the Twin Towers at the beginning of the Chimneys where we started that morning
Looking up at the smaller part of the Chimneys where we started that morning
View looking up the gorge as seen from the Twin Towers
View of Table Rock(s) and part of Hawksbill from the Twin Towers
The view from Twin Towers
Looking down from the Twin Towers you can see the Empire State rock tower below
Looking at the upper Twin Tower from standing atop the lower one ! Chimneys above it
Tyler standing at the base of the upper Twin Tower
John gnome poses atop the lower Twin Tower
Tyler peering out around the upper Twin Tower
Hanging out at the bottom of the upper Twin Tower
As you can see in this picture, there is a good reason why Tyler is being careful as he negotiates around at the base of the upper Twin Tower. That is because it`s not really the actually bottom of it as you can see if you were to fall it would continue to be a LONG way down as these towers actually sit on cliffs high above any form of bottom. Even the landing below is NOT level, it slopes steeply all the way non stop to the river below.
After hanging out at the Twin Towers for awhile, we made the arduous climb back through the scrub growth and briers to reach the trail again where we played around at the base of the Chimneys where some freestyle climbing and crack exploration was enjoyed before heading back to the vehicle.
Back on level ground of the MST after climbing up from the Twin Towers (Photo by John Forbes)
John climbing around at the base of the Chimneys
John climbing up the Chimneys
Base of the Chimneys
Tyler checking out a large crack at the base of the Chimney cliffs
Tyler having fun in the crack
The crack is climbable all the way to the top
I love the many rock formations of the Chimneys
A view of Brown Mountain as seen from the MST on our way back
Looking ahead up the trail i can see John Gnomin atop one of the many rocks there
Gnomin up high !
Tyler checking out the many rock formations on our way back as we skipped this on the way in due to our ‘crack entrance’
View towards Brown Mountain (East)
It was a hot afternoon and it felt good to get back into the treeline where some shade was had. We had also worked up a healthy appetite so it was decided that we would treat Tyler to the local Gorge Rat`s favorite eatery, Famous Louise`s Rockhouse restaurant on the way home. It was awesome as always and was a perfect ending to another perfect day in one of Mother Natures best places on earth, the Linville Gorge. Until next time,,,,,
Famous Louise`s
Signage inside Louise`s of Linville Falls etc
John had seafood and salad
I had the turkey dinner. Tyler had a burger and fries, not sure why there is no pic of it !
My name is 'RAT' and I love the mountains and waterfalls of the East TN. area where I live and I hope you enjoy this blog about my outdoor adventures.
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