The Albino Bowler heads to Starr Mountain

Dan Thompson — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:54:01 +0000

Over the long Easter weekend, fellow thealbinobowler.com contributor Zac Mckinney and I decided to drive down to Starr Mountain to do some rock climbing. Starr Mountain, which is just outside of Etowah, Tennessee, is home to some AWESOME climbs and is also just a beautiful place to hang out… always makes for an enjoyable day. The cliffs themselves are very exposed, so while the start of the climb may just be 60 feet or so below you, the Hiwasee river valley is directly behind you making it feel like you’re hundreds of feet up. That takes a little getting used to, but luckily you’ve got a 5.6 climb (read: very easy) called “Pleasing to the Touch” to get warmed up on. It feels epically huge while you’re on it, but the generously placed monster holds will have you feeling right at home in no time.

After a little warm up session; me, Zac, and the Albino Bowler decided to focus our attention on a climb we had been eye-balling last time we were there called “Men Without Hats”. This particular climb is rated a 5.10 b/c (read: amateurs need not apply) and is the perfect crack climb. The fun / tricky part about the climb is that the rock bulges out you about half way up and makes for some interesting lay backs. Good stuff! All in all it was a great day, save for a sun burnt head… that’ll happen though.

Oh yeah… I almost forgot. I had been telling Zac for about a week or so about my trials and tribulations with a new ping pong table my wife and I had purchased. It’s not so much that there is something wrong with the table… but that my wife keeps beating me! Zac decided he wanted to challange her and proved to be a worthy opponent; he beat her two games to one. I guess I’m just not that good at ping pong.

– Dan Thompson

Albino Bowler heads to the rocks in East Tennessee

Dan Thompson — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:12:20 +0000

For you long time Albino Bowler fans, you’ll recall that a while back he did some rock climbing out west on El Cap. Well, it has become somewhat of a Tuesday tradition at the Claris Networks’ office to head up to Look Rock for some good ole East Tennessee climbing (at least for a couple of us anyway)… so we decided to bring him along so he could brush up on his skills a bit. It got a bit hairy at times (because Zac is apparently not to quick with learning cameras that have more than one button), and yes, the Albino Bowler’s arm broke off… again. Donations anyone? We desperately need a spare parts / stunt double.

At any rate, if you’re familiar with East Tennessee, hopefully by now you’ve heard of the Foothills Parkway (it’s on the way to Deal’s Gap and the “missing lake” mentioned in a previous post).

It’s a gorgeous drive, and just so happens to have some decent sandstone (by our standards anyway). Stop off at the Look Rock overlook and have a look around… you’ll see the short trails snaking back through the woods (no pun intended). Zac Mckinney, Jay Norris, and I tied off and headed up the cliffs… check out the pictures for the rest of the story.

– Dan Thompson

The Adventures of the Albino Bowler » Rock Climbing

The Albino Bowler heads to Starr Mountain

Albino Bowler heads to the rocks in East Tennessee