Dirtbag Summer Diary

The Slackline

2012-05-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Dirtbag Slackline

In preparation for the Summer of the Dirtbag I have been trying to find ways to work out for climbing. The USNWC in Charlotte, NC has a great climbing wall that closes promptly at 5:30 pretty much everyday. And although the sun has been out until 8 and the weather perfect, I unfortunately cannot get to the climbing wall until about 5, giving me very little time to work. My at home work around has been to do pullups from a tree branch, balance on the slackline for a bit, and then hit up some netflix style yoga, all after taking the dog for a two mile jog. I feel pretty good about it helping me to get in better shape, but I would much rather simply spend an hour on the climbing walls.

On to the slackline and heading of the post. I started with a simple 12ft 1'' webbing and ratchet combo from Lowes for $10. I quickly realized that only walking four steps before running out of room was not going to be the most effective. It did however help in keeping balance and walking on the line. After only spending a week on the line I feel pretty confident that I could walk quite a way on one.

Off to REI to buy 70' of military spec webbing for $0.34/ft. I was quickly disgruntled when the ratchet system stood no chance of getting enough tension in to the line. Off to YouTube I went and found the following video which does a great job of showing how to set up a primitive slackline system. (Watched the whole video on mute since my wife does not approve of this circus foolishness in the backyard) I modified the system due to a lack of rappel rings and replaced the rings with a clove hitch. The video demonstrates a very nice pulley system using three caribiners. With what looked like plenty of tension in the line I stepped up on the line and watched as it sank to the ground. I need to solicit the help of two or three friends to finish the tightening, as I cannot do it alone.

Dirtbag Necessity #1

2012-05-09T08:07:00.002-07:00

Slackline

Flickr

In true dirtbag fashion I set up a slackline in the back yard. Purchased a cable ratchet and 1" webbing from Lowes for $13 and set up a line between two trees. My wife looked out, asked if I had spent money on "this junk" and shook her head to return inside.

I tightened the webbing as best I could and then stepped on using a tree for balance. Promptly the wet plop hit my neck. Upon inspection I saw the white and black tell-tale sign of bird gunk. Nature has spoken, the slack line is for dirt bags.

Despite the reputation and general dislike the public has for slack lines, I believe it will be a fun way to work on core, balance, and entertain myself when I am not out climbing.

A Photo Post

2012-05-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

My Weekend at Lake Lure, NC

Here is a super basic photo post from spending a day climbing at Rumbling Bald and then boating on Lake Lure.

Do Some Research

2012-05-04T05:41:00.001-07:00

Read Some Travel Magazines to Write Better

I would like to write an article, blurb, or even a simple featured blog post about a trip. A single published work would be incredible. I have a few articles in technical science journals, but very few people will ever see them. When I wrote my science articles I was reading journals all day for my research in protein structure. I knew the flow and organization of a journal article fairly well. Making an attempt to write a travel or adventure article means I probably need to read a number of well written articles. Here is an article from Nat Geo Travel about Congaree National Park outside Columbia South Carolina. My wife and I visited this park back in January 2012.

Location: Central South Carolina
Established: November 10, 2003
Size: 24,180 acres
Say the word "swamp," and the first image that probably comes to mind is of a wet, sticky, mosquito-infested mire that few people would want to visit. Such an image certainly might have kept some visitors away from Congaree Swamp National Monument, a 22,000-acre forest in South Carolina.
Yet, after the monument gained national park status in November 2003—and dropped the unappealing "s" word from its name—the number of visitors each month increased significantly.
Technically speaking, Congaree is not a swamp, because it does not contain standing water throughout most of the year. One of the newest national parks is actually a floodplain forest that floods about ten times a year. Spreading northeast from the meandering Congaree River, the land is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth bottomland hardwoods in the United States.
Push back the ghostly Spanish moss that drips from the bald cypresses, and you enter a lush backcountry inhabited by bobcats, deer, and playful river otters. Yellowbellied sapsuckers drill holes into trees one day and return the next to feast on the sap that has filled the holes. The rapid-fire series of knocks you hear is from one of the many woodpeckers found in the park, also hard at work boring holes into trees.
At night in the fall and spring, rangers lead visitors on an "owl prowl," so they can hear the eerie calls of barred owls and see the glowing fungi that grow on the cypresses. According to local legends, the cypress tree's trademark "knees"—small, knobby wood growths that rise around the trunk's base—are really wood elves who come to life at night to dance through the forest.
Congaree was named for the Native American tribe that lived here centuries ago. They were decimated in the 18th century, victims of a smallpox epidemic that came over with European settlers.
Toward the end of the next century, the country's burgeoning lumber industry moved south, with an eye on Congaree's giant hardwood trees. However, because of the remoteness of the area and the lack of navigable waterways many of the old giants were saved from the ax.
Conservationists worked hard to save the rest. In 1976, Congress rewarded their efforts by setting Congaree aside as a national monument. Since its establishment, the park has been designated as a national natural landmark, a globally important bird area, and an international biosphere reserve.
How to Get There
Twenty miles southeast of Columbia, via I-77 and Bluff Road or S.C. 48. Follow the Congaree National Park direction signs to the park.
When to Go
Year-round. Spring and fall are the most pleasant seasons. Boaters find easier paddling after a rain in late winter and early spring.
How to Visit
Allow a full or half day. From the visitor center, take the Low and High Boardwalk Trails (2.4 miles total). Then do the Weston Lake Loop Trail (4.4 miles) around the oxbow lake. Birders like the 11.7-mile Kingsnake Trail in a remote part of the park.

An Attempt at a Photo Essay

2012-05-03T06:38:00.003-07:00

Gregory Bald Winter Trip

When I moved to Charlotte, NC, straight out of college, no debt yet accrued, I was given a hefty bonus to teach at what could be the worst school in Mecklenburg county. I took the money and headed straight for REI. It was my first visit to the store, and I was in wonderland. I purchased a ton of stuff, and immediately set off to the Great Smoky Mountains.


Ready to set off in to the cold forest

Within two miles of hiking I was ready to try out my new gas stove by making oatmeal.

Higher up there was a beautiful blanket of snow. All that hiking has generated a lot of heat so I lose my skiing jacket.

I decide to take a break just before a very steep climb to my campsite for the night.

More playing with gadgets that I opened the packaging for on the drive to the trail head.

Hanging my pack so that bears do not decide to snuggle with me to get to my peanut butter

Posing with my tent in a spot where an obvious bear track was located

Morning visitor to the clearing

After hopping streams and balancing on rocks I realize that my boots are made of waterproof Gortex

Off to another adventure

The Critique of April 30

2012-05-02T06:57:00.002-07:00

The Critique

This is where I will be breaking down the post I wrote a few days ago, it is a method to make notes for myself to hopefully improve my writing. We Shall See.

Anyone that drives through Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure North Carolina cannot miss the stunning cliff faces that line the mountains and gaze down on highway 64. (This is a fallacy, it cannot be entirely true. What about people that look down while they drive, safe drivers, or if it had been cloudy or foggy. There have been times myself where it was so foggy I could not see any of the cliffs or mountains.) The Rocky Broad river is littered with boulders the size of tractor trailers that have fallen from those amazing cliffs. (Littered sounds dirty, and there are only a handful of boulders of that size. There are a lot of boulders that are big, and plenty more that are small. Rocky Broad is a fitting name for the river.) A walk on the Cliff Trail at Chimney Rock State Park is the easiest (it is a tough hike and people have fallen from it died) and unfortunately only way that many people interact with these geologic formations. (Who interacts with geologic formations? Just looking at them and enjoying them is pretty good for most people.)

Unbeknownst to most of the families, bikers, and hikers that visit Hickory Nut Gorge, the rock climbing on those cliffs is phenomenal. (I have NO idea if this is true, I imagine they have seen the climbers at some point) Climbing has been going on in the area since the 1970's. A variety of sport/trad climbs of all ratings (I do not know if there are any 5.13 or harder there) are available on the granite/gneiss rock. My favorite wall is the Cereal Buttress (only one I have even been to), named when Jeep Gaskin's was mocked (or maybe just misheard) after saying he found a Surreal Buttress.

A few of the moderate climbs in the area include Fruit Loops (5.7), Granola (5.8) and Frosted Flake (5.9). Fruit Loops starts as a steep finger crack that turns in to less than vertical flake and face climbing. This route takes a lot of protection. To the right of Fruit Loops is Granola, which begins with an obvious overhang and then follows a steep finger crack with a lot of face climbing. Next on the tour to the right of Granola is Frosted Flake. This obvious line starts with an overhang and then a very steep section that can be climbed similar to a fist sized crack.

Whether you have cut your teeth at Yosemite or are new to climbing there is a route for you at Rumbling Bald.

Invitation to Follow

2012-04-30T12:05:00.001-07:00

The Dirtbag Summer

Follow along as my wife and I pack up the car and our yellow lab pup to travel North Carolina. We have no set agenda, with the exception of a week in July at Ocean Island Beach. I enjoy climbing, backpacking, and whitewater kayaking. My wife enjoys sight seeing, shopping, and relaxing. Two teachers with the whole summer off, and a load of gear to have our own adventure.

The Dirtbag Adventure begins on June 12, 2012.

Climbing the Surreal Buttress at Rumbling Bald

2012-04-30T09:14:00.003-07:00

Anyone that drives through Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure North Carolina cannot miss the stunning cliff faces that line the mountains and gaze down on highway 64. The Rocky Broad river is littered with boulders the size of tractor trailers that have fallen from those amazing cliffs. A walk on the Cliff Trail at Chimney Rock State Park is the easiest and unfortunately only way that many people interact with these geologic formations.

Unbeknownst to most of the families, bikers, and hikers that visit Hickory Nut Gorge, the rock climbing on those cliffs is phenomenal. Climbing has been going on in the area since the 1970's. A variety of sport/trad climbs of all ratings are available on the granite/gneiss rock. My favorite wall is the Cereal Buttress, named when Jeep Gaskin's was mocked after saying he found a Surreal Buttress.

A few of the moderate climbs in the area include Fruit Loops (5.7), Granola (5.8) and Frosted Flake (5.9). Fruit Loops starts as a steep finger crack that turns in to less than vertical flake and face climbing. This route takes a lot of protection. To the right of Fruit Loops is Granola, which begins with an obvious overhang and then follows a steep finger crack with a lot of face climbing. Next on the tour to the right of Granola is Frosted Flake. This obvious line starts with an overhang and then a very steep section that can be climbed similar to a fist sized crack.

Whether you have cut your teeth at Yosemite or are new to climbing there is a route for you at Rumbling Bald.

The First Post with Notes

2012-04-30T06:47:00.001-07:00

Get Paid to Travel the World

Travel Writing is the dream job for anyone that has ever glimpsed a photograph of an exotic destination or been channel surfing only to land on one of the numerous exciting travel shows available at all hours. How many times have you looked at the television while Anthony Bourdain is getting lit and said that is the easiest job in the world. Samantha Brown takes us in to her hotel and we sit there and say I could totally do that.

I am a teacher with a dream and a plan to become a principal in the next few years. I am not looking for my own television show or compensation to travel the world. I simply want to travel to places that I have a desire to visit and write about them in a compelling way. I would like to have an article published in a magazine or even just a travel website. I also accept that I have never studied writing or attempted to publish anything entertaining.

This blog is an outlet for me to practice my writing regarding travel. I head out of town nearly every weekend to some section of North Carolina for an adventure. I rock climb, kayak, backpack, and travel everywhere with my wife, Lauren, and dog, Charlie. We both teach so we have all summer free to travel and practice photography and writing.

This first post contains a repository of links that I find to help me in my goal of having an article or photograph published by someone other than myself.

A Guide to Better Travel Writing
http://www.vagabondish.com/a-guide-to-better-travel-writing-part-1-23-essential-tips/

Five Mistakes of Beginning Travel Writers
http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/5-common-mistakes-of-beginning-travel-writers/

MatadorU Resources
http://matadoru.com/resources/