Tour of the Dirty South

This winter break Outdoor Pursuits set off to get out of this winter wonderland, freewheelin' on down to the Dirty South for a week on the rocks.

The first stop on our trip was Lilly Boulders in Tennessee, a destination an hour west of Nashville. As we were driving, a storm was brewing. We drove over the ridge and hit an ice chute, and started sliding, down and down. We ended up jack knifed in a ditch in a locals driveway.

After getting turned around and out of there, we attempted to head on down to our next destination, Rocktown, Georgia, home to one of North America's best boulder problem, "The Orb". But the climbing gods had other plans for us that night, due to five inches of snow at Rocktown, and counting. This sent us on our way to Alabama for a stop at Horse Pens 40, a premiere destination on the Triple Crown Bouldering Competition. After finding the road going up to Horse Pens 40 was closed, we were forced to face any dirtbagger's nightmare.... paying for a hotel. After waking up and finding an alternative route up the mountain, we finally reached the precipice of our trip to that point. We got out of the van, set up camp, and flew to the boulders.

After climbing at HP40 for 2 days, we gave Rocktown another chance. We made a stop in Chattanooga, TN for some much needed lunch and recuperation. Once we got to Rocktown, we climbed for two full days, and headed back to Horse Pens. After arriving back, we found that a storm was headed our way that looked downright nasty. With only two days left in the trip, and New year's eve at our feet, we got another hotel for the night. After a glorious rest, we awoke to head back to Ohio. Although we left a day early, the experience wasn't subsided in the least. Surrounded by great people, world class bouldering and awesome food, this trip was surely one to remember. Hope to see you all again next year!