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We took a drive to Look Rock which according to a forum post on TradGirl is the only place in the Gatlinburg area to do any type of climbing. It's over an hour drive but a pleasant and scenic drive. The guys at Smoky Mountain Outfitters told us to check out the area below the parking lot and another area a half mile hike up to where the ranger tower is (the actual attraction at Look Rock). We hiked up there first for the view and then poked around for the trails leading to the rocks but the paths were fairly overgrown with poison ivy so we headed back to the parking lot. There are several trails heading down to the rocks below but the easiest and one least likely to force a climb down is at the far east end of the lot.

The crags are probably better for top roping since the ground beneath is still steep and jagged with rock making a high jump or fall onto a crash mat still dangerous. My wife was my only spotter so I took it easy but enjoyed a good workout. We didn't explore the whole area and got right into climbing where we came down the trail so we only hit a fraction of the routes. Not my favorite place to climb but not bad considering the lack of other options. ('Read More' for additional pictures)

If rock climbing is your thing, then Indiana is not the best place to setup a basecamp.  There are still climbing options, well, bouldering options.  My favorite spot is in North Vernon, Indiana at Muscatatuck Park.  Muscatatuck is managed as an Extreme Sports park and has some bike trails too but I've only visited to boulder.  They have over 350 routes going up to difficulties of V10.  There are a lot of easy routes too so the area accomodates climbers of all skill levels.  The park is well maintained and managed by Greg Martin, an avid climber and all around good guy.  The park has camping and other amenities so make a weekend out of it.

I recently spent five days in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. The Red is one of my wife's and my favorite places to visit/climb. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon. The weather was perfect! We headed up to Roadsite Crag and got in a few routes before dinner at Miguel's Pizza.

June 2007 I engaged in an activity I have wanted to attempt for a long time – rock climbing. It was everything and more than I expected. Long story short, I got connected with a guide named Adam Beck (company is Becknology). After emailing back and forth and riding out the winter months, I got on the calendar for June 2nd and my wife and I loaded up the car with our daughter and half a million things to entertain her and headed to Clarksville, TN, home of King’s Bluff, a beautiful climbing area that sits along the Cumberland River.

I met Adam in the morning and after thoroughly reviewing the equipment, safety procedures, and methodology I ascended my first climb on a 5.4 route (Yosemite Decimal System), then a 5.7, and next a 5.8. After a number of climbs Adam instructed me on repelling and we setoff down a 100ft. vertical. He nudged me to climb back up but the height was higher than any I had yet encountered and that fear got the better of me.

That is the life lesson I learned from climbing - In order to continually improve, you have to push yourself into the realm of the uncomfortable until it feels comfortable and then keep moving up. Next time, I will make that climb.