What I hear I forget.
What I see I remember.
What I do I understand.
Confucius 551 – 479 BCE Chinese teacher, philosopher, political theorist
(The following account is an updated version of an article first published in “The State”, April 1, 1966.)
Mike Donnelly, a new member of Boy Scout Explorer Post 17 based at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, leaned over the edge of the Devil’s Cellar, a rock formation on Table Rock Mountain, looked down into the dark, shadowy depths of the giant crevasse, and exclaimed, “You mean we are supposed to rappel down this thing?”
Nevertheless, a little later Mike, a beginner climber, carefully backed off the edge. And as Ted Ramsaur played out the safety rope, Mike made his way down the vertical face of the cliff. When the shouted signal, “Off rappel-l-l-l, all clear-r-r-r”, finally drifted up from the bottom 100 feet below, Ted relaxed his grip on the belay rope, untied from it and his anchor, and informed the scouts standing around him, “O.K., guys, now it’s my turn.”
Mike and Ted were members of a group from Explorer Post 17 taking part in a three-day climbing expedition to Linville Gorge, a magnificent wilderness area in the mountains of Western North Carolina about twenty miles from Morganton. In charge of the outing were the unit’s three leaders, Fred Moore, John Pipkin, and Frank Headen.
Post 17’s interest in rugged mountaineering and rock climbing dates back some years to its founding at Christ Episcopal Church by Eugene Davant, a Charlotte real estate broker and active outdoorsman. The current leaders have carried on the tradition established by Davant and try to spend one weekend each month with the boys hiking, camping, or climbing in the mountains.
In spite of unfriendly rattlesnakes, extremely rugged terrain, impenetrable laurel thickets, and numerous biting insects during the summer months, Linville Gorge is a favorite destination of the scouts. It is also very popular with Special Forces units from Fort Bragg who train regularly in the little-visited wilderness area.
On this expedition the boys spent the first day setting up tarps at Table Rock Campground, gathering firewood, and practicing basic climbing skills in the rain. The following morning amid a sea of billowing clouds everyone rappelled several times off the Devil’s Cellar, taking turns belaying each other with a safety rope. That afternoon the group roped together and climbed out along the top of a rock formation known as the Chimneys. The roping up in this instance was more a practice for the following day’s climb than a necessity. The scouts also carried with them a military Stokes litter and learned how to use it to lower injured climbers from vertical rock faces on the Chimneys.
The climax of the trip came on the third day. Roped together in teams, the scouts ascended a 125 ft. tall rock pinnacle after first making several practice climbs and rappels on nearby cliffs. Late that evening after a big dinner cooked over wood fires everyone hiked up the Table Rock trail in the dark without using flashlights, an exercise designed to develop night vision. Afterwards they slept on the bare, wind-swept summit without tents.
For a change the night sky was completely clear, and Brown Mountain appeared in the moonlight as a dark, looming shadow in the distance. The mountain’s mysterious lights that have intrigued so many people over the years, including this writer, unfortunately were not in sight.
Although dramatic stories and spectacular photographs in the media have led many people to conclude rock climbing is a dangerous sport, climbers will disagree, saying it is just as safe as most team sports like football or soccer. And actually, the injury rate among downhill skiers is much higher.
Every precaution is taken by Post 17 leaders to avoid accidents. The use of safety helmets, safety belays on all climbs and rappels, a working knowledge of climbing signals, and the following of all safety rules are basic requirements the scouts must adhere to.
The post is not particularly large, but it has been a close-knit group of dedicated scouts over the years. Former members now in college still return on weekends occasionally to go climbing or hiking with the group. The boys hope in time to become qualified as a Ready Explorer Post, that is, a unit trained to take part in rescue or disaster operations.
Because we have become a nation of city dwellers, young people today have few opportunities to engage in backcountry activities that are genuinely adventurous and challenging. As any member of Explorer Post 17 can tell you, it means something to a fellow to reach the summit after a difficult Linville Gorge climb and then just sit there belaying a partner, admiring the spectacular view, and listening to the voice of the partner echoing across the seemingly endless peaks and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains, “Climbing-g-g-g-g!”
DECEMBER 2006 UPDATE:
More than forty years have passed since the events in the above article took place. Linville Gorge is now one of the more popular climbing and hiking areas in North Carolina. Just below Table Rock on its east side the N. C. Outward Bound School was established in 1967. The school still conducts wilderness courses year-round in the surrounding mountains.
Because of the ever increasing popularity of the now designated Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, stringent rules and regulations are in place restricting use of the wilderness itself. Table Rock Campground also experiences very heavy use these days, and the last half mile of steep, winding road leading up the mountain to it has been paved.
As to Explorer Post 17, I am sorry to say that it no longer exists. But Boy Scout Troop 17, from which the post originally developed, is still going strong at Christ Episcopal Church.
“The State”, first published in 1933, was sold in 1996 to Mann Media which changed the magazine’s original name to “Our State”. It has well over 100,000 subscribers today.
Of the four adult leaders mentioned in the article Fred Moore, John Pipkin, and Gene Davant sadly are no longer alive. Frank Headen, the fourth leader, is very much alive, still lives with his wife of many years in Charlotte, owns a large nationwide property restoration business there, and travels widely throughout the world in his spare time seeking adventure. The whereabouts of former scouts Ted Ramsaur and Mike Donnelly are not known.
The author of the above article, Herb Kincey, served as an adult leader of Explorer Post 17 from 1960 until 1964. He worked for Outward Bound schools in Colorado and North Carolina from 1964 through 1969. Since then he has lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he has maintained his involvement in outdoor activities and the teaching of outdoor skills.
Revised 03/05/2011
Have you ever before had issues with your hosting? I’m open for suggestions as my webhost is terrible currently.
Shantell.
No problems except for my just now noticing that two of my memoirs were left out of the listing. They do appear, however, at the end of the actual memoirs.