Anyone check out the new "Cedar Rock and satellite crags" guide

I just picked this up today at Diamond Brand and it looks pretty good so far from just flipping through it. All of the topos are hand drawn so Im not sure how accurate they are but my guess is that they are pretty good. Descriptions and other route info seem good, directions seem solid as well. I have never climbed at any of these places but since looking glass and the bald are so popular I think Ill have to start exploring these areas. Just wanted to see if anyone else had picked it up yet and what peoples thoughts were.

Cody

The guide does an excellent job...i havent used it yet...but having climbed at the mentioned crags a good bit i can vouch for the accuracy of the topos and descriptions. Mike did his due diligence!

Happy climbing!

Tzlil

Thank you for the response. You have a very unique name, i must assume you are the same Tzlil on the cover of the book. Looking forward to using the book soon. Do you know if there is any decent camping around the base of either stone depot or south side? Would love to camp out there for a few days and explore a bit. Thanks,

Cody

That is in fact me...my good friend Kyle Jones of bluewallphotography took that on what turend out to be a rather blustery day...didnt know it was the cover until reardon published it.

South Side of Cedar's or Looking Glass??

There is a campsite below the main face of Cedar's and a few spots you could camp along the way to the north face...its forest land so pretty much wherever you want to set up shop. There is also a Art Loeb shelter you can camp in just down the hill from the main wall.

Looking Glass i tend to camp across from the nose kiosk about 10 minutes back along that logging road. In general camping at the base is not really done because the hike is so short and steepish...however there are some very nice sites along the way early on by the creek.

havent been to stone depot so no clue

You're famous T:)

And Cody, there its camping practically in the parking lot of the South Face of Looking Glass too. There are also designated campsites along all off the gravel forest roads in Pisgah too, including Headwaters Rd (the road Looking Glass is on), Davidson Rd (heading towards Cedar from the fish hatchery), Avery Creek Rd (not too far past the ranger station where the horse stables are located), Yellow Branch Rd (the road Pilot Rock is on), and I think Cathey's Creek Rd (heading to Cedar from Rosman...haven't been on that road in years though so can't remember).

Thanks guys. We go to looking glass a fair bit, but i was thinking the south side of cedar. I guess we can camp anywhere. I was just thinking since its a 45min-1hr hike in, it would be fun to camp around the base of the rock for a few days. I work one week then have a week off so it would be a fun getaway.

Cody

So my wife and I went to Stone Depot on Thursday and climbed Trinacious. I found the approach directions to be very accurate and the topos all looked great. I didnt have any issues finding the routes and all the land marks on the rock (roofs, ledges, cracks etc) were pretty spot on. Looking forward to checking out some more of these areas as they seem to be much less crowded than anywhere else in the area (we didnt see anyone the entire day). Just wanted to update this thread with my experience. This seems to be a great book so far... GO BUY IT

Cody

Tried to use book for the first time this weekend. Directions to victory wall approach are inaccurate. From blue ridge go about 4 miles to second stone bridge to look for approach trail. Guide states it is "about three miles," and although there is a big stone bridge 3.1 miles from the parkway, and there is a pull out with parking just north of it (as is stated in the guide), it is not the right place. Did not have time to climb after bush whacking up the wrong drainage for the better part of the afternoon. After throwing in the towel and deciding to go home driving north on 215 we found the right spot 1 mile from where the guide said it was. One day somebody will print an informed and accurate guide to climbing in this state. Until then, take everything with a grain of salt. No beta is better than bad beta. Just wish the authors would have mentioned they didn't fact check their distances and the info is hit or miss.

Wow...all that rage for a .9 mile difference? The book is solid, the authors are solid and the information is pretty accurate. Sucks you got lost, but couldn't you realize you were at the wrong spot without spending an entire afternoon? I've been very lost before looking for rocks but never that lost.

I have to agree with Brad on this one. Ive never had an issue with this book. Sorry you got lost, give it another shot sometime.

Its funny, with Google Earth now you can track distances and things fairly easily. Not sure the =/- accuracy, but I can tell you from doing books for years, I used to get frustrated. I would measure distances using the odometer on my Jeep and they would be different from the odometer reading on my Ford Explorer and yet different again with another vehicle. I just learned to sort of average them or mention another landmark. I have had people grouse about a few directions here or there over the years, but as authors, you just do the best you can. I once put out an edition of the Dixie Cragger's Atlas and two months later, the Georgia Highway department went through an re-numbered all of the exit numbers off the interstates. Doh!

didn't mean to come off as pissed as I definitely sounded in last post. my bad. It's not the first and won't be the last time I spend a day in rhodo which is never too entertaining. We had limited time, so after burning a couple/few hours in the wrong wash we had to bail on the day. For what it's worth, the guide is off on this one approach, and unfortunately there happens to be markers matching the description given to some extent. The guide says the trail is obvious (it is), but due to past north carolina experiences and the fact this is a somewhat obscure crag I assumed the "obvious" part had been overtaken by rhodo. And I'm stubborn, so of course I didn't turn around after it was pretty obvious we were headed the wrong way. I'm glad an effort was made to disperse some traffic on looking glass and open up more options. I know there are thousands of little details to check in a guide and things fall through cracks- so yeah, cest la vie.

Thanks for the thread Y'all. Any discrepancies, please please post! I have thick skin as a middle school teacher and would love constructive feedback. Here are a few innacurrrrracies/ updates in the guidebook:

1. There have been a few routes added to the Morning Glory Wall (AKA North Cedar) and Cedar Main recently. Check out the MP page and you will likely find them
2. The top pitch of North by Northwest is about 120 feet to the tree line, meaning you need 2 ropes to get down (unless you want to rap from a single bolt lower)
3. Approach directions to the Morning Glory Wall (AKA North Cedar) are a bit vague in the book. Follow directions to Stone Depot but before getting to the steep 3rd class ascent, you'll see a campsite on the right. The trail to the Morning Glory Wall is on the left and leads 5 minutes to the Red Fern Area.
4. The second pitch to Black Swan/ Operant Conditioning does not have a bolted anchor, it is a tree rap
5. The parking lot for Cedar Rock, if coming from the Fish Hatchery, is about a mile further than written.
6. If coming from the parkway, the parking for Victory Wall is at the second stone bridge (the one in the photo on the parking description page).

Thanks for those updates/corrections Mike!

Sure thing, keep them coming if you find any!

Where can I buy this book????

You could try here:
grounduppublishing.com/?p=868
or maybe just send Mike Reardon a PM. I'd bet he could help you out.

Or come to Black Dome in Asheville on Thursday the 23rd of April for the Hidden Valley fundraiser! Mike will have copies of the Cedar and Rumbling books for sale.

Thanks!

I found it to be one of the better guide books out there. My only issue is now everyone can find it lol. No really the only problem for me has been locating North by Northwest. If you are not careful you will get off the trail and down the washed out gully

Also, there are updates and corrections listed for both the Rumbling Bald and Cedar Rock Guides here if interested:
www.grounduppublishing.com