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help identifying an NC ice climb?

Original Post
jnrose5 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 40

I'm trying to figure out what the hell I climbed on Sunday. I've never climbed NC ice before, so I apologize in advance for my directional inadequacies. Here's my best at describing its location.

It's in the "Black Mountain Range Alpine Climbs" on mountainproject. I drove just south of Celo, and then turned up toward Mount Mitchell, eventually making it to road 1156. At the end of 1156 (I saw other climbers in the parking lot), I headed up the obvious two-by-two track, and soon lost the footprints of the other climbers. I wondered around the melting slush for a long time, and eventually made my way up and left, following what seemed to be the biggest drainage to the right of that main trail. I eventually found a 30ish-foot slab that was iced up. At the top of that, about another 100 yards upstream was another 30-foot "pitch."

I thought I was climbing Brown's Creek Falls, but this doesn't make sense according to the route description and the directions to get there. After looking at Google Maps, it looks to me like this route was on Shuford Creek (Brown's Creek looks quite a bit further north), but I'm not even sure about that. Here are the best photos of the route (the first "pitch") that I took. Thanks in advance.



Stephen Scoff · · Columbia, SC · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 402

Congrats, you may have a first ascent or simply wandered into the Y Gully...
What route were u intending on climbing? Did you speak to those other climbers?

Brie Abram · · Celo, NC · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 493

I'm with Stephen. I think you either went into a random drainage, as there are a bunch of those, or you wound up on some of the lower crap on Y-Gully.

In order to reach Brown's, you should stay on the main trail until it basically ends at a steep hillside in front of you (the hillside actually has a faint, steep, climber's-type trail heading up and right up the hill towards Left Wishbone). You should have walked at least 1.5 miles and gained about 1000 feet on trail. When you reach that point, you will be in a series of drainages. The easiest approach to Browns is the last drainage you get to where the main trail ends.

Note that on the approach, a little over half a mile in, you will pass a yellow arrow pointing up the hill that will keep you on the yellow blaze trail. Do not follow that. That continues up Woody Ridge Trail to the top of the mountain. That is the descent trail for the summiting routes.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern States
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