Labor Day in "The Mountains"

Growing up in a non-mountainous place, going to our family's house in western North Carolina always meant going to "The Mountains." With no other mountain ranges within my immediate frame of reference for so many years, I came to believe that all mountains should have bald rock faces and trails lined with hemlock, rhododendron, mountain laurel, galax leaves and wet, mossy places.

We made it back to "The Mountains" for Labor Day weekend and had a wonderful time visiting with family: That's my grandmother Marie, cousin Scott and his girlfriend, Emily, a fellow Richmonder.

We also climbed at Looking Glass--Steve led the first two pitches of The Womb on the North Wall in one pitch. I attempted and realized how very much I still have to learn about crack climbing.Steve, looking very small
Note the smile. He hadn't yet reached the crux