Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure & Natural Bridge

Hello?! Does anyone still read this?


Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure & Natural Bridge: A Trip to Red River Gorge 

So for those of you who don't know me...I'm afraid of heights. Example: Brad Paisley concert @ Mohegan, I cried because we were in the top row. Enough said? I think so. Never in a million years would I think that I could go rock climbing. Well, I guess anything is possible when in Kentucky, and to be completely honest, this blog had to go out with a BANG! So I suppose I have to thank you fools who actually read this for making me do such craziness. 

I am going to let these pictures speak for themselves...let's just say my friends were great cheerleaders, I said a lot of hail mary's and I'm so glad I did it! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

This is a panoramic of the first half of the amphitheater that we climbed. If you look to left of the picture you will see the cable system that you clip into and some of the rebar hand and foot holds. This was called Via Ferrata. A via ferrata (Italian for "road with irons". Plural vie ferrate. In German, Klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixedcables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. There is only 5 of these in the US. I certainly felt challenged but safe at the same time! 

Natural Bridge

• The sandstone arch that is called Natural Bridge has stood for millenniums. The arch is 78 feet in length, 65 feet high, 12 feet thick, and 20 feet wide. Some geologists believe that the stunning natural sandstone arch is at least a million years old. There are other natural archways in the area, but none have gained the prominence of Natural Bridge. Since 1889, visitors have made the trip to the eastern Kentucky Mountains to see this amazing natural wonder.(Info taken from Kentucky State Parks Website) 

• Natural Bridge is composed of what is known in geological terms as Pottsville conglomeratic sandstone. Large blocks of stone falling off either side of a narrow sandstone ridge caused the first opening that began the transformation of the sandstone outcropping into an archway. The weathering process, along with the root systems of plants, continued to develop the unique archway that makes up Natural Bridge. (Info taken from Kentucky State Parks Website) 

Mom comes back to Kentucky tomorrow! Starting to tie up the loose ends here, final CPI is complete and leaving is certainly bittersweet! Maybe a few more posts before this journey ends!