McAfee's Knob - Crag Beta!

 Mickey Mouse Boulder

Location:
McAfee's Knob is located approximately 20 minutes north west of Roanoke VA. Here is the turn by turn directions from Mountain Project.com
"From I-81 take exit for Rt. 311 just south of Roanoke. Follow 311 S and park at the top of Catawba mountain, where the AT crosses the road. There is a large gravel lot on the left."

 The parking lot on the left

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Access:
There is currently no access issue.

Snow!

Approach:
Just park your car in the parking lot, start heading down the hill to the left until you see a gated fire road. The Roadside Boulder should be visible on top of the hill and if you keep heading down the fire road it should lead you to the rest of the problems. Since most of the problems can only be accessed after 3.5 miles of hiking so comfortable shoes are recommended. 

Guidebooks:
To my knowledge the only guide book available for the area is the Dr. Topo guide. The guide is still accessible from Dr. Topo's website. -link-

Where to Stay:
I stayed at a friend's place in Roanoke but if you are looking for camping options according to rockclimbing.com:
"There is camping on the main trail on the way up there. Camping at the very top is prohibited. Otherwise camping is allowed anywhere on the Appalacian Trail."

Food:
There are many food options in Roanoke. If you are craving a biscuit or two Tudor's Biscuit World is the place to go.

Wi-Fi:
There are many cafe's in Roanoke that have wi-fi access. Tudor's Biscuit World also has wi-fi access.

Links:
drtopo.com
rockclimbing.com
mountainproject.com

McAfee's Knob - Bouldering!

My back was still not 100% but we still decided to finally get some more bouldering in. We decided to go to a spot near Roanoke VA called McAfee's Knob.

Jennifer getting ready for a climb!

We started our day at the Roadside Boulder which has a very short approach. The rock is visible from the road!

Jennifer on Flake Problem V0

Since it was Jennifer's first time bouldering outdoors and since my back was still not 100% we decided to hop on Flake Problem V0. I flashed the problem but I found it to be a pretty stiff V0 with the sit start. The crux is the sit down start and the top out. I also climbed Roadside Arete V2. The trick to the climb is to keep both hands on the right and move your right hand further to the right for better holds. There were many other climbs that looked like fun but I decided that it was probably better to play it safe rather than risk messing my back up any more.

I think that this photo is of me on the same problem...

The next cluster of problems was located 1 mile up the road. The boulder was called Mickey Mouse Boulder and once you see it you'll know why it's named Mickey Mouse Boulders.

Flashing the Mickey Mouse Left V3 on the Mickey Mouse Boulder.

The boulder really does look like Mickey Mouse! Needless to say I was all giddy when I saw the rock. Both the Mickey Mouse Right V2 and Mickey Mouse Left was a lot of fun even if the Mickey Mouse left's top out was a bit scary.

Jennifer worked the climb right below the left ear of Mickey Mouse called the Tornado V1. After some tries she got it! And it's definitely not an easy V1!
After the Tornado we started running out of time but there was one more climb I really wanted to do. I have been eying it ever since we got to the MM boulders, a V3 dyno called the Flake Dyno. A dyno is probably not the best thing for a injured back but I couldn't resist.

Look ma! No feets!

The climb was the perfect Dyno. Very solid starting hand hold, decent foot holds and a reachy and fairly decent hand hold to latch onto. Since Dynoing is not my strong suit it took me a while before I was utilizing my body well enough to really launch for it. I pushed hard with my legs, pulled my body close to the rock and let the feet cut loose. It took me many tries but I got it! What an awesome way to end a bouldering day!