Tag Archives: Table Rock

I peered over the edge, trying to figure out which route which cause a slightly marginal decrease in the likelihood of severe injury compared to the others. So too were close to ten others, hikers who had come from the other direction on a loop hike, not the out and back I was taking, and thus had not yet experienced this thrilling trail segment. I had come across them on my return trip, and had discussed strategies for how to handle this tricky section. My preferred method was the butt method, where you don’t run the risk of having your feet fall out from under you since you aren’t on them in the first place. This tried and true strategy is idea for Florida flat-landers, especially ones with bad hips, and it’s the exact strategy that I decided to employ here. Soon I was sliding down foot by foot, my hands gripping for patches of firm dirt, tree trunks, and roots, whatever would help me make a controlled descent besides the friction between my butt and the ground below which had long since caused the back pocket oy my pants to lose its functionality. And soon, most of the folks behind me had joined in, so there were a near dozen of us sliding ungracefully down the slope, all on our butts. From below, we might have looked silly for those not in the know. For others, they know that’s it’s just another part of hiking in Linville Gorge, one of the most rugged hiking areas in the East.