{"id":2492,"date":"2012-07-07T17:52:03","date_gmt":"2012-07-07T21:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/?p=2492"},"modified":"2017-11-19T09:56:40","modified_gmt":"2017-11-19T14:56:40","slug":"over-the-top-rappelling-and-climbing-in-kentucky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/over-the-top-rappelling-and-climbing-in-kentucky\/","title":{"rendered":"Over the top \u2013 rappelling and climbing in Kentucky"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This is part two of our Kentucky Adventure. If you missed part one, start here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Rappelling<\/a>Our morning started with a light fog woven between the tall trees around Natural Bridge State Park. Just a short drive from the lodge, we met up with Dan Beck and Amy Tackett from Red River Outdoors<\/a> who would be literally showing us the ropes for some climbing and rappelling. We are in Red Rock Gorge, known for its world-class climbing opportunities.<\/p>\n

Matt and Amy Tackett fell in love with this part of the Red River Gorge and made a business of it many years ago. They now offer rope skills training, guided rock climbing and rappelling, paintball adventures, as well as canoe and kayak rentals. If that\u2019s more excitement than the whole family can handle, they offer comfortable cabin rentals where the more sedentary can chill-out in the natural beauty found here in central Kentucky.<\/p>\n

We were headed for Torrent Falls, where some of the best geology has been calling climbers of all skill levels for over 25 years. The area we were going is now privately owned and a limited number of climbers are allowed in per day. Registration is free,<\/a> but must be done after 6 a.m. the day you wish to climb. If you are lucky enough to be one of the first few that day, you\u2019ll receive a special code to unlock the gates leading to the parking area. The other alternative is to rent a cabin from Red River Outdoors<\/a> and you\u2019ll have access every day during your rental.<\/p>\n

\"Torrent<\/a>

Torrent Falls in Red River Gorge<\/p><\/div>\n

We left the van behind and started hiking through the gorge to our rappelling area. After turning a high rock corner, we stared into an enormous stone cove with a single slender waterfall cascading down some 150+ feet in the center. Hugging the rock walls, the path led us behind the falls and further back into the gorge. Our final ascent was up some rather large rocks where luckily there were just enough tree trunks and roots to grab onto, making it strenuous but not that difficult to reach the top.<\/p>\n

Now, 120 feet above the gorge floor, we stepped into our rappelling harnesses and got last minute instructions from Matt. I still think his admonition that \u201conce you go over that edge, I\u2019m not pulling you back up\u201d made us all reach down for that last ounce of courage and we all did it.<\/p>\n

\"Rappelling<\/a>

Rappelling down 120 feet<\/p><\/div>\n

Stepping over the edge was a giant leap of faith, but \u201cleaning your butt out as far as you can\u201d was even worse. What seemed like the hardest thing to do was actually what gives you all your stability, and in less than four steps down the cliff, I found it extremely stable and easy to negotiate.<\/p>\n

Within a few more steps, I was pushing myself free of the cliff and letting the rope slide me quickly down the rock face. Literally bounding out from the rock, the descent was quite fun. Finally, about 50 feet above the ground, the rock cliff was undercut and you found yourself hanging free with nothing to plant your feet on until you reached the ground. It was here that you could pause, appreciate the view for a few moments and then release the tension on the rope, bringing you back to terra firma.<\/p>\n

After everyone had come down, we had just enough time for some of the group to try sport climbing. In sport climbing, anchors have been previously set in the rocks for protection, and Matt belayed at the bottom, while giving hints on the best routes up the rock face. Our group showed average to great success going both up and down the cliffs of Torrent Falls.<\/p>\n