L.O.S.T. = Lower Old Scramblers Trail. Very appropriate name for this "scramble" along the lower wall base, west side of Linville Gorge. A group of 9 of us ventured onto the Rock Jock Trail near Conley Cove parking area. After a short walk on this "real' trail, we headed off near Blue Jay Point. The scramble down was through a ticket of Rhodobriers. One Bat Cave was on the agenda. This cave is narrow and perhaps 40 feet deep. The pile of brush in the back of the cave may be the work of a vulture's nest building effort. Too many people venture into this cave for that to be a good nesting spot.
Not far from there is a chute that can be tricky to descend. Everyone made it through but there were some blackened pants after this point. Next spot of interest is the keyhole leading to lunch spot extraordinaire, Seneca Point. Not everyone, actually just two, walked out onto the jutting rock with air below it. Best spot in the house for lunch.
After leaving Seneca, the dreaded Zen Canyon awaits. This is a steep climb back up on top of the wall. It seems to never end and gets steeper and slicker as you approach the top. Today there was significant water coming over the wall - a waterfall of sorts. I got a nice 30 minute rest at Zen Point waiting for everyone to clear the canyon.
Here we are at Razor's Edge. This is probably the most technically difficult place to reach. It requires a steep descent and then a pretty scary rock climb with few options. But once you are there, it is a spectacular spot.
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