10 Nov 2006: Torrent Falls Via Ferrata, Campton, Kentucky

To my knowledge there are only three Via Ferratas in the US. Torrent Falls was my second although I freely admit to needing a return trip to bag the last section. We were waaaay behind schedule so I opted to leave the last bit for another day. How did it compare to the Via at Nelson's Rocks? NR has the more spectacular via without a doubt. Torrent Falls has a harder via though. Although my sister had no trouble in West Virginia, she met her match at the beginning of section four. She gave a good effort but ultimately had to go down. That's when she shot that photo of me.

The big difference is that at Nelsons, generally, there are rungs for both hands and feet. Yes there are ledges but generally anytime there is "climbing" there are rungs for both. At Torrent Falls there are several sections missing one or the other. And Torrent has some strenuous moves too. I recommend them both. Something bizarre happened to my camera and I almost lost most of my photos and movies. In fact I had given up and only through my sister's hard work were they recovered. Enjoy!