Crack Climbing - Instruction #1

While out at Joshua Tree National Park last month I did some hiking and worked on goals on learning to crack climb. Hired Seth Pettit of Mojave Guides to teach me basic crack climbing skills. Climbed for 2 full days (Day 1 and Day 2) and got on 15 pitches! Now I'm hooked. I come back to the east coast and of course it's cold and all my climbing buddies are salivating for ice to climb on. Meanwhile I'm like, "dudes, I'm still in rock mode here!" So I started looking for a climbing gym in my area that has vertical crack climbing routes plus instruction. Found one 77 miles north of me at Salt Pump Climbing in Scarborough, Maine with Tino Fiumara. Tino is the Head Routesetter and Assistant Program Director at Salt Pump. I spoke to Tino about my vertical crack climbing goals before I left for Las Vegas and scheduled my first lesson with him for when I return from my Las Vegas golfing/climbing trip.

Fast forward to today.....
I had my first lesson with Tino today and it was fantastic! Where I mostly worked on low-angled crack routes in Joshua Tree, the route I worked on today is a 30 foot vertical hand crack with the last 15 feet slightly overhung. It is the easiest of 3 crack routes at Salt Pump Climbing. My lesson was for 2 hours and it started off with warming up and assessment on 3 types of easy routes. This was so that Tino could see my movement, route reading, balance, strategy and strength skills. Then we moved over to the crack route. Before I climbed we covered jams, locks, rattly/insecure jams, lateral pressure and body positions. I climbed the vertical crack using hand jams in the crack while using my feet on the holds up the sides of the crack. It was fun, challenging and scary all rolled into one and I got to the top on my second try. And not gonna lie....it was work, but the constant body tension of crack climbing is addicting! Can't wait for my next lesson for feet jamming, but for now, I need to practice what I just learned!

Ocun Crack Climbing Gloves

Convenient, easy and fast on/off

Red Rock Canyon - Rock Climbing

Shaka selfie from the top of

"Sweets To The Sweet" - Hamlet Wall

Spent a couple of hours this morning climbing with Marissa and Tammy at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Park! Got a few climbs in on the Hamlet Wall off of the first pullout on Scenic Loop - Sweets To The Sweet (5.7), Frailty Thy Name Is Sandstone (5.7), and To Grunt & Sweat (5.8). Being in Red Rock Canyon was surreal...the rock is so red and has a gritty feel to it. I was so stoked to be finally climbing me some red rock! What an amazing day - I sure will miss  Marissa and Tammy, but hope to be back to climb with them soon. Enjoy some photos taken of our day.

On 'Frailty, Thy Name is Sandstone' with Tammy (in blue) on my belay

Tammy leading 'Frailty, Thy Name is Sandstone'

Marissa leading 'To Grunt to Sweat'

Climbing some red rock! 'To Grunt To Sweat'

Pano from the anchor of 'Sweets To The Sweet'

Got a nice crowd of climbers even on a weekday

This trip to Las Vegas was part of a week vacation with my husband. We got a great deal on a Stay-and-Play (hotel/golf) package! Accommodations at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino plus a round of golf (including cart) for the both of us at Highland Falls (my personal fave!), Eagle Crest and Palm Valley golf courses in Summerlin. We also played a twilight round at the Mountain Course of Angel Park Golf Course, which our hotel overlooks.

Pano view from our hotel room

Staying in Summerlin put us 5 & 10 minutes to the golf courses, and 20 minutes to Red Rock Canyon. Desert golfing with a bit of desert rock climbing - a fantastic week gone by way too quickly. 

Pano - 14th hole at 3070 feet - Highland Falls Golf Course 

There are a lot of places to choose from to eat out in Las Vegas. A few spots we ate at; Kona Grill, Mimi's Cafe (breakfast), Aloha Kitchen (twice!). And at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino we ate at The Game, St. Tropez Buffet, Peng Zu, and Du-par's (breakfast). And I don't have a photo of it, but Aloha Kitchen does have Spam Musubi! I ordered one to-go so I can have one to snack on while golfing.

In case you didn't know, Las Vegas, Nevada is considered the "9th Island". One of the reason it's referenced as the 9th Island is because there are many "Hawaiian transplants" to the desert city. Many have transferred from the islands and now live and work in Vegas. While there we met a lot of former Hawaii residents. As you can see from my photos above, there are several places to eat Hawaiian food and foods local to the island. But you can also purchase Hawaii snacks, foods, and souvenirs at CVS. We were lucky that the CVS closest to our hotel was the one that has a "Hawaiian aisle" as not all CVS carry products from Hawaii. In addition to da rubbah slippahs, chocolate macadamia nuts, Aloha Shoyu, Jade crack seed, mochi crunch, Kona coffee and Hawaiian Sun drinks, they also have a frozen section with Laulau!

CVS #8791

8580 West Charleston Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89117

Joshua Tree National Park 2017, California - Food & Shopping

Joshua Tree National Park is amazing! So glad that I had the opportunity to visit this very special place. It was such an experience climbing and hiking in the desert. I met a lot of very nice folks here as well. While here I also got to do some shopping and lots of eating out! Prior to my trip I researched places to eat and found some pretty awesome places to eat here in the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. Here's some of my favorite places:

Fuji  Restaurant
http://www.fujitwentyninepalms.com/
Twentynine Palms, CA

Just 2 miles from the Best Western, this was my favorite place to grab take-out! From the outside, the place doesn't look like much, but don't let that stop you from ordering. I've eaten their Shrimp Tempura, spicy Tuna sushi roll and Beef Bul-Go-Ki. But I was beyond ecstatic when I saw Spam Musubi on their menu! 

Joshua Tree & Oasis Visitor Centers
These are the two visitor centers that I visited the most. Public rest rooms are available as well as a bookstore with maps, books, stuff toys, hats, clothing and souvenirs. I made sure to get myself a "Joshua Tree NP" T-shirt.


Park Rock Cafe
http://jtparkrockcafe.com/
Joshua Tree, CA
Didn't get any photos of their foods but I ordered their "Box Lunch" whenever I was going to spend an entire day in the park. The store is conveniently located right next to the Joshua Tree NP West Entrance Visitor Center in the town of Joshua Tree. The cafe's manager, Oana, is a sweetheart and is ever so helpful in making sure customers are helped. I'm lactose intolerant and they made all my sandwiches "dry" - cheese and mayo free! **I personally found their sandwiches to be big. Since they're cut in half, I ate the first half for lunch and saved the second half for dinner.

Crossroads Cafe & Tavern
http://crossroadscafejtree.com/
Joshua Tree, CA

I just dined here once, but their Organic Mixed Green salad with Seared Ahi Tuna hits the spot! The waitstaff is helpful and friendly.

Nomad Ventures
http://nomadventures.com/
Joshua Tree, CA
Picked up climbing supplies here! Grabbed a roll of tape for my crack climbing lessons. A wide-brimmed hat for my hike. And a copy of "The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree" by the Wingers. Here you can also get climbing, hiking, camping gear, guidebooks, maps....and more!

Coyote Corner
http://www.joshuatreeoutfitters.com/
Joshua Tree, CA
Love this shop! Picked up some Cactus Candy for the grandkids. You can get all sorts of JTree souvenirs here, including handmade soaps, maps, camping supplies and a lot more!

Joshua Tree Outfitters
http://www.joshuatreeoutfitters.com/
Joshua Tree, CA
These folks rent out all kinds of camping gear as well as Bouldering pads. And you can purchase guidebooks, clothing and even used climbing gear!

Aki Sushi
http://akisushi.site.mobi/
Yucca Valley, CA
Delicious Japanese food! Reasonably priced and the waitstaff is friendly and attentive!





I lodged at the Best Western in Twentynine Palms. They had complimentary breakfast daily with a complimentary dinner one day during the week. There was a lot to choose from the breakfast menu! Tater tots, egg omelet, pork links, bacon, turkey bacon, pancakes with fruit toppings, cold cereal, hot oatmeal, english muffin, toast, mini chocolate donuts, danish, yogurt (flavored and greek), boiled eggs, fresh fruit (bananas, apples, oranges), coffee (regular and decaf), hot water, fruit juices (orange, apple, white cranberry), and made-to-order fruit smoothies and iced coffee.

Joshua Tree National Park 2017, California - Day 8

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

I spent the last day in California riding the rotating Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs. It ascends nearly 2.5 miles to the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and wilderness. The floor of the tram rotates so you can see all views without moving. The ride starts at the Valley Station at 2,643 feet and ends at the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. At the top you'll find a bar, a cafe, a gift shop and many lookout points for viewing. The Mountain Station is the entrance to the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness. There is also a Natural Exhibit that features animals and plants native to Mt. San Jacinto State Park. I watched two films while at the Mountain Station; "Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness" shown in the San Jacinto Theater. And "Building A Dream" in the Santa Rosa Theater. Enjoy a few photos I took of my visit.

The tram ascends/descends along cables that

 are supported by 5 towers (aerial lift pylons).

Counterweight Pit - keeps cable tension

under exact tension at all times.

The entrance to the Mt. San Jacinto State Park

and Wilderness from the Mountain Station

Joshua Tree National Park 2017, California - Day 7

Rappelling off the top of The Bong

Another amazing day with Seth Pettit of Mojave Guides at Joshua Tree National Park. I spent the day climbing 8 pitches using the crack climbing techniques I learned during my first day with Seth. I was pretty stoked to climb crack so I can practice jamming. Like my first day with Seth, I took every opportunity I could to jam my hands, fingers or feet! Enjoy some photos taken of our day.

Our first stop was the Reggie Dome West Face. We parked in the (Wonderland North) parking lot of the Boy Scout trailhead and followed the climbers trail to Reggie Dome. I'm really impressed with the climber's trail signs throughout the JTree park!

This climber's trail was once a road used to access Keys Ranch many years ago.

Reggie Dome West Face

Right: The Chief

I followed Seth up the The Chief (5.5), 

then top roped the fun slab climbs 

Speed Bump (5.6) and Fender Bender (5.8).
We were the only climbers here at
the Reggie Dome West Face.

We headed over to Bear Island for lunch and more climbing.

Like the Reggie Dome, we were the only ones at Bear Island.

I followed Seth on Shardik (5.3)

Just look at that crack! 

Then top roped 3 routes on the northwest side;

Kodiak (5.3) - super fun start with crack near the top

Polar Bears in Bondage (5.7) - fun layback crack at start with reachy mid section

Ursa Major (5.7) - my fave! 

Left: Polar Bears in Bondage (5.7)

Right: Ursa Major (5.7) The crux is right at the start but 

that crack was a super relief! It was sweet to slot my fingers

in the crack for a solid rest right off the cruxy start! #fingercracklove

For my last climb we headed over to The Blob

and I followed Seth up The Bong. But not after

we watched two solo climbers go up it first.

The Bong (5.4) - jam time! Now this is a super fun route

with lots of places to jam. The crux is a small roof but beyond

that the angle lessened and I got to practice "shuffling" my jammed

hands while smearing the sides of the crack with my feet.

Seth and I at the top of The Bong

Pano from the top of The Bong

Another beautiful day for climbing in Joshua Tree NP! 

It was a bit windy (at the tops) but still a great day for practicing newly learned skill sets. 

I never thought I'd learn how to crack climb, or if I would even like it. Learning the 

basics was fun and I'm totally in love with it! I love the technicality and the mental

aspect of this style of climbing. There is a lot of satisfaction of being able to obtain a 

good hold when you have your fingers, hands, toes and/or feet jammed into a crack.

Thanks so much Seth and Mojave Guides for a memorable time learning in JTree!

Joshua Tree National Park 2017, California - Day 6

Laundry Day

So I’m waiting for my laundry in the local laundromat and 

I couldn’t resist getting a selfie with this little cutie, Gidget!

Pano - rock scrambling at Rattlesnake Canyon

Joshua Tree National Park 2017, California - Day 5

Ryan Mountain (5,457ft)

Elevation: 1,070 ft

Distance: 2.6 miles round trip

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree, CA

More desert hiking! This morning I took a solo hike up to the summit of Ryan Mountain. I thought that starting my hike at 9am I'd find the trailhead parking lot full. But when I arrived, there were only 6 cars in the lot! On my ascent there were only 8 people on their way down, 5 of which had turned back as they found the ascent to be too strenuous. Most of the trail makes its way on the west side of the ridge, with views into the park. The trail, for the most part, is in the shade until the ridge is gained. On my descent I counted close to 65 hikers making their way up to the summit. Enjoy a few photos taken on the ascent of my hike.

Summit cairn

Pano from the summit - looking to the west

Pano from the summit - looking to the east