YouTube Channel - Hawaii Girl Adventures

Check out my YouTube channel at: Hawaii Girl Adventures

I will eventually be phasing out blog posts and be posting

videos of my climbing, hiking, and off-roading on my YouTube channel.

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Learning to crack climb!

Crack climbing is hard. 😄 I took private lessons from Tino and it was both fun and hard learning how to crack climb on the 5.9 Crack at the Salt Pump Climbing Gym. I love climbing at Salt Pump - thanks to Noreen for the belay and video of my practice climbs.

Turning 60 & Climbing About It!

It's 2019 and it's the big 6-0 this year! Yes, I turn 60 July 10th and what better way to celebrate than to climb, climb, climb throughout the entire year! My big 60 goal would be to make 60 outdoor climbing pitches by the end of 2019! All disciplines (except bouldering...weeellllll....maybe bouldering!), either on top rope or on lead. I've enlisted the help of my climbing friends and I'm also looking for more to help me on my climbing journey. Follow along on my blog or let's get out to climb!

60 Pitches and Counting!

# of Pitches - Route/Crag - Location - Type - Date
1 - Trestle Slab, Frankenstein Cliffs, Ice Climbing - 1.7.2019
2 - Moss Slab, Stonehouse Pond, Ice Climbing - 1.11.2019
4 - Moss Slab, Stonehouse Pond, Ice Climbing - 1.13.2019
2 - Moss Slab, Stonehouse Pond, Ice Climbing - 1.26.2019
4 - Leprechaun's Lement, Kinsman Notch, Ice Climbing - 2.17.2019
4 - North End Pillars, Cathedral Ledge, Ice Climbing - 2.25.2019
3 - Parking Lot Wall, Rumney, Ice Climbing - 3.2.2019
7 - Moss Slab, Stonehouse Pond, Ice Climbing - 3.3.2019
1 - North End Slab, Cathedral Ledges, Ice Climbing - 3.11.2019
5 - Lost In The Forest, Frankenstein Cliffs, Ice Climbing - 3.17.2019
2 - Parasol Gully, Dixville Notch, Ice Climbing - 4.14.2019
3 - Deer Leap, Rock Climbing, Killington, VT - 5.12.2019
2 - Ship's Prow, Rattlesnake Rocks, MA, Rock Climbing - 5.25.2019
3 - Main Cliff & Meadows, Rumney Rocks, NH - 5.27.2019
5 - Rattlesnake Rocks, MA Rock Climbing, - 6.1.2019
6 - Buffalo Corral, Rumney Rocks, NH - 6.9.2019
4 - Mt. Forist, Rock Climbing, Berlin, NH - 6.22.2019
6 - DLM Memorial - Multi-Pitch Rock Climbing, Mt. Forist, Berlin, NH - 7.4.2019
5 - Buffalo Pit & Buffalo Corral, Rumney Rocks, NH - 7.6.2019
2 - Redrocks, Gloucester, MA - 7.14.2019
4 - Parking Lot Wall, Rumney Rocks, NH - 8.3.2019
1 - Marlow, NH - 8.11.2019
2 - Farley Ledges, MA - 9.28.2019
2 - Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge, NH - 9.29.2019
3 - Ice Cream Parlor, UT - 10.26.2019
4 - Parking Lot Wall & Meadows, Rumney Rocks, NH - 11.1.2019
2 - Leprechaun's Lement, Kinsman Notch, Ice Climbing - 12.22.2019

Ice Cream Parlor, Utah - Rock Climbing

Spent the weekend in Moab for the Moab Craggin’ Classic!! Wow, what a fun day of climbing. We climbed 5.6 Corner (5.6), Brush Your Teeth (5.9) and Critical Mass (5.8.) at the Ice Cream Parlor crag in the Kane Springs Canyon. Honestly, that was the hardest 5.6 I ever climbed! That particular route is very technique dependent. There was only a small section of it that has good hand and feet jams. Brush Your Teeth was mostly face climbing. But Critical Mass was super fun finger cracks - wished it went all the way to the anchors! And it was so much easier to climb than the 5.6 Corner, because my hand and toe jams fit perfectly in the cracks. I love the desert! Our pros for the day were Rob Pizem and Amity Warme, and our local guide was Heidi Stanke of Moab Cliffs & Canyons. 

I signed up for the Intro To Crack Climbing clinic. We covered gear, placements, anchors, communication techniques, jamming techniques, and essentials. Even though this was an intro to crack climbing clinic, everyone in the group had already done some crack climbing. There were top ropes set up on 3 routes and there was lots of jamming going on. And I learned two awesome crack climbing techniques from Heidi Stanke. The newly learned techniques helped me to get through the off-width section of 5.6 Corner and to rest while in the corner of Brush Your Teeth. Wished I had known I could bring my trad rack, I would have loved to place my gear in sandstone cracks. Overall, it was an amazing experience climbing cracks in Moab and I'm definitely planning to return next year!

Read about my hiking in the Arches National Park as well as Moab Utah Food and Shopping.

Crack Climbing & Sport Leading Lesson #11

Icy pond next to Salt Pump Gym

Felt great to finish off the week of climbing with a climbing lesson with Tino! I try to get in at least one lead climb a week whether it's outdoor or indoor climbing. It definitely helps to keep a lead head! We worked on "Sloper" holds and I realized that certain body techniques used are very similar to the body techniques used in crack climbing. On my lead lesson, I really love that instead of just clipping my rope into the quickdraws, I get to place the quickdraws! Indoor climbing gyms already have quickdraws set on the lead routes so that the lead climber just clips into them. But since I'm having a lead climbing lesson, Tino put me on routes where there are no quickdraws...the routes with the top rope setups. That way I get to place the quickdraws as well as clip my rope into them - so much more interesting and enjoyable!

During my crack climbing lesson, I found the slightly overhanging, upper section of the crack to be easier than in the past lessons. And so is reading the crack to see the right places for good hands and feet jams. But I felt insecure about some of my jams. "Not all jams will feel totally secure", says Tino. I feel defeated. "Don't worry, you can do this....just climb past the jam", he says. He's right and I am hopeful! Embrace crack climbing! 

Crack Climbing & Sport Leading Lesson #10

Great day of sport leading and crack climbing lessons! Started off with warming up on the stationary bike and then onto stretches. I even got instructions on using a climbing Hangboard (fingerboard) which I'll be adding to my climbing workout! I'll continue yoga, HIIT training on the treadmill, and weight lifting exercises. 

During my crack climbing lesson I got to the half-way point of the overhanging section. And I’m really enjoying the “climbing” aspect of sport leading, but wished I was a lot faster at route reading. Sometimes I don’t get how to use certain holds and it takes a while for me to visualize my movement over them. Tino says it’ll come with time and to keep onsighting more. ❤️

Crack Climbing Instruction #6

Fantastic crack climbing lesson with Tino today!! After warmup worked on “Pressure Garden” the green route (right) to practice, what else, cross-body tension - and it was so fun!! The route is a dihedral and is supposed to mimic the 5.11, 5th pitch of The Prow on Cathedral Ledge - "Stemming" used to ascend. Climbing on vertical cracks is super strenuous but I have to admit, it makes the low-angle cracks outdoors easy. #crackclimbinggoals

Connecticut Rock Climbing

Shaka from the top of Wiessner's Slab

Ragged Mountain, Connecticut

Spent the Memorial Day weekend with Nicole and climbing in her neck of the woods. It was amazing an amazing day!

On the first day Nicole and I went to Ragged Mountain. I wanted to lead a slab so Nicole showed me the Wiessner's Slab. I quickly learned their slabs aren't the same as the slabs I'm accustomed to in NH. 

Nicole didn't want me to miss an opportunity for an on-sight - so I lead Wiessner's Slab and it sure was fun. There were a couple of hand and finger jams as well as a couple of foot jams to satisfy my crack fix! LOL!

Right: bringing Nicole up!

Rain the second day so we shopped at REI. It was cool to see Wilson hanging out!

Afterwards we headed over to Prime Climb climbing gym to do some indoor climbing. There are two crack climbs (in the wall) and I got on both. They're both narrower than the crack I get my lessons on, but I was able to climb both several times. Still fun and it satisfied my urge to climb crack!

The last day we climbed at Pinnacle Rock. I followed Nicole up Double Crutch.  

Nicole at the belay up top!!
Trad is Rad!

Vee Zee (5.4)
FA: 1988 Claude Mallegol & Nunzio Marino

Then I saw this crack that I just had to lead. It's located immediately right of the Emerald City Slab. The start was tough and a reachy for me. It was wide in the beginning and my small hands and feet weren't jamming. But there were good foot places at the back of the crack and the crack was wide enough for me to fit up to my calf. However, as I got higher the crack narrowed and I was able to get a few (shallow) hand jams and a 4-finger slot. Near the top and at the end of the crack I was able to get a couple bomber foot jams in as well. It was an amazing weekend!

Bringing up Nicole on Vee Zee.

Pano from the top of Pinnacle Rock, Connecticut

Crack Climbing - Instruction #3

Tired, sore and bruised

Sore and bruised finger knuckles - but happy to have a crack climbing lesson with Tino this morning! Worked on getting my thumbs rotated into my palms and then twisting my hand in the crack. Made for a solid hold but I have to remember to keep that all locked as I have a habit of loosening as I move up. As for my foot jam technique, I experienced only one good foot jam today. It was solid as I moved up and there was pressure on my foot but absolutely no pain. Learning on vertical cracks is definitely more challenging than learning on low-angle cracks. But I get so much out of learning to crack climb! It's difficult, but helps me focus and brings me great joy, especially the learning aspect. The rewards far outweigh the pain! 2i - Ice and Ibuprofen!

Women's Climbing Festival - Salt Pump Climbing Gym

Although I didn't get to stay for the film like I had originally planned to, I did get to take the Crack Climbing clinic. The class was limited to 6 and taught by Kaili Throp. I met some other badass women who love crack climbing! Other clinics included Anchor Building, Rappelling 101, Climbing Movement, Training Off The Wall, Intro to Climbing, Kids Intro to Bouldering, Anatomy of a Rope, Project & Route Building Facing the Fear of Falling on Lead, Injury Prevention and Yoga/climbing workshops.

Crack Climbing - Instruction #2

Another great lesson with Tino! For today's lesson I climbed the vertical crack using both hand and foot jams! Warmed up by climbing a couple of easy routes and practicing "locking off" on each hold and climbing squarely. At first it was awkward but once I got onto the crack, it made sense. As for my feet, it felt insecure. I want to trust my feet like I do ice/rock climbing. But I'm such a newbie crack climber that I'm still trying to figure out the feel of a correct foot jam. Today's lesson reminded me of what it felt like when I first started learning to rock/ice climb. I guess with more time and practice I'll get the hang of it! :) Woot! Woot! Love crack climbing!

Sore but happy feet

Crack Climbing Skills Seminar

Salt Pump Climbing Gym in Scarborough, Maine has several climbing seminars that are held each month. I signed up for their crack climbing seminar which is limited to 6 climbers. Janet Wilkerson taught the seminar and we learned hand jamming and finger locking. We met upstairs and introduced ourselves, then climbed and down-climbed 5 bouldering routes for warm up. There are 3 floor-to-ceiling crack routes and each is a different size, offering practice for jams, from fingers to fist, depending on hand size. We moved downstairs to the crack routes and broke up into two groups. Janet offered beta to everyone and we got to practice hand, foot and finger locking jamming techniques. In addition to the instruction, I really enjoyed the opportunity to practice techniques with other climbers who are motivated to climb crack! If you want to give crack climbing a try, sign up for the 2-hour seminar. You'll learn essential techniques to get you started, and have fun climbing crack routes! 

**Janet Wilkerson is the Marketing Director of Salt Pump Climbing. She is also an AMGA guide with Cathedral Mountain Guides.

Janet Wilkerson teaching us how to tape up

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 4

Shaka from the top of Intersection Rock, Joshua Tree National Park

Amazing first day with Seth Pettit of Mojave Guides!!  My climbing goals for this trip is to learn how to climb Crack using hand, finger and toe jamming! Today I got to learn all this and, I have to admit, it was very intimidating. But I slowly got the hang of jamming hands and/or fingers and stepping my feet up. I got to climb and practice these new skills on 7 pitches. Oh, the rock friction here is beautiful - just so, so sticky! Enjoy a some photos taken of my day.

I met up with Seth at the Joshua Tree NP Visitor Center in the morning and after a quick check of gear, we headed to the Trashcan Rock at Quail Springs. His girlfriend Simone (Education Tech with JTNP) dropped by with Bernadette, the only climbing ranger at JTNP. We chatted for a bit and Bernadette said she used to live in NH and had climbed at Whitehorse and Cathedral Ledges!

Seth taught me how to wrap my hands in climbers tape, and then showed me some  hand and finger jams.

In addition, Seth taught me to lead belay using the "pistol grip" of the Grigri 2 and he also showed me how to set up the Grigri 2 in "guide mode" for top belaying.

He also pointed out some different features on the rock. Like these "dishes".

On the West face, I followed Seth up B-3 (5.3), jamming my hands and feet whenever I had the opportunity. Top rope was set up on B-1 (5.1) so I could get 2 laps in, again jamming my hands and feet whenever I could. 

Then I got to finish off with climbing Tip Toe (5.7) on top rope, a really nice face climb up a thin dike between B-1 and B-2. 

We took a break for lunch in the picnic area of Hidden Valley. After lunch, I followed Seth up Easy Day (5.4) on the east face of Turtle Rock. This is the route that has that little crack that I jammed my fingers and then my toes into. And that little crack has really good constriction...I ain't gonna lie, it was painful until I climbed up past that little crack.











Across the street, I followed Seth up Upper Right Ski Track (5.3)  on the North Face of Intersection Rock. That was a super fun, super easy climb! I just followed the curving crack up and around. And again, I jammed my hands whenever I had the chance. 

The start of URST

Cleaning URST

At the top of Intersection Rock

The Old Woman from Intersection Rock

From the top, we rappelled 2 pitches down the south side and I climbed the first pitch of Mike's Books (5.6). I started on the Direct Start and it was tough. I had a tough time getting my hands and feet to stay jammed in the crack. The sides of the crack flared and made it awkward to get my shoulders and hips into it as much as I could. At one point I had my left knee jammed into the crack but it slipped out. I ended up pulling on a piece to get up to the ledge. Later Seth explained what I could have done to make it less awkward for my shoulders and hips.

From the ledge up was easy. The climb on this section is pretty sweet! 

Overall, the weather was just beautiful, it was such a fun day of learning new climbing skills and it was such a great experience to climb in Joshua Tree NP! Thanks so much Seth and Mojave Guides! Looking forward to Day 2!