Showing posts with label ice climbing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ice climbing. Show all posts

Thursday, September 1, 2022

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.
So please subscribe to my channel to get notifications of new videos.


 

Monday, February 28, 2022

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

The Railroad Cut - Ice Climbing

 

Checking out the ice for climbing. Photo by @nunofsantos

It was a cold morning but good for getting some laps in while there's still ice in the area. For the most part, the ice here is still holding up. But some of the routes are baked/delaminated in the areas that get sun and hard and brittle in the shaded areas.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Purgatory Falls - Ice Climbing

 

Photo by @nunofsantos



Falls were flowing but we managed to find a couple of routes on the side of the Upper Falls!

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Flume Gorge - Ice Climbing

 

Photo by @laurensaidelbaker

Ice climbing with some amazing women at Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch, NH!!

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Saturday, May 1, 2021

My Decade of Climbing





The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I wanted to post this last year, but I held off until now with everything going on with Covid. May 2020 marked 10 years of climbing for me. It's not a very long time, but long enough to have some experiences I'd like to share.

The Good - It started as a bucket list. I had only heard of rock climbing after receiving mail from my local YMCA advertising climbing classes. Not knowing what to expect, I signed up for 6 private 1-hour lessons for $99. That was May 2010 and by August, my instructor had brought me to Rumney Rocks in NH where I lead some easy sport routes on the Venus Wall. After my 6-private lessons, my instructor suggested I look into joining some climbing meetup groups and try out MetroRock in Newburyport. I joined 3 climbing meetup groups, two of which were run by women. It was such a good experience climbing in the two meetup groups run by women, I have met some amazing people and have experienced so many fun and challenging climbing sessions I will never forget. But unfortunately, these two women's meetup groups closed down and it was too bad because they were ahead of their time! And after almost 8 years, I left the third climbing meetup group.

The Bad - The third meetup group was run by a guy and most of its members were men. Eventually, I came to realize that if I stayed in this meetup group, there was a good chance I wouldn't gain any leading experience like some of the other men in the group were afforded - especially after the organizer told me that I was only good enough for organizing indoor meetups. I even tried setting up climbing with him several times so I could demonstrate that I could be a safe partner, but I was always turned down. I didn't want to waste any more of my time waiting for the organizer to decide for me when I was going to lead outdoors, so I moved on and found other folks/groups to climb with. Once I moved on, I was able to lead and have been so much happier!

The Ugly - When there is drama from an insecure spouse/significant other/partner of a climbing partner, then it's splitsville for me. I never dreamed this would happen to me and was totally caught off-guard. I had never done any alpine-type ice climbing and TJ was willing to bring me up as his second. I was pretty stoked about getting out on routes I had never climbed. But apparently, his girlfriend wasn't too happy about it. My being happily married didn't matter either, it didn't prevent jealousy from his insecure girlfriend. Since insecurity can't be fixed by anyone else except for the person who is feeling it, I stopped climbing with TJ. I didn't want to have to deal with his girlfriend's drama and I wanted her creepy emails to stop. And it wasn't my job to make his girlfriend feel secure. My guess is that she probably didn't have any problems with his male climbing friends.

As I said, I haven't been climbing for very long, but over the years I've seen that climbing has evolved. I see more women and people of color out climbing. And because of this, it's been easier for me to find other climbers that I can relate to.

Through the years, I've also learned important qualities when choosing my climbing partners. Most importantly, to be a good climbing partner to my partners - and for me, that means being an attentive belayer, prioritizing safety, and being a reliable partner. I've sifted through people and many experiences to get where I now have climbing partners that I feel safe with, am comfortable with, and whose company I genuinely enjoy.

So there it is! Just a few of my experiences since I started climbing in 2010 that I wanted to share! I can't wait to see what the next 10 will bring!

Thursday, April 1, 2021

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

Monday, January 18, 2021

Sunday, March 8, 2020

LHMW Bypass Slab - Multi Pitch Ice Climbing





Nuno and I climbed the LHMW Bypass Slab at Crawford Notch. Swapped leads including the two snow pitches up to the base of The Cleft. Had originally planned to climb the LHMW (Left Hand Monkey Wrench) and The Cleft but there were a couple of parties already on both of the climbs. Sunny and breezy.....multi-pitch raps and a hike down on the trail back to tracks....great day for climbing!





Monday, December 23, 2019

Leprechaun's Lement - Ice Climbing



ice climbing, kinsman notch, leprechaun's lement,

YAAAYYY - my first day out on the ice this season - super stoked! Climbed with Jeni and Ken for some stellar fun conditions at Kinsman. 

Thank you, Jeni and Ken for your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project!  With today’s climbing, I’m at  87 pitches! 


Jeni leading Leprechaun's Lement

Ken on Leprechaun's Lement



Monday, March 18, 2019

Lost In The Forest, Frankenstein Cliff - Ice Climbing




Lost in the woods, frankenstein ice, crawford notch
Leading the right side of Drip In The Woods

We took a look at Willey's Slide from the road and although there was blue ice, there was a lot of snow on the left and bottom of the slide. Plus it was super windy. So Nuno and I opted to check out Frankenstein Ice. Good choice - we stuck to the sheltered Lost In the Woods area. We hiked up to the base of the ice cliffs and there were a pair just finishing up. I led the right side of Lost In The Woods (WI2) and set up a top rope anchor, and Nuno and I climbed a couple of laps. Since the left side was full of snow, we just climbed laps on the center and right sides. Then I led the right side of Drip In The Woods (WI4) and set up a top rope anchor so we could finish up on the steep curtain. Warm, lots of sun and a good day for ice climbing! Thanks, Nuno for your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project - at this point, a little more than halfway to my 60-pitch climbing goal! 


Nuno on Drip In The Woods


From the top of Lost In The Forest

Lost In The Forest



Tuesday, March 12, 2019

North End Slab, Cathedral Ledge - Ice Climbing





Met up with Brandie to climb at the North End of Cathedral today. We parked at the intersection of Cathedral Ledge and Chapel roads and walked in. We got up to the base of Thresher with the intent for me to lead a quick climb. But with too much fresh snow, I bailed after placing the first piece of pro - so much work clearing the snow in order to look for a good placement. There was a guide and his group of clients at the North End Slab so we headed over. They had just finished up and was climbing at the Pillars. There was a lot of snow on the slab, but I knew there was a trail where the guide and his clients went up so I could follow. I got up about 4 feet past my first piece of pro when I realized that my right crampon had popped off. I'm all about downclimbing but when I placed my crampon-less foot in a pocket it slipped out. I looked over at Brandie and said: "I'm going to fall if I continue to downclimb." So I put in a piece of pro and had Brandie lower me so I could put my crampon back on and continue climbing. So much snow, but it was such a gorgeous day! Afterward, Brandie and I had (Poke) lunch at Delaney's Hole In the Wall. 

Thanks, Brandie for the photos and your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project! ❤️ 



The top of the slab. Lots of snow and in 
some places, the snow was quite deep.




Looking up the North End Slab


Shaka!!
North End Slab, Cathedral Ledge, NH

Poke Salad Lunch
Poke, sushi, spring rolls, japanese, north conway


Sunday, March 3, 2019

Weekend Ice Climbing



Did a small lead as my last climb of the day
Moss Wall, Stonehouse Pond, NH

What a great weekend of climbing. I got in a couple of small leads and lots of top rope laps at Rumney and Stonehouse Pond. I had climbed rock at Rumney many times but it was my first time EVER ice climbing at Rumney and it was a blast! Originally we were supposed to climb at Frankenstein Cliff on Saturday but Nancy forgot her snow pants. I suggested Rumney or the North End of Cathedral because both are sheltered. We decided on Rumney and it turned out to be a good alternative. Rumney was 8 degrees warmer and when we got there, there were some folks leaving. We got in some laps and I got to lead that dirty little route on the right!  😁 


Parking Lot Wall Pano
rumney, ice climbing, parking lot wall


On Sunday I met up with Adam and Kyle at Stonehouse Pond. They each brought two others who were new to ice climbing. The new climbers were having a great time learning. Eric and I paired up to climb and it was fun to give him some beta about climbing and ice screws as well. Happy to get in some laps and a small lead as well! ❤️

Thanks to all your help and support this weekend in my "Turning 60 & Climbing About It" project! 27 pitches down, 33 left to go!





Tuesday, February 26, 2019

North End Pillars Cathedral Ledge - Ice Climbing





It was Brandie's first time on ice this season and her first time ice climbing at Cathedral Ledge. We parked at the intersection of Cathedral Ledge and Sanctuary Roads and walked in. I was going to lead Brandie up the North End Slab but there were two guides with their clients. So instead, I set up a top rope anchor and we did laps on the North End Pillars. It was super windy on the drive up to North Conway, but being well-sheltered, the North End was free of wind. It was also quite warm, perfect! A mellow, relaxing day for getting in some ice climbing laps.  Thanks, Brandie for your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project! ❤️ 

North End Pillars

From the top of North End Pillars
Brandie left - climbing guide in red jacket

The trail leading up to Thresher

Trail up to North End Slab




Sunday, February 17, 2019

Leprechaun's Lement (WI2-3) - Ice Climbing



Leprechaun's Lement (WI2-3)
Kinsman Notch, NH

Ice climbed at Kinsman Notch today. Only our group of 5 and another group of 5 climbing here today and after leading Leprechaun's Lement, I know why - super.hard.ice. It took me several extra swings and kicks to get a good purchase, and I had difficulty removing my tools from the ice. Gotta admit it was work and a lot harder to lead than I expected. But it was still a stellar day to be outdoors and climbing. It was good to finally meet up and climb with Catherine, Kristen, and SteveAnd thanks Jeni for your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project! ❤️ 

1 lead and 3 top ropes down today....47 more pitches to go! 





Sunday, February 3, 2019

Vermont Weekend - Climbing & Skiing



smugglers notch, vermont, ENT Gully, multi pitch ice climbing
ENT Gully Pitch 1

Great weekend in Vermont! Jackie and I made the 1.8 mile uphill hike in from the south (Stowe) end of Smuggler's Notch. Then solo climbed up the steep approach...breaking trail to the base of the climb. But due to recent sub-zero temps, the ice at ENT Gully was bullet hard and super brittle - so we bailed on the much anticipated multi pitch climb. We plan on coming back for this climb. And next time I won't be wearing as many layers! Dang, I wore waaay too many layers on this trip - base layers, mid layers and thick insulated pants and jacket - all made for a very uncomfortable, too warm, uphill hike!

ENT Gully can be reached by hiking to the top of the notch on route 108 from either the south end in Stowe, or the north end in Jeffersonville. There is an outhouse (brown building with several toilets/urinals) and coming from the south end we hiked past this building on our left. Just beyond it and on our left, we headed up to the base of ENT Gully. You can see the ENT Gully area from the road. Not surprised that there weren't a lot of climbers out today, since the ice was so hard. But there were many hikers, snowboarders, skiers and dogs too...lots of folks out hiking and skiing with their dogs. On our way out, there were several groups of AVI training courses.

The next day I tried out my new-to-me skis and ski boots at Jay Peak Resort. My skis just got a stone grind tune up and they're super slick, but I love them. It snowed the day before so there was plenty of soft snow! Usually the trails at Jay Peak are dead on Super Bowl Sundays, but since it snowed the day before, everyone wanted to get out and the trails were busy. Jackie and Noah are volunteers on the Ski Patrol and at lunch we met up for a delicious bowl of hot Ramen noodles from Miso Hungry Tramside! 

At the base of ENT Gully

Jackie breaking trail

View of the notch from the base of ENT Gully

Me downclimbing

AVI courses 

Gorgeous Smuggs Ice Routes!

Uphill hike along Route 108

Town line of Cambridge and Stowe


Jay Peak (Stateside) Pano

Miso Hungry Ramen lunch
Jay Peak (Tramside)
ramen, noodles, miso hungry, tramside, jay peak


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, h...