Creepy Cowboy (5.7) - Multi pitch Rock Climb

Swapped leads with Nuno on a new route on Whitehorse Ledge in North Conway, NH. Fun 2-pitch, slabalicious route called Creepy Cowboy (5.7).

Cormier Magness (5.6) - Multi pitch Rock Climb

 It was a short, but brutal hot day for us! But still glad to be able to get out and onto a couple of pitches of the Cormier Magness route on Whitehorse Ledge.

Evening Blues - Multi Pitch Rock Climbing

Met up with Nuno for some fall climbing at Longstack Precipice in Alton, NH. Nuno lead P1 of Evening Blues (5.7) and I finished up by leading P2. At the top of P2 of Evening Blues I met and spoke with guide Jonathan Fouser. 

Onto Coyote Rain, Nuno lead P1. On my turn to climb, I couldn't make it over the roof. When I did this climb 5 years ago with Kevin D. leading, I had no problems getting over that roof. It was fun and easy. But nowadays, I don't care for roofs and overhangs....getting old! LOL! So Nuno lowered me and we called it a day! Such a beautiful day for climbing with amazing fall foliage views. Enjoy some photos of our day.

At 1.5 miles of Rines Road in Alton, drive through the first gate and sign for the Knight’s Pond Conservation Area. Go to the very end and park in the parking lot with a kiosk. Large boulders border the parking lot. Between two boulders is a shortcut path. This is the climber's path to the Longstack area.

Take the half-mile path to the intersection of the dirt logging road. Follow for a few minutes and on your left a “climbers path” is marked with a cairn - there may be some overgrowth near the start of this path but there is def a path here. Follow this well-worn path to the base of the Indigenous Wall.

Great lead by Nuno!
P1 of Evening Blues

Looking up at P2 from the P1 belay

of Evening Blues

Bringing Nuno up P2 of Evening Blues

Before we left I got a photo of Louisa
bringing Dan up P1 of Evening Blues

Lost In The Sun - Multi Pitch Rock Climbing

Betty - Multi Pitch Rock Climb

Day at the Gunks

Right to left: Lovena, Richard, Alisa & Nicole

Betty (5.3)
Trad, 150 ft, 2 pitches
Jackie and Friends, The Trapps, The Gunks

Such a stellar day for my first trad lead in the Gunks! I've second several routes at the Gunks, but this was my first time leading at the Gunks and it was a most memorable day for me! I lead the 1st pitch of Betty and Nicole lead the 2nd pitch. For the second pitch we took the variation up instead of the chimney. At the finish there were a lot of horizontal cracks which makes the rock look like its stacked - these made for lots of good hand jams! A route doesn't have to be a 'crack climb' in order to utilize its crack(s) as a hold. If you know how to jam, it can make a lot of the climbs easier.

Richard and Alisa paired up to climb Belly Roll and Easy Overhang. Afterwards the four of us checked out Rock and Snow as well as the Rock and Snow Annex. Then sat down for drinks and dinner at the Schazti's Pub & Bier Garden of New Paltz. 

Bringing Nicole up P1 of Betty

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 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!

Weissner's Dike - Multi Pitch Summer Rock Climb

Weissner's Dike (5.6)
Trad, Alpine, 6 Pitches, 650 feet Grade II
Cannon Cliff, Cannon Mtn.
Franconia Notch, NH

This route is 6 pitches but we climbed the second pitch in two pitches because it was super windy. There was a group of 3 on Consolation Prize, props to the lead climber who climbed the runout slabs in this wind. Kept an eye out on the weather but it never turned bad all day. Cold in the morning with lots of wind on the lower pitches. But it was calm at the last top pitches.

I really love that first pitch. The "Dike" is super fun. There's a stuck grey cam on this pitch, of course we used it! 

Lots of loose rock along with our second, third, and fourth pitches, but no rockfall during today's climb.

Cormier-Magness 2017 - Multi Pitch Summer Rock Climb

Belaying Tom up pitch 2 - Wheat Thin Arete

Cormier-Magness (5.6)
Trad, 8 Pitches, 1150 feet
Whitehorse Ledge
North Conway, NH

Blueberries, run-outs and slabs, oh my! My favorite place to climb is the run-out slabs of Whitehorse Ledge. When we climbed Cormier-Magness late last summer, I didn't lead P5 & P6 like it should have been lead. So today Sean, Tom and I went back to "re-do" the Cormier-Magness route. I took P1, P2, P5 & P6. Sean took P3 & P4. And 16-year old Tom lead the last two pitches, P7 & P8.  Took up way more gear than was needed. But it was a good day, and the wild blueberries were delicious.  This route (MP) is fun and gorgeous - definitely my favorite route on The Slabs! And thank you Chris Magness for the additional beta! :)

Cormier-Magness 2016 - Multi Pitch Fall Rock Climb

Cormier-Magness (5.6)
Trad, 8 Pitches, 1150 feet
Whitehorse Ledge
North Conway, NH

No Rope? Wait. What? I yelled back to Sean that I needed more rope and his reply was clearer. "No Rope!" What I thought was insane rope drag, was in fact, the end of our rope. I had gotten onto a small ledge with a tree stump and had 12 feet more to the anchor at the end of the 6th pitch, The Low Beer Light pitch. Down-climbing was my only option. No worries. I had used the tree stump as a hold to get up to it, so it would have to do as a hold to get down. I girth-hitched a cordelette to the stump, then connected my anchor to it. I lowered myself slowly, unclipped my anchor from the cordelette and downclimbed by stemming the holds I stemmed to come up. 8 feet below this stump I had placed a #1 cam and removed it. 25-30 feet below the stump ledge was a ledge with several trees where I set up my anchor and brought Tom and Sean up. 

Sean, Tom and I climbed this route last July, with Sean leading. Like Sean, I had gone past the tree anchor on the short (60') 5th pitch, The Northwest Passage. And that's how I ended up on the "tree stump ledge". Sean said I just had a "lead epic." More like "newbie lead epic" I thought. I told Sean that I had had enough leading for the day and he laughed. We finished out the route with Sean on lead and met several other climbers also topping out before making our way down the hikers trail. 

Amazing views at the top - the fall foliage is coming in beautifully! I enjoyed the route overall and hope to get back. Distractions at the belay, (like that couple from Montreal who didn't know the route and wanted to follow us), as well as not knowing where the next belay station was didn't help my confidence level. So I really want to get back to make P5, The Northwest Passage, right. I will never forget this day. Enjoy a few photos! 

**Although downclimbing is a good skill to have, it could've been prevented today had I read the beta on pitch 5 before leading it, as well as having a more attentive lead belay.

P1, to the pine tree

P2: The Wheat Thin Arete

The "mental crux" pitch

This second pitch wigged me out at first, no lie. It took me a good 5 minutes to get onto the flake. After I got onto the flake and past the little tree in the horizontal crack, I realized that I was making the pitch harder than it really was. The holds got better as I ascended the pitch and I  was able to relax and enjoy the climb. I clipped into the bolts and used the edge of the arete as a hold. I'd definitely lead this pitch again!

Bringing Sean up P2

Tom at the P4 start, The Open Book

Climber Brian on Sea Of Holes with heli in the background

Looking back at the "Sea of Green" on P4

Here's where I ended up setting up anchor after downclimbing. The lead climber (of the Montreal couple) was making his way up as I was downclimbing to this ledge. We laughed as I didn't make the anchor on 60m ropes. And he wasn't sure that his 70m rope would reach the anchor. But it did. 

Tom making his way up P7, The Platinum Slab