Skydiving: Learning How To Freefall

In 1989 I enrolled in the Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Program at Skydive New England. The program has 8 training jumps. I failed Level 5....TWICE! But I made it up to Level 4. Out of my 6 jumps, only 3 were videotaped. 

Mt. Wachusett - Solo Hike/Scramble

Scrambled the short section of Harrington Trail to the summit of Mt. Wachusett. The trails were wet and muddy in many places. My new Scarpa Crux II approach shoes were perfect - I really love the grippy soles. Took the Mountain House trail, to the Midstate link trail, to the Harrington trail up to the summit. The short section of the Harrington trail is a super fun, low-angled scramble! The hike was enjoyable and folks are still skiing! The Harrington Trail is listed on the Rock Scramble New England page. Enjoy a short video I put together of my hike.

Las Vegas Spring 2022

 

Our visit out to Las Vegas included hiking in the Zion National Park as well as Red Spring peak rock scrambling. Here's a video collection of other places we visited and sights we saw! (Oops -sorry I forgot to include photos of our golfing in Summerlin!)

Red Spring Peak - Beginner Scramble

Met up with some of the members of the Vegas Hikers Meetup group to participate in their beginner scrambling event to the Red Spring peak. The organizers of this event are very welcoming, knowledgeable, and helpful. I met other members new to scrambling and it was so fun! Afterward, there was a potluck lunch with delicious food! A beautiful day with perfect temps and cool scramblers! Enjoy this YouTube video of our scramble. 

Zion National Park, Utah 2022

At the top of the Watchman Trail

My groom and I visited the beautiful Zion National Park on a weekday but it was still crowded. We drove the almost 3-hour drive from Las Vegas, NV, and got to the park entrance at 10am, local Utah time. Unfortunately, all the parking was full and the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive was closed. Since it was a weekday, the shuttle wasn't running. We were told that we could hike the Canyon Overlook trail but space at its trailhead was very limited. We could also hike any of the trails from the Visitor's Center. We stopped at the Visitor's Center so that I could purchase a Zion NP t-shirt and baseball cap, then headed to the Canyon Overlook trailhead. 

The drive up and through the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway and tunnel was spectacular! Unfortunately, there was no parking available at the Canyon Overlook trailhead as well as along the road. Directly across the trailhead is another parking area but it's for "small vehicles".....which we didn't have (GMC Yukon SLT). There were so many people and cars! We drove past the trailhead and turned around and hoped we'd find parking on our way back, but no such luck. We ended up driving back to the Visitor's Center and hiked The Watchman Trail. The trail is very popular and views along the trail as well at the top of the foothill are amazing, photos don't do it justice! The trail doesn't bring you to the top of the Watchman mountain, just to the top of the foothill. But the views from the foothill of Watchman mountain and the southern area of the park are stunning, nonetheless!

We plan to re-visit Zion, stay overnight in either Springdale or Hurricane. Then get an early start in the morning to make sure we can get to those hikes along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive that I had originally planned for this trip - Riverside Walk and the Emerald Pools Loop. And the Canyon Overlook Trail along the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway.

Enjoy this YouTube video I put together of our visit to Zion National Park.

The Railroad Cut - Mixed/Steep Ice Climbing

Met up with some folks for the Mixed/Steep Ice Climbing Clinic put on by the AMC-NH Mountaineering group. 

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.

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!

Flume Gorge - Ice Climbing

 

Photo by @laurensaidelbaker

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

Stonehouse Pond - Ice Climbing

 Met up with Nuno to get in more swings and kicks at Stonehouse Pond!

Tipsy Taber Trails - Off Roading

More off-roading in CT! Spent the day at the Tipsy Taber Trails in Putnam, CT. This is a 10 acre, private property for weekenders to off-road.

Cathole Mountain Rock Climb, CT

 

Cathole Mountain, CT - Lovena, Jeni & Renee

Another round of climbing in CT, this time on Cathole Mountain! Jeni, Renee, and I got in some laps on Pink Elephants (5.6), Golden Book (5.6), and Pegasus (5.8). It was a fun day filled with climbing, eating, and laughter. So happy to help you out again Jeni! :) 

Pinnacle Rock, CT - Rock Climb

 

At the top of Pinnacle Rock, CT

It was good to get back to Connecticut to climb again. 3 years ago I onsighted VeeZee (5.4), a super fun crack! Today Jeni lead VeeZee and we also got in a couple laps on Leap Frog (5.6), Wizard Of Oz (5.7) and Emerald City (5.8). So happy to help you out Jeni! :)

#girlswhoclimb #rockclimbing #pinnaclerock #trad #toproping #leafpeeping

Indigenous Peoples' Day Weekend Climb - NH

Artist Bluff - Lovena, Jeni & Erika

What a great day for rock climbing in Franconia Notch and Waterville Valley! Jeni, Erika, and I  got out to do some multi-pitch rock climbing, top-roping, and sport leading. Artist Bluff was chilly, windy, and mobbed with leaf-peepers. But Russell Crag was warmer and quieter, especially in the late afternoon. Enjoy a short video of our day.

#girlswhoclimb #rockclimbing #multipitchclimbing #sportclimbing #toproping 

#artistbluff #franconianotch #cannonmountain #russellcrag #leafpeeping

Intro To Off-Road Driving - NY

What an amazing opportunity to learn basic technical skills for off-road driving! I have to admit I was really stoked about this course, but very anxious as well. At first, I had no idea if my stock Toyota 4Runner would be capable for this class. But after speaking with the owner, Scott Trager, I signed up for the course. And I'm so glad that I did! I learned basic technical techniques for off-road driving, and more importantly, I realized that my stock 4Runner is more than capable to handle off-roading! Scott was very thorough in explaining all the details and I look forward to taking more classes. Safe off-roading is fun!

NORA - Northeast Off-Road Adventures is located in Ellenville, New York, and has several off-road courses for every experience level. I signed up for the "Intro To Off-Road Driving" class. This two-part class (virtual presentation & onsite instruction) included an overview of common 4 wheel drive controls, driving on woodland terrain, working with a spotter, minimizing environmental impact, and off-road driving safety. There were 5 vehicles in our class and we drove the rock & boulder obstacle course, working with a spotter and understanding the importance of putting your tire on a rock! Afterward, we navigated a beginner trail drive with instructors, Scott & Alex, walking alongside our vehicles and spotting for us. The onsite terrain included driving over rocks, tight woodland trails, and hill sections. Enjoy some photos and videos of my instruction. 

I also had the opportunity to use the Crawl Control feature on my 4Runner while driving down a short, steep incline. The Crawl Control does all the work of adjusting the throttle and the brake and lets the driver focus on steering. No foot on the brake or throttle pedals. The crawl control also works in Reverse! In Toyota 4Runners this feature is loud and to me, sounds like "mechanical purring!" 😆

 🤙🏽 #girlswhooffroad #offroading #offroadgirlsig #offroad #offroad4runners #trd #trdoffroad #venture #toyota #toyota4runner #4runner #4runnergirl #black4runner #trd4runner #trd_hawaiigirl @nora4x4

Soapstone Mountain, CT: Off-Roading

From the summit of Soapstone Mountain, CT

Super fun day on 3 #trails in the Soapstone Mountain area!I learned a lot about my Toyota #4runner taking it offroading for the very first time! After meeting in the parking lot, we drove up the paved road to the summit lookout. Then we headed down to the dirt trail across the street from the parking lot where the dirt terrain was level with a few mud puddles. After that trail, we continued about 3-4 miles down the street to go get muddy. The terrain was level in this area, but there were lots of mud puddles - weeee! I put my 4Runner in High 4WD and used the multi-terrain selector for this last section. The day ended with checking out the "Mud Pit." I know my rig is more than capable for offroading terrain, I just need to learn the ins and outs of all of its off-roading modes! And I didn't realize how much fun it was to take my 4Runner into the mud! LOL!  I had a blast and it was such a cool way of getting out and also meeting other offroad enthusiasts. Enjoy this short video of the trail.This #offroad meet hosted by @Offroad_Passionhttps://www.instagram.com/offroad_passion/

#girlswhooffroad #4runner #4runnernation #4runneroffroad #toyota #trd #mudtrails 

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!

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

Top 25 Climbing Blogs of 2021

Hawaii Girl Adventures Blog has been selected as the Top 25 Climbing Blogs of 2021 by The Adventure Junkies! Thank you TAJ and congratulations to the other climbing blogs that made the list!

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