LHMW Bypass Slab - Multi Pitch Ice Climbing

#multipitchiceclimbing #crawfordnotch

Leprechaun's Lement - Ice Climbing

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

Moab, UT Food & Shopping 2019

I visited Moab, Utah for a rock climbing festival and to continue my bucket list and do some hiking at the Arches National Park. I flew into Moab's Canyonland Field Airport (CNY) via SkyWest/United Airlines Express with a connecting flight from Denver, CO. The flight takes less than an hour and if you fly into Moab from Denver (or vice versa), make sure to get a window seat - on a clear day the views are phenomenal! 

I picked up my car rental from the Enterprise window that also shares space with National and Alamo car rentals. You can also rent through Canyonlands Car Rentals at the next window. **NOTE: The car rental offices at the airport only operate during certain hours! So make sure you find out what those hours are and make some sort of arrangements (Uber or cab) to get to your hotel/campground if you arrive after the car rental office has closed.

This airport is very small. There's only one check-in counter, one gate and the only commercial passenger airline that flies in and out of this airport is SkyWest/United Airlines Express. There are only two daily flights between Canyonlands Field Airport and Denver, Colorado on Thursdays thru Mondays. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, there is only one round-trip flight. So plan accordingly if you decide to fly in and out of this airport. 

Keep in mind that the weather in Denver can affect your flight into or out of Canyonland Field Airport as it did mine. My flight out to Denver was delayed 3 times and as a result, I missed my connecting flight from Denver to Boston. The ground crew was fabulous and kept us updated and provided water bottles and snacks while we waited. I was automatically rebooked on the next flight out of Denver to Boston. 

From the airport, it's a 30-minute drive to Moab and you'll pass the Arches National Park on the way. And you can't miss it either. As you come around a bend near the park's entrance on US Hwy 191, you can see the walls of the Courthouse Towers rising above the park's winding road. It's pretty impressive and I wanted to stop to take photos but was afraid I'd get a ticket. 

Flight from Moab to Denver

While in Moab I didn't eat out very much. My room was equipped with a microwave oven and a small refrigerator. And a well-stocked, all-you-can-eat breakfast was included every morning: hot and cold cereals, cheesy omelets, egg-white omelets, sausages, bacon, turkey patties, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, lots of fresh fruits and pastries, boiled eggs, yogurt, juices, water, coffee, and teas. The hotel also provided two bottles of water at check-in and they set out a large basket of free granola bars at the front desk. I picked up more bottled water and a few groceries and fruits at the local City Market grocery store to make my own sandwiches to take with me to the climbing clinic and on my hikes.

I arrived into Moab well before the hotel's check-in time so to kill some time I went shopping. My first stop was the Moab Rock Shop at 600 N Main Street. This store is jammed pack with stones and fossils so give yourself plenty of time to browse. It has a wonderful history, the folks who work here are very knowledgable and its a must-stop if you're ever in Moab. Of course, I picked up some rocks!

Cowboys & Indians Trading Company - 39 N Main Street

High-quality leather goods...I love the smell of leather! Authentic leather cowboy hats, boots, belts, purses, etc. Also, carries jewelry, clothing, Native American artifacts & jewelry, and more.

Lema’s Kokopelli Gallery - 70 N Main Street

A beautiful shop with the museum-feel to it! Stunning handcrafted Native American pottery, rugs, jewelry and more! The shop owner was very friendly and knowledgable. 

Tumbleweed - 31 N Main Street

Handmade goods by local and regional artists. 

Moab Made - 82 N Main Street

Handmade goods by local artists. 

Moab Gallery - 87 N Main Street

A co-op art gallery of local artists.

WabiSabi Thrift Store - 160 E 100 Street

I always seek out the local thrift stores! Located on a side street, the prices are great and funding goes to several local organizations.

Sabaku Sushi - 90 E Center Street

Excellent waitstaff service and delicious sushi! Since every sushi chef is different, I had the Chirashi and was not disappointed with their chef's version of my favorite dish. Highly recommend. 

Sunset Grill - 900 N Main Street

Gorgeous sunset views, there is a window view at every seat. Outstanding and attentive waitstaff service. But the food was okay. I ordered the Wild Ahi Tuna and it was a 1.25-inch thick slab of tuna that was lightly grilled. It tasted wonderful but I didn't care for the mushroom sauce or the vegetables that accompanied the meal. I guess I will always prefer my seafood with either a Hawaiian or Asian flair. I would still eat here and when I go back, will try their other dishes. 

Sunset Grill - Gorgeous sunset views, there is a window view at every seat. 

I flew first class on United Airlines. First class includes breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the flight time. On the Boston to Denver flight, I had their breakfast meal (left) and on the Denver to Boston flight, I had their dinner meal (right). Since they have two meal options to choose from, I always try to choose the meal option that contains the least-amount-of/no dairy products. 

Arches National Park, Utah 2019

Delicate Arch

I visited Moab, Utah for a rock climbing festival and to continue my bucket list and do some hiking in the beautiful Arches National Park! I was not prepared to be so amazed when hiking and driving through the park. The colors of the rock in the morning light was vibrant and breath-taking. The park's paved road is a 36-mile round trip loop. The park entrance is only a 5-minute, 3-mile drive from the Holiday Inn Express that I was staying at in Moab. I wanted a morning start to avoid any heat and crowds, but I was prepared for a large crowd, especially on my hike to see the famed Delicate Arch. Fortunately, I started early enough and avoided large crowds on my hike up to and at the Delicate Arch. It was on my hike back down to my car that I encountered many hikers headed to the arch. Surprisingly, there were several folks on this hike that weren't prepared! They had no backpacks....not even a water bottle! I hope they didn't think there was water at the arch! It's fall but be prepared with food, water, a hat, sunglasses, layers, and sunscreen when hiking here. At the visitor center, I browsed the displays and bought an "Arches NP" t-shirt. Enjoy some photos taken on my hike through the park. Also, read about Moab Food & Shopping.

Along the Delicate Arch Trail

Skyline Arch

Landscape Arch

Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches

Along the Devils Garden Trail to the Landscape,

Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches

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.

September Weekend Climbing

Farley Ledge
Met up with Iskuhi, Danica, and Jen at Farley Ledge. A bit crowded (a group of 13 at one area!) and managed to get in a lead and some climbs. Also met a bunch of really nice climbers (and dogs) as well. Super fun day! 

Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge
Jackie and I met up in the Cathedral Ledge parking lot. At the base of Thin Air. Jackie lead the first pitch and brought me up. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to lead the second pitch. Everything was going great until I reached a really sketchy section and realized I didn't have the cam I needed. I knew right off the bat..." that crack was a #2 because that's my hand jam size." The feet at this particular section was sketchy, but I had to make sure. So I tried a #0.75 and #1, but both were too small. And the #3 and it was too big. I came back down to the little ledge and looked back at Jackie at the belay. I had both number 2's already placed. And why the hell did I place that #1 so closely to the second #2.......WTF Lovena? With no #2 to place, I had two choices. Climb through the section that sketched me out or bail. I bailed and back climbed to Jackie at the belay and she finished up leading the traverse. We rapped after the second pitch. Back down on the ground, I had a really good cry to get it out of my system. I don't know why, but I was really off today and crying was out of frustration and to vent. It felt good - time to move on! 

Sunny Slab Left - Rock Climbing

Leading Sunny Slab Left

Today Nuno and I checked out the climbing crag at the Burns McIntire Forest area in Marlow, NH. There were only two other climbers when we got there and they were super helpful with the local beta. I hadn't climbed here in years but the place pretty much is the same as I remembered it. 

I lead the Sunny Slab Left (5.7) first with no problems, then it was Nuno's turn. Everything was fine until he got above the last clip and placed his hand in the small horizontal crack. Long story short - our climbing was cut short by some pretty aggressive locals!!

Thank you, Nuno, for your photos and your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project!  With today’s climbing, I’m at  29 leads of 76 pitches! Enjoy some photos taken of our day.

Nuno leading Sunny Slab Left

Parking Lot Wall - Rock Climbing

Leading Cafe au Lait (5.6)

Another mellow day of climbing! So nice to be climbing without the humidity, but the place was a bit crowded! :) Iskuhi, Nuno and I headed out to Rumney for a quick climbing day. Also bumped into Kyle who was there climbing with James. And we met Pia, the cutest little crag dog ever! Thank you Iskuhi and Nuno, for your photos and your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project!  With today’s climbing, I’m at  28 leads of 75 pitches! Enjoy some photos taken of our day.

Kaukau Bozeman, MT - Food Review

Visit my foodie Instagram page!

@hawaiigirltastyadventures

Whistle Pig Korean
http://www.whistlepigkorean.com/
What a wonderful surprise! Ronnie and I didn't expect to find traditional Korean food in Bozeman, but we did! Our first visit was for lunch and it was so good, we went back for dinner after our visit to Yellowstone National Park.








Ted's Montana Grill 
https://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/
I don't usually eat burgers, but I wanted to taste Bison so I ordered the Bison Burger! First time tasting bison and it was delicious! It wasn't as greasy as hamburgers. 






Copper Whiskey Bar & Grill https://www.coppermontana.com/
Wow, this place rocks! The ambiance is very rustic, the waitstaff is friendly and the food is amazing! Located in downtown, the entire restaurant is in the basement below an Asian restaurant. Ribeye (left) and Whiskey Glazed Roast Chicken (right).

Dave's Sushi (off Main Street)
https://daves-sushi.com/
Ahi Sashimi from Hawaii! Just a bit of warning, they don't serve any beef, pork or chicken or any meat. Just seafood.

Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse
http://www.wasabibozemanmt.com
Light sushi meal for me, steak and shrimp for my groom. Good prices, friendly waitstaff, and fast service!

United Airlines
Flew first class on the Chicago-to-Boston leg and was served dinner. The food was delicious but then again I was very hungry. We were late getting out of Chicago and sat on the tarmac for 2.5 hours waiting for the ground-stay in Boston to be lifted. Attentive service and comfy seats.







Three Rivers Restaurant - Holiday Inn Bozeman
We stayed here during our entire visit and ate breakfast every morning here. I loved the scrambled eggs, bacon and the cup of fresh fruit slices!

Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana 2019

Today my groom and I headed out to the Custer Gallatin National Forest. On our way, we stopped at REI to pick up a Hyalite Canyon trail map ($5). The drive from Bozeman was only 20 minutes and the ride through the canyon was beautiful! We passed several campgrounds and at the pull-offs, several folks fishing at the creek. At the reservoir, there were many people taking advantage of the mild temperatures. Many were camping along the east shore of the reservoir. Many were enjoying the water in kayaks, canoes, or tubes. On our way out we stopped by Practice Rock to watch some climbers. Such a mellow day!  Enjoy some photos taken of our day.