Slipper Hiking

Last week my friend Olivia and I decided to go out to Mt. Charleston, which is rare since it's far from our houses and we usually just opt for Red Rock since it's closer. But anyway we decided we would do  Big Falls. I'm fairly familiar with Mt. Charleston hikes since I have embarked on trails including Mary Jane Falls, Fletcher Canyon, Trail Canyon, and Stanely B. Springs. Whenever I leave for a hike, I always drive with my slippers on and throw my hiking boots in the back of the car. On this special day I actually forgot my hiking boots. That's right, we drove all the way into Mt. Charleston, got out of the car in the parking lot, and at that moment I realized my boots were at home. Olivia only had a pair of Toms in her car, so I decided I would hike in my slippers. Keep in mind these slippers didn't have the best traction in the world. I decided that real hikers do not need the best shoe in the world. Or I kept telling myself that to keep my spirits up. During the hike we would laugh at the fact that i was slipping everywhere, having trouble climbing the hills, and occasionally losing a shoe. At one point i decided that it would be better to get up the hill barefoot instead of wearing the dreaded slippers. To make the day even better, we got off trail and were lost in the sea of trees. I actually find it quiet fun to venture off in the wilderness without a designated trail but my friend really wanted to see the falls. We never actually made it to the falls since we were cut short by the demand to finish our homework that was due the next day, but I learned a lot from hiking in slippers. It honestly was not as bad as some people would think and I made the best out of it. You really do not need the top shoes to have a good time out in the great outdoors with your best friend. 

First Time Film Making

I was assigned a project in my english class a couple weeks ago where I was told that I had no guide lines but needed to show the class something they did not know about me. I knew immediately that I wanted to compose something that revolved around being outdoors. I've always had an interest in outdoor film videos and had the privilege of attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival when it came to Las Vegas a few months ago. I figured i'd take a few of my friends out to Red Rock with me and we'd mess around shooting some bouldering and a little of what we do on our hikes. I borrowed my boyfriends camera, the Olympus TG-1, since I don't own a camera, and we set out to film. Let me start off by saying that I was very impressed by the camera and plan on buying the Olympus TG-3 when it releases next month. Zach dropped it a few times while taking pictures of my best friend and I and it had no scratches at all! I wish I had the money to invest in a better film camera but for an extremely mediocre, beginning film maker, this camera will do just fine. I had so much fun editing and filming this video and I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys. It's not much, but it landed me an A in my AP english class, which was nice! Hope you guys enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StM7M-WiIJw 

PS: The view walking into Pine Creek Canyon was phenomenal so I thought I would share

Review: La Sportiva Nago Rock Shoes- Women

After two months of using the worn out climbing shoes at my local gym, I finally bought my very own! I was nervous at first since I did not want to commit $100 dollars towards a pair of shoes that I could end up resenting, but after hours of researching, I found the perfect pair. Since these were my first pair of rock shoes, I avoided going all in and purchasing a pair that was way out of my price range. Being a new climber and spending $200 on a shoe did not seem practical. I spent hours comparing the differences between La Sportiva's Nago and La Sportiva's Tarantula. I hate to say it but my "inner-girl" was making me bias towards that pretty teal color instead of the grungy green. I went with the Nago and got to use my REI dividend towards them so that brought the cost down a little. (Cost is a big factor when you're only in high school).

Anyway, my first time trying them out was about a month ago in the gym. I don't know if it was the confidence boost or what but i could immediately climb almost a 5.9 when before i was struggling on a 5.7. The shoes gave me a great feel for the holds and I felt like I was really sticking to the rock. Since I'm 5'11" i am cursed with big feet, making it almost impossible to find women's shoes that fit me. Luckly I squeezed into the size 41 pretty easily, though it was a tight fit. After about a week the leather/rubber stretched about a half size larger and now they fit PERFECTLY. I normally wear a 10 in women's shoes, but remember that the rock shoes should fit pretty snug in order to get a good feel for the rock. Last weekend I tried them out at a crag near my house and they worked excellent on the rock. I highly recommend these to any beginner climber. Also, my boyfriend has the same shoes in men's and loves them as well.

PS: A nice tip to clean off the dust or dirt from the rubber to make them stick to the rock better is to put soap and water on a toothbrush and scrub the bottoms until they're good as new.

Mountain Biking Sunsets

I recently digged out my mom's old mountain bike (Trek 820 ST) that she won years ago from Power Bar.

It's not the best bike in the world but it's working for my beginner level at the moment. We spent 15 minutes pumping up the tires since they were completely flat. I found a nice trail near my house that I want to do at least 3 times a week. It's a little challening to ride after doing bleachers at track practice, but my legs can endure it. The view of the sunset wasn't the best i've ever seen, but it was still pretty damn beautiful.

Having not ridden a bike for 8 years, i'm still getting comfortable with gear-shifting, but it's coming along quickly. I hope to invest in a higher quality bike in the near future since mountain biking seems like a fun hobby to pick up. I love to try new activites so that I never get bored with doing the same old thing everyday. 

Calico Bouldering Expedition

Today I hiked at my favorite local location, Red Rock National Park. It costs $7 per vehicle to get in, but I have the year pass so it's not a problem. One of my favorite places to boulder hike is on the Calico rocks. We parked at the first parking lot, Calico 1. It wasn't busy when we got there but by the time we left it was packed. Today my boyfriend and I had to climb up steep boulders, fit in tiny cracks, and leap from rock to rock, all of which you wouldn't expect from just looking at the rocks from the distance. The hike required me to utilize my non-existent arm strength, which i'm really try to improve on. It was about 65 degrees at 9 in the morning which made it extra beautiful outside. The view from the top of the Calico rocks today was worth the exhausting hike and the tired legs.

My favorite part of the day was when we were leaving and found the legendary Alex Honnold's van in the parking lot. 

how could I not take a picture next to it? I also left him a note to let him know how amazing I think he is. Hopefully he doesn't think that i'm too creepy

Review: BW Flash Sport Harness

I recently made the transition from using the old climbing harnesses in the gym to having my own harness! For Valentine's Day, my boyfriend bought me the Women's Small/Medium Green BW Flash Sport Harness. Even though i've only been climbing for one month as of today, I can mention that I notice a difference in my climbing due to the new harness. My climbing gym carries the Galaxy by Mad Rock, which seemed to cause discomfort in my inner thigh area whenever I fell. The support that the BW Flash Sport Harness offers is incredible and I feel comfortable sitting back in it. The harness is light and I can maneuver around the walls easily with outstanding flexibility. My only complaint is that it takes a couple minutes for me to get it on, but that could be a mere result of my inexperience. I'd rather have a difficult harness to get on with more security than a lousy harness that is a death trap. Overall, this product is perfect for beginner climbers, who are looking for good equipment, to start their climbing career at an inexpensive price.
The BW Flash Sport Harness: http://bluewaterropes.com/product/bw-flash-sport-harness/