I went on a camping trip to Green Valley Lake, California last weekend with my sister and her family which includes her husband and her two identical twin girls, who just turned 3.
Toddler Twins Go Hiking
Here are a few things I learned:
1. When you go camping you “co-op-er-ate”
2. You do not get fussy when camping.
3. If you are having trouble you: Breathe deeply, ask for help nicely, and be patient
4. A mini van with its doors closed makes a nearly sound proof “time-out” capsule where you can yell all you want
5. 3 year old girls can have no fear, including no fear of heights
6. My nieces are going to be crazy climbers, they wanted to boulder everything!
7. You do NOT need an alarm clock if you sleep near 3 year old twin girls
8. Tents are great for dance parties, naps, and getting scared
9. Fungi growing on a fallen tree is not a fungus, it is an alien!
I had a lot of fun camping, I was surprised at how much energy my nieces had, even at 7000 feet elevation and at cold temperatures. We hiked up a hill (no trail) and then did some bouldering at the top before traveling a very little ways on a trail and coming down a different route. [Of note to climbers, I saw a big slew of boulders from the top vantage point, next time I’m bringing a spotter and crash pad!]
My nieces are only 3 and have been camping and hiking many times now. I think I’ll take my lessons learned from the trip and will try to apply them to my next outing.
Niece P looking for that handholdNiece E decked out for the cold
Joshua Tree Fall season has started off with a bang for me. I went out this past weekend, Thursday night through Sunday and had a blast. Why do you say? Was it because I did my hardest red point ever? Was it because I crushed it non stop 3 days in a row? Nope, it was mainly because I got to hang out with old friends and with climbers who mostly had less than a year of experience but a lot of enthusiasm.
I think I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to go out with a large group of new climbers. Sure K and I had taken out a group of 3 new climbers last year but that’s not the same as a group of around 20 which is what we ended up with on Saturday. A ratio of about 4 veterans for every 5 new (or new to outdoor climbing) climbers.
Some highlights:
Fabulous weather! Daytime temps were around the 70s then went as high as the low 80’s by Sunday (we climbed in the shade that day).
Being able to get 3 sites in Hidden Valley Campground because on Friday morning we decided to just cruise by to look (we spent the previous night in Ryan). We just happened to find that 3 cars worth of folks were leaving for their group reservation for a wedding in Indian Cove. 3 sites in Hidden Valley campground all close to each other on Friday is something unheard of since pre National Park days.
Also on Friday, onsighting a route at Atlantis to put up a rope. I also got to demonstrate “Elvis Leg” while I tried to find pieces for a flaring crack. The route was 2 cracks over from Vorpal Sword (5.9) so according to two different books it was either Minotaur (5.8) or in the other book it could have been Grain for Russia (5.8) or Grain Surplus (5.7). I really doubt it was Minotaur though as I and others understood that to be a crack on a nearby wall which finished with distinctive “horns” at the top (I led it last season as a flash). So if it’s not Minotaur than I guess it’s Grain Surplus though I really thought it was harder than the one next to it and my friend Peter even thought it was harder than Vorpal Sword, which he lead. I’m not sure I agree with that but I will say it was not as straight forward.
Going up to the Space Station on my own at sunset.
Sitting in the Space Station - Chimney Rock
Teaching the new folks about “catch the end of the rope, get a beer”. Having the new folks adopt, “put up a rope, get food” on Friday evening as they fed me 🙂
Watching folks eyeball a climb and decide they wanted to do it and could do it. This happened all weekend. One new friend even said she was done but with some more beta she made it all the way to the top of Spaghetti and Chili (5.7)
Giving beta that helped folks.
On Sunday, climbing in the Hall of Horrors area and cruising The Exorcist (5.10) crack on my second toprope try on it that day (I had tried it on toprope once last season). K and my friend Peter did their redpoint leads of it, it was K’s first time to do so. I think I’ve figured out a sufficient intermediate step to the part where the crack ends and a big hold is next so I’ll consider leading it next time.
Sunday night, having dinner with the same group of folks who came out Thursday (plus K this time) and then our friend Elaine (chief organizer of the big group who were mostly her co-workers) and the 3 guys we climbed with on Thursday surprised Peter, K and I with gift certificates to Nomad’s! My eyes watered, I was so touched.
Some folks say I like to teach. I’ve done it in fencing, music and climbing. But really I’m usually not in a formal position as a teacher, I’m just so excited about something that I want to share it with folks. Also, I believe the idea that “if you really want to know something, teach it”, is true. I certainly find that sharing or teaching gives something back to the giver as well. In my particular case, who knows if I would’ve tried the onsight if I hadn’t had the extra incentive to put up the rope? And having folks cheer you on, I’d almost forgotten what a nice psychological boost that was, it didn’t matter to the cheering folks that you were “only” on toprope. I certainly got back as much if not more than I gave that weekend.
And then to be given a gift certificate at the end, well that was just the cherry on top.
So thanks Elaine (my fellow “E Team” friend who is a fabulous teacher, climber and Unofficial Company Outing Organizer), Alex, Art and Brian! It was a pleasure to have climbed with you all, and in the case of the guys, to be able to say I was there towards the start of your undoubtedly great climbing careers!
Onsight with the Elia at Atlantis Wall, Joshua Tree
“Hey, cool helmet!” a guy arriving to the crag called out from behind me.
I said, “Thanks, I’m reviewing it. It’s a women’s specific helmet.”
“Oh, I could guess that because of the things around it,” he circled his finger around this head. He meant the vine and leaf like design on the helmet. A shallow ridge on the helmet made up the vine and the leaves were air holes and head lamp clips. I hadn’t really noticed that design detail up till then. Upon receiving the complimentary helmet from the good folks at Pemba Serves, I had been most interested in the unique fit system of the Elia. “Do you like it?” the climber asked.
And here, dear reader, is the short version of this review. I answered, “Yeah!”
I’ve worn a variety of climbing helmets over the years and currently own one closed cell foam helmet (Petzl Meteor III) and one hard shell (Black Diamond Half Dome) that I have been meaning to replace because it’s over 10 years old and has taken some knocks to show for it. The opportunity to review the Petzl Elia came at a good time. Since receiving it I’ve worn it to a local crag and just came back from a 3 day weekend in Joshua Tree National Park.
Here’s my video review of the helmet:
Helmet Features:
Specifically sized for women (52-58 cm headband)
Patented OMEGA system adapts to pony-tails
Headband can be adjusted with two lateral buttons to obtain precise and comfortable positioning of the OMEGA system
Side openings for ventilation
Injection molded ABS shell is both lightweight and durable
Expanded polystyrene liner absorbs impacts
Adjustable chinstrap, nape height and headband for an extremely comfortable fit.
Chin strap position adjusts forward or backward and redesigned side-release chin strap buckle is positioned off to the side for comfort
Headband adjustment folds into the shell for compact storage and ease of transportation.
Headlamp attachment with 4 optimally placed clips.
Foam is removable and washable
Pros:
The fit. I was quite taken by the OMEGA system. I had heard about the “ponytail fitting” feature of the helmet before but what I didn’t realize is that this meant a complete overhaul of how the helmet was adjusted as well. I found the system to be the best fitting system I have yet worn. The helmet felt snug and secure but still comfortable (with one caveat, see Cons below). I was impressed with the sliders on the outside of the helmet which let me loosen or tighten the system easily by pressing in and moving them with my thumbs while the helmet was on my head. While climbing I felt the helmet moved with me and I found I didn’t have to readjust it between climbs.
The ponytail feature. This performed as advertised, I didn’t have to pull my ponytail through some small space in between webbing. I just put the helmet on my head, fast and easy. Now I have the option to wear pig tails or a ponytail again!
Build of the helmet. It felt solid without feeling too heavy.
Price. The Elias is priced at the lower end of the Petzl line of helmets and I think is a great buy if you’re looking for a good all around helmet that will last you well into your climbing career.
Cons:
Mary liked the Elia helmet
Sizing. Petzl says one of the ways this helmet was specifically designed for women is that it fits a smaller range of heads. Well, I guess I have a big head. I pretty much had to use the sliders at the largest end of their range. The helmet is quite comfortable for wearing straight on my head but I don’t think I’ll be able to wear a fleece hat under the helmet. Fortunately I have a Buff and the non-fleece Buff fits fine under the helmet so I’ll be covered for warm to cool climbing situations. Please note that I let another female climber use the helmet for a few climbs and it fit her fine with room to spare. Also, I’ve read a few other Elia reviews online and none of the other women have mentioned the sizing being snug. In case you’re wondering, I also can’t fit into the smaller CAMP brand helmet, and that’s without a hat or a Buff under it. So if that size works for you then the Elia will definitely fit you.
Jealous girl friends? Sorry, I’m just trying to think of another con to justify the pluralization of the word “Con” in the heading of this section. Of note, this past weekend I went on a 3 day Joshua Tree Trip. One of my friends arrived at the base of Double Cross while I was at the top. We shouted, “Hellos” to each other and then she added, “I like your helmet!”
Conclusion:
As I mentioned in the Pros section, I think the Elia is a great buy for a female climber looking for a good all around helmet, just check your head diameter with a fleece hat on. Personally I’ve decided it’s time for me to finally retire my old knocked about Half Dome helmet and let the Elia fill its role.
You can read more about the Petzl Elia helmet and find a list of retailers at Petzl’s site.
Elaine bought an Elia after seeing mine!
One of  those retailers is Nomad Ventures, right outside of Joshua Tree National Park. How do I know? Another friend of mine who I was climbing with this past weekend liked the helmet so much that at our stop at Nomad’s on the way out she bought one for herself. I didn’t know she was going to do this so I asked her what swayed her,  she said, “That ponytail thing is amazing!”
You may have noticed I tend to have a lot of pictures from my trips and climbs, perhaps you may have even wondered, how did she have time to get a shot like this while climbing?
“Very carefully!” Is my usual answer, however I now have a new one, “I used The Wrist Shot!”
The Wrist Shot
Golden Hour, a rather intrepid company based in San Francisco, California, sent me a Wrist Shot for review and I took it on my Tuolumne / Yosemite Trip. What is the Wrist Shot? It’s an interesting neoprene wrist bracelet of sorts that holds and protects your camera at the ready on your wrist.
I wore mine on the approach hike to Hobbit Book in Tuolumne and in fact even wore it while climbing some of the pitches. While it was nice to have during the approach, I found it most handy while at belay stations. Since I was climbing with a team of three I sometimes had downtime at a hanging belay and was glad I didn’t have to dig in my pack to pull out my camera. Instead I simply unwrapped and flipped it up for some shots.
Handy little contraption!
Facts:
Price: $30.00
Material: Neoprene
Weight: (As measured by my postage scale) 2.3 Ounces
Fast way to take pics without fear of dropping your camera.
Works with a standard tripod socket. You can choose one of three locations on the wrap to screw your camera onto.
Neoprene covers the camera’s front and back and offers protection. I bumped my camera on the rock once and it was fine.
Easy to use. When you want to use it, you rip open the cover neoprene, flip up your camera and take a picture. When you’re done just wrap it up and press the velcro closed.
Cons:
As a climber I did not wear the Wrist Shot while crack climbing for obvious reasons.
My wrist got a little warm. Not a problem on cold days of course.
My camera interfered once with bending my wrist – Note: I did not have it in the optimum hole for my camera since the tripod mount for my Canon Elph series camera is off center (I only realized later I could have moved it) this made the camera stick out more than it should have.
Not easy to hand off your camera to someone else. It’s not hard to do this, but you do have to remove it from your wrist versus just handing an unattached camera to someone.
Won’t work with my DSLR. Though, I haven’t actually tried…
Conclusion:
I think this little and reasonably priced device is a speed improvement over securing your camera with slings to yourself before taking a shot. Also, since the camera’s on your wrist you don’t have to go digging for it while hiking. I think the wrist advantage is even greater for situations where you may not even want to carry a pack, say trail running perhaps. The original purpose of the Wrist Shot was for surfers to use with waterproof cameras, definitely a situation where you don’t have spare pockets.
And now for your enjoyment, a little video shot at the top of Hobbit Book in Tuoluomne, Yosemite National Park. Filmed and Directed by Jeremy Shapiro. I’m afraid it’s a little hard to hear what I’m saying in the beginning due to wind noise. Also, note that I did not put the camera in the correct position (see my comment above about that) so it sticks out a bit more from under the wrap than it should.
The consensus has come in, the 2nd Annual JTreeTweetup will be held November 12-14, 2010 (with some participants arriving earlier in the week).
If you missed last year’s event here’s the short story: a tweetup is a gathering of folks who use Twitter. The JTreeTweeup is a climbing/camping gathering of climbers who use Twitter and is held at Joshua Tree National Park, California. This is a free event and everyone is responsible for their own transportation, lodging, climbing gear and safety etc. However, in the spirit of the sharing and caring #climb community, last year I went out early to Joshua Tree and with the help of a few other Twitter folks rounded up some camp sites (Joshua Tree campsites are first come first served for most of the park). Also, many folks carpooled and road tripped it to the event, saving money and the environment at the same time. If you’d like to attend, show your interest in coming by creating an account and adding your name to the wiki page.
This year I’m happy to say that sponsors have already stepped up to the plate for the 2nd Annual JTreeTweetup! Â So far we have BoulderCanyon sponsoring us with snacks like gluten free chips and all natural munchies. And Climb On! Products is also sending goodies which I’m sure will be helpful for multiple days of climbing on Joshua Tree’s sharp quartzite monzonite rock.
Whenever someone says it’s always sunny in California, I realize that they’ve never been to its mountains (or lived here). I’ll admit though that it’s not a bad generality to make, I can usually count on climbing outdoors on any given weekend. This Tuolumne climbing trip was one of the few that we changed route plans due to weather.
Friday
After climbing Hobbit Book our group changed again. Jeremy, and two of our friends had to drive home Friday morning and two other friends had not yet shown up. They had run into trouble when they found the 395 closed due to a mud slide but they had said they would show up in the morning.
K and I wanted to be sure our friends found our campsite and a tentative plan was that K and our friend Cliff would pair off for a climb while I took Vina up on a multi-pitch. However by the time our friends arrived they were up for a mellow start of climbing and K and I had decided we’d try the Regular Route on Fairview with our friends Peter and Gabi, they’d be the first party of two and we’d be the second party.
A few yards into the approach hike, K realized he had forgotten something at the car and went back for it. As a result Peter and Gabi got to the base of the route first, with me coming up after. I saw they hadn’t started the route yet (it was the afternoon by now) and that a party was ahead of them. When K arrived Gabi and Peter still hadn’t been able to start on the route. Gabi finally started on the first pitch but didn’t seem his usual lightning fast self (which meant the pitch wasn’t easy), we could also still see the other party ahead of them. After waiting a bit more K and I decided to bail on the route and took off to find our other friends.
We fortunately got cell service (Sprint and AT&T) so was able to reach them and we all ended up going to Murphy Creek. While on the approach hike I realized it was the same trail I’d been on for a backpacking trip, it was fun to think that this time I was going climbing in the area. After a bit of searching, we eventually found the single pitch wall we were looking for. There wasn’t anyone else around.
The weather had turned a little chilly and we didn’t have much light left. Still we had fun on some interesting crack climbs. One included a strange “ramp/ledge” that you balanced up on before you got to more crack. The same anchor worked for a more straightforward (but a lot harder) dihedral crack climb. K also led up a dirty climb to the right of this system, I believe the name of if even included the word “dirty”. I’d say the wall was worth getting to once you knew the way and could get there directly.
We got back to camp when it was dark. Peter and Gabi weren’t there. “So either they’re still on Fairview or they finished early and went to eat,” I guessed out loud. My bet was that they were still coming back. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later they walked up to our campfire, having come directly from the climb and begging for food. Gabi said, “It’s good you did not follow us.” Apparently though they had not taken a long time on the climb, the late start just meant they were still coming back late. The most important reason it was good K and I hadn’t followed them though was that Peter had knocked down a fairly large rock while he was on the easier 4th class stuff and had watched it tumble down (while he repeatedly yelled, “Rock!!”), brush his rope, fall straight down most of the route (not at Gabi though as they had done a zigzag before this point), smashing spectacularly into pieces as it fell, with its final demise being even more rock explosions at the base of the climb.
Both Peter and Gabi said that if K and I had followed them it would have hit us.
Saturday
Late Friday I thought I had heard Ben’s car pull into camp. Ben was another person I “knew” from Twitter but had not met in person. Sure enough we found him looking sleepy but present. He approached the morning campfire looking expectantly between my friend Vina and I. I said, “I’m Eileen, Rockgrrl” and smiled. Vina and I look a little alike so I think that confuses folks who may have only seen me in pictures on this blog. There were more introductions and some late risers (we had stayed up Friday night, partly seeing if Ben would arrive and because we were having fun). We started to notice the sky. We had heard from more than one person in the park that it was supposed to snow Sunday. We knew the forecast for our trip was to get colder and colder as the days went by. Thursday was supposed to have had a high of 80 but it really didn’t seem to reach that at all and the rest of the forecast for the week was supposed to drop by at least 10 degrees each day. A ranger had said showers were in the forecast. The clouds looked quite grey.
K had been trying to talk Cliff into doing the Regular Route on Fairview while I led Ben and Vina on Western Front or something similar. The weather didn’t look that great for multipitch and the climbs we were thinking of doing were popular, and would probably be even more crowded on a Saturday. We decided to check out the domes anyway. On the way though it started raining. We changed plans and went off to the DAFF dome area to check on West Crack and maybe find some single pitch climbs.
Looking at the guide books from the parking area it sprinkled on us again.
Then we went hiking. We stopped at one formation but it turns out the walk up to set anchors was a bit hairy considering the weather. On our way to another area we suddenly realized it was snowing on us. We pressed on and ended up at Guide Cracks. Where, true to its name, we found a guide with his clients on some of the cracks. Some other climbers were also there. That left a small crack/face climb and a face climb open for us. Cliff led it as the weather shifted from grey skies to greyer and from hail to rain and even another snow flurry. While we were trying the friction climb (very slick as you can imagine) I noticed a gal leading a crack near us that the class had vacated. I asked if it was fun and she said yeah and it was only a 5.6. I was disappointed but decided to lead it anyway since it was there. Once I was on it I realized the angle flattened out fast but I concentrated on just putting nice placements in. Vina did a pinkpoint lead after and cleaned it on the way down. Then Ben decided to lead it, his first trad lead in Tuolumne, he said. It wasn’t a bad end to a day where at times we felt like it could open up and pour on us. I noticed some of the French Canadians who were being guided looked very cold. One even said he was done climbing because he was so cold (he was wearing a jacket but he had on shorts).
We left early enough to buy firewood from the Tuolumne shop so we’d have some at night. It got pretty cold but we had fun. At night it rained a little on our tent and then got quiet, I think we got another snow flurry.
Sunday
Our group had shrunk. Peter and Gabi had left on Saturday. Still we had five climbers left though four us had a long drive home ahead of us. The weather was still looking a little on the wet side in Tuolumne so we headed to Yosemite Valley. We ended up parking along side the road before one of the tunnels that took you down to the Valley. The area was called Five and Dime Cliff. It was a slick leaf walk down to the base of the cliff but it was a definite change of weather. It was sunny and if you got hot if you stayed in direct sunlight, but in the shade with an occasional breeze you could tell the cold snap was still in the air.
We found a crack climb. The guide book mentioned bringing a lot of slings to set up anchors from bushes. We decided to try one out first. Cliff started up a likely crack. While we were waiting I read up on Mockery, a four star, “hard 5.8” to the left of where we were. It was bolted and described as “well protected – Yosemite rarity for a climb of this difficulty”. That last bit pretty much made me decide to give it a go. Ben belayed me as I set off on the zig zagging unusual climb. The start was a little stranger than it looked, I had dismissed it contemplating a strange slanting rib of rock a bit later on the route. I managed to get up the first part and do a little traverse and was fine. The rib area looked like I could go left to a crack with a slight overhang (and there was chalk there) or right to a balance move. I went right and did the move, finding a nice handhold. Right before the bolted anchor I found a crux for the climb, there was a bolt at it though so it gave me some confidence. I finished it and came down. I thought it a fair Yosemite 5.8, which is to say, a bit harder than 5.8s at most local crags. Of course I’m sure I had a harder time of it due to nerves, that start had thrown me off, and the little gusts of wind while I was balancing on later parts of the climb also got me going a little. Ben followed up without much trouble. He didn’t seem to have an issue at all with the start and easily reached the handhold I used on the right of the slanted rib rock though he did have more trouble at the crux near the top.
I went off to do the other crack climb while Vina did the 5.8. I topped out on the crack climb that Cliff and K had led and cleaned up the anchor while the others hiked back up to the car. The view was great, mountains, a river far below. I love Yosemite and there is so much to climb there, even the little cliffs are fun.
Unfortunately it was already time for the Southern California folks to leave. Ben said he would stick around a bit and hike on his own. The rest of us got into our cars and headed to the Valley. I think Cliff planned on looking at El Capitan on his way out. K and I thought about doing the same and stopped at one point where I could see El Cap (and a deer in a small meadow) but then didn’t take the turn to the proper El Cap viewing point. We did stop at the famous pull out near the tunnels for the most photographed view of Yosemite Valley. I got a series of shots there, I had not seen it so clear in a while. I’m making some of those shots available on my photography site and others as calendars, etc in my gift shop.
I was really glad K and I took the way home through Yosemite Valley, I had been awhile since I’d seen that part of the park. I kept my window open as much as I could as we drove by even though the air was a little chilly. I love the smell of the trees. I always have. Sometimes I think I’ve gotten jaded from going to Tuolumne and Yosemite a number of times, but then I realized that I’ve barely even scratched the surface of all you can experience there.
“We’re at about 3,093 meters,” Jeremy said. The numbers didn’t really register, we were on top of Mariuolumne Dome having just finished the multipitch climb, Hobbit Book (5.7R). Jeremy added, “that’s over 10,000 feet, the highest I’ve ever done actual rockclimbing”. This was coming from a guy who was not a stranger to altitude, having just weeks ago summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Something registered then, I recalled years ago a friend of mine having our party wait while on Cathedral Peak because he was helping another climber down who had altitude sickness. I had been skeptical then, but I was under the impression that altitude sickness could only hit once you hit the 10,000 foot mark, instead of being able to strike at 8,000 feet on up.
This trip I think I felt the altitude a bit though. It made me realize that, yes, we were indeed alpine climbing.
Jeremy, K, and I had just done Hobbit Book, a climb K and I had done back in 2007. I hadn’t remembered the approach being that long or hard, so I was surprised both when I read it described as such in the guide book, and when I found myself out of breath and having to rest a moment during the approach (I usually never stop, just slow down at times). Contributing factors in my feeling the altitude was arriving in Tuolumne from sea level the night before, getting a poor night’s sleep, and having to wake up early (we stood in line to get an extra campsite), also K had been worried about time so had set a fast pace on the approach which I foolishly tried to follow.
When we got to the base of the climb (after a 4th class traverse which I did remember as airy from 2007), I found myself recovered enough at least. There was a party ahead of us on the route. Once we got situated, K combined the first two pitches of the climb, which caused Jeremy to simul up a slope (I clambered up after him to a safe point). Then it was waiting time for me as one member of the party above us was still at the belay near the guys. Once I was on the move, I went up the knobs on the right of a protruding formation, remembering that last time I had gone up the middle. The right side was easier, though it would’ve been a more unpleasant pendulum fall had I come off. Gaining the belay I saw the next pitch (our 2nd, but the 3rd pitch in the guide book). It was the famed 5.7 runout pitch. This was also K’s lead. I had recalled that though the climbing was technically within my range, there were distinct high steps and reaches for a gal of 5’4″ and I didn’t really want to find out how that felt on lead with a 60′ runout. We were also still concerned about time so it made sense for K to take the pitch.
K lead it without a problem (there’s footage of him climbing in the video). Jeremy followed and then myself. Just after K finished the runout pitch we realized we had been making good time so it was my turn to lead the last pitch. I remembered it as crack climbing but when I looked at the printout of our topo I saw that first I had to do some face climbing, either as a traverse out to the left, or up and to a roof crack. The route actually showed a triangle of choices. I decided to do the traverse. Breathing became a little difficult as I did the short, easy, but exposed traverse with the wind blowing my hair around. I could blame it on the altitude but I’ll admit it was nerves. I happily placed a piece in a crack after the traverse and then continued on up and to the right to harder technical climbing that at least had more places to put pro. When I rounded one overhanging part, I was surprised to see the top of the climb in sight, I had remembered it being longer. I was surprisingly disappointed. Topping out was a great feeling though. I had only followed Hobbit Book in 2007 and this time I was finishing it as having led one of the pitches in style. I was also gratified when both Jeremy and Kelly told me, “Good lead” when they came up.
We had made good time and took in the view and took some pictures before looking for the descent. I had left my shoes on because I remembered a small “down step” on rock. It wasn’t as bad as I recalled and put on my regular shoes right after it. We found a few cairns but then had to go on past memory that we needed to go down a gully between tall rock cliffs. We found it and were on the way out. We made to Jeremy’s car while there was still light and nearly made it to the store before they closed (got there at 8:04 pm, they closed at 8:00 pm). Jeremy had decided to crash the night, and drive back the next day.
Campfire was fun, our friends had done Oz. on Mariuolumne as two parties of two, and in fact we had seen them on it as we hiked by. Apparently it was challenging and made for good stories.
FUD. Feminine Urinary Director. Lovely sounding isn’t it? Squeamish guys and any male relative of mine, you can stop reading now.
So what does it do? Well it’s a way girls can stand up to pee. Writing your name in snow? Inconclusive.
Before my Indian Creek / Desert Climbing Road trip I decided to try out the whole standing up to pee concept. I did a lot of research on what was out there and read Jenn Field’s “non-review” of sorts (she ended up not taking it outdoors so she called it a non-review). Eventually I just thought,”What the heck”, and first ordered one of the cheaper FUDs out there, a GoGirl and then also ordered a Sani Fem Freshette when I belatedly read about issues with the GoGirl and using it without removing one’s pants. I even ordered some wax coated cardboard type disposable ones. Overkill? Yes, but having never been to Indian Creek before or driven out to the Utah desert I feared long stretches of road with no rest areas, bathrooms or trees. Plus I also had a review in mind. What can I say, I’ll take one for the team!
In terms of the long drives, it turns out I didn’t have to worry, the rest stops were nicely spaced and in decent condition and there was rolling terrain enough for a gal to be able to otherwise drop her pants if she had to.
Where I did try out the FUDs was on climbing days. Sometimes that led to interesting circumstances. I was trying out the GoGirl near a climb several feet up from but still near the road in Zion, when to my horror a bus load of tourists pulled over to watch my friend climbing a single pitch route just on the other side of an arete from me. I was faced away from them but I feared they had binoculars. I couldn’t help but still look for a bush to hide behind.
On to my review. The directions on any FUD suggests you practice in the shower. I did that and had no issues. But, having read Jenn’s review I was afraid I might get performance anxiety. Turns out I had no issues with either device. The difference in the two non disposable models I used is that the GoGirl is flexible silicon, and the Freshette is hard plastic with a pull out tube. This sturdier model was better for using more discretely (I didn’t have to lower my shorts). With the GoGirl I wasn’t confident to do that so it was a little pointless in the convenience area, however it worked in the “don’t have to balance squat” way. Since the GoGirl can stow smaller I can see how it might be useful in areas where it isn’t so much standing up is a convenience but a way to get away from unsanitary positions (portapotties or unkempt bathrooms) or to put distance between you and poison oak / ivy, bugs, etc.
Bottom line, if you’re thinking of peeing on the go without pants removal grab the Freshette. Otherwise the GoGirl is fine. The disposables I’d pass on or just keep in my car if I didn’t have either of the other two.
And oh yeah, ladies, don’t pee into the wind or try to pee uphill. Fortunately I didn’t do either of those things since I read those tips on Amazon reviews. However, these devices are so freeing that I can see how some girls might try to do either one. I haven’t tried the snow trick either, if you have let me know 😉
PS If you’d like to share your experience with these devices in a private forum or ask for more detail from me, feel free to join the Rockgrrl Discussion Forums and then ask me to flag you for admittance to the Female’s Only forum. Click here to register for the forums.
Just a quick post to give a shout out to some friends of mine who summited or are very close to summiting a mountain peak. First off Jeremy, who I’ve known because of Twitter and because of two Climbing Tweetups (JTreeTweetup and Red Rocks Tweetup), he just summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and is now preparing for a safari. Congrats Jeremy! You can read about it and follow along here.
Katie at the JTreeTweetupTiffany at the Jtree Tweetup
I think reviews don’t always have to be for the latest gear so here’s one on a product that’s been around awhile, it’s my tried and true water filter, the Katadyn Hiker Pro.
I first encountered this wonder when my then boyfriend (now husband) brought it backpacking on a trip we were taking in Yosemite. It was so much faster and smoother to operate than other filters I’d tried. Years and many backpacking trips later, it still works great. I’ve been asked in the past what filter I use so thought it was a good share here. While I’m intrigued by the new gravity fed filters, I don’t admire their price since most of them are double what this little guy costs. I may change my tune down the line, but if you’d rather pump and go than wait for gravity I’d say this filter is still a steal and would be especially useful for short trips while covering a lot of ground. It would also be useful in places where it may be hard to scoop out a lot of water, for example, when the water is below or there is just a small opening to a running stream of water, just plop the float down into it and pump away from more stable ground.
Product Details:
Long lasting AntiClog pleated cartridge requires no maintenance or cleaning.
Very large filter surface for fast output.
Easy to use because of minimal resistance whilst pumping.
Active carbon core reduces unpleasant tastes and odors from the water.
Small pre-filter on in-hose protects filter cartridge life in turbid water. [Rockgrrl’s note: while I’ve used it for years with no problem, it was mainly used in places with relatively clear water (the Sierras for example) so I can’t attest to how it works in turbid water. I did find the prefilter float to be handy in keeping grasses, etc out even before it got to the inside filter though.]
Compact design and easy operation–fits in any backpack or travel bag.
Easy Fill Bottle Adaptor attaches directly to a drinking bottle. [Rockgrrl’s note: I love this, it fits great on Nalgene bottles]
Feature Details:
Technology: AntiClog Technology with 0.3 micron glassfiber and activated carbon granulate
Output: ca. 1 liters/minute
Cartridge Capacity: Up to 750 l (depending on water quality)
and then also ordered a 
when I belatedly read about issues with the GoGirl and using it without removing one’s pants. I even ordered some 
. Overkill? Yes, but having never been to Indian Creek before or driven out to the Utah desert I feared long stretches of road with no rest areas, bathrooms or trees. Plus I also had a review in mind. What can I say, I’ll take one for the team!
