I just had a great long weekend at a friend’s house in Kennedy Meadows. It was unfortunately during the crazy “heat dome” conditions affecting much of the US, and especially the West Coast so I didn’t do much moving around more than I had to (even at that elevation) but I had a great time! Here’s a slide show of my select photos from the trip: You can see the photos in this gallery to see them larger: https://photography.eileenringwald.com/Nature/Sierra-Nevada-Kennedy-Meadows-and-Sequoia-National-Park-Area/i-FN7gm24 Here are also a few shots from an iPhone ..read more

January 2021 “Fuuu…*$k!” I said, drawing out the vowel in the word with such feeling that my friends at the base of the climb busted out laughing. I was at the top of “Imaginary Journey” in Joshua Tree National Park, hanging on a rope under a large roof which was pulling me towards the crack in the middle of it. I was keeping myself from swinging out by grasping onto a stone block with my hands and using a toe hook to assist my hands at keeping me where I was. Cliff had just confirmed what I already knew. I’d have to hang on the block, weighting my tired right arm, do a toe hook on its right s ..read more

Bring on the New Year with images from Joshua Tree. I’ve updated my Joshua Tree National Park: Climbing and Camping Wall Calendar! Photos include Jtree’s rare snowfall’s last winter, a climber on Illusion Dweller, and other gems. You can choose what month you want the calendar to start and also how the dates are presented. And, right now you can get 21% off by using code 21% off with code NEWYEARSALEZ. Check it out here: Joshua Tree National Park Climbing and Camping Calendar by rockgrrl If you’d like an individual image as an art print, you can find them via my photography site: Eileen Desca ..read more

This bike has been a life saver for me during my stay-at-home / shoulder recovery months. At first my shoulder was so bad that even short rides aggravated it but luckily that phase was short and even though I couldn’t climb I could at least ride. I got this bike because of social media. Not because the company sponsored me or because I won it, or because I succumbed to an impulse buy because of a pop up ad, but because of a connection I made. I first met Adrienne on Twitter and then in-person when she attended a Joshua Tree Tweetup I organized. I loved organizing those events because they allo ..read more

I took an impromptu trip out to Jtree right before the New Year, capturing the rare snowfall. Shots include some well known climbing formations, a few climbers, and even wildlife. Go to my gallery to see each photo larger for the full effect. Happy New Year everyone ..read more

Holcomb Valley Pinnacles was a great trip, the weather was on the warm side, and downright hot in the sun, but we managed to find shade and make friends…once we got to the place! Holcomb Valley Pinnacles, or Holcomb amongst most climbers, is a collection of crags just north of Big Bear Lake. It’s popular amongst climbers for its sport routes and the few trad routes it offers, and its proximity to large cities. I’ve been fortunate enough to go there initially with the benefit of staying in a cabin with friends, or to hook up with friends who already had claimed camping space in the free, primit ..read more

Last Sunday I took my nieces climbing outdoors in Southern California so they could earn the new Outdoor High Adventure Girl Scout badge. I had help from their parents and I also recruited climbing friend Christina, and legendary climber and author, John Long. With Southern California going through a hot, humid, heat wave, I had limited choices of where to take my nieces for their first time climbing on real rock. I picked a spot in the Santa Monica mountains, hoping that getting up higher would help. Even so I knew we’d be in for some heat so I went over my hot weather tips with my nieces bef ..read more

Mountaineering is hard. This was one of the thoughts going through my head as I tried to keep pace with Matt as he transitioned from one direction to the other up a steep section of the Easton glacier of Mount Baker. I needed to follow his track and then make the direction switch as well, stepping my crampons over the rope length between him and myself and not stepping on the rope length leading from me down to Christina. I also needed to switch my ice axe to my uphill hand, and my trekking pole to my downhill one. Exactly where we were on the 10,781 foot tall mountain, I was not certain, but ..read more

I think it’s pretty easy to find great gifts for climbing and/or outdoor loving Dads but I thought I’d highlight a few that caught my eye and would make some pretty good gifts year round! Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights These are great! I love giving people my blue #3, letting them heft it and then handing them my Ultralight #3. The result is usually… “Wow!”. Check them out here. Five Ten Tennies If your Dad is Old School or likes the vibe, get him a new pair of the re-introduced Five Ten, Tennies the classic approach shoe! Take a peep here. Slim Clip Phone Case This phone case is sli ..read more

So what do you say when invited to be second camera for a shoot in a well known climbing area half way acress the country that you’ve never been to? You say, “Yes, I want to go!” Even if you don’t know when it might happen, and even if it just so happens to end up being the same week that you’ve already taken a day off to make it a three day weekend trip to Red Rocks, Nevada. So it was that I found myself bound for the land of Muhummad Ali, green hills, Bourbon, and the Red River Gorge. The shoot was for the American Alpine Club and Adidas Outdoor and I had just had the good fortune to have ju ..read more