Paramount rock is a beautiful rock climbing place about 30 miles from Idaho Falls. Its located about 2ish miles down the road from Heise Hot Springs. The climbing area has 14 bolted climbs that are fun to sport climb on. Top rope anchors are at the top for the less brave hearted (like me). There are also several trad climbs on the rock. Here is the list of all the climbs I got this from Ty Madsen who has uploaded this picture to MountainProject.com. Here is a list of the climbs that are marked on the pic above ('gain, thanks Ty!): 1 - Arial Boundaries (5.9) 2 - Aerial-Fantasy (5.9) 3 - Fantasy (5.9+) 4 - Thin Red Line (5.10b) 5 - Chuck & Jed's Excellent Adventure (5.8+) 6 - Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood (5.9) 7 - Excitations (5.9+) 8 - Wild Thing (5.8) 9 - Fly By Night (5.8) 10 - Take the Heise Plunge (5.10d) 11 - Farr Side (5.10a) 12 - Dark Side (5.10a) 13 - Spraypaint (5.10d) 14 - Positively Negative (5.11b) Here's the map for getting from Idaho Falls to Paramount rock from Google maps: What you need to climb at Paramount: 1. Rope: I have a 60 meter length and 10 mm diameter rope. Here is a great guide from REI about how to pick your rope: Climbing Ropes: How to Choose. You can usually get ropes relatively inexpensive from TheClymb.com and SteepandCheap.com 2. Climbing Shoes, harness, chalk bag and belay device: I climb in FiveTen Anasazi shoes but I am due for a change. I have a black diamond climbing harness. Chalk bag is definitely needed as some routes are long and my hands get sweaty on crimpy holds. For belaying, I use the Black Diamond ATC XP 3. 10 quick draws: Many climbs are sport climbs and you'll need at least 10 quick draws to lead and clean the route. 4. Comfortable hiking shoes: The approach to the climbs is a bit steep so its a good idea to get good shoes to walk in. 5. Day pack: Carry your climbing gear some water and snacks :-) 6. Light jacket: Its always windy in Idaho Falls area so carry a light jacket to be warm! I end up wearing my down jacket at the end of the climbing day every time lol My friend Julie killing it on the route called "Wild Thing" View of the farms and valley from Paramount rock ![]() Beautiful sunset from the climbing spot! Feel free to contact me if you need any information on climbing at paramount rock! A couple good resources are:
1. Mountain Project website 2. Sweet Spots book by local climber Jerry Painter
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The hike to wind caves is a beautiful hike on the west side of the Tetons. The trail starts just east of Driggs at about 7000 ft at the south fork of Darby Canyon. The trail itself is pretty short, about 2.6 miles to the wind caves from the trail head. There's plenty of dogs running around (including mine haha) and people of all ages doing the hike. The entire trail is beautifully green and it ends at a waterfall coming out of the wind caves. We hiked this trail at the end of June and there was still plenty of snow towards the end of the hike and this made the trail quite wet and slippery but still not difficult. Some pictures I took at the hike can be seen on this post. Here is how you get there: 1. Drive into Victor, ID 2. Drive north toward Driggs on Hwy 33 for 5.3 miles 3. Turn right on to W 3000 S and drive 3 miles 4. Turn right Darby Canyon Road (follow signs to Darby Canyon) and drive 4.5 miles 5. Park and start hike! Here is a pic of the route from Victor, ID to Darby wind cave trailhead (thanks google!) What you need for the hike: 1. Hiking shoes: I use Saloman hiking shoes that are light and waterproof. They are also pretty reasonable. I bought mine 4 years back and they are still going strong. Here is a link to them on amazon.com: Saloman Womens X Ultra GTX Hiking Shoe 2. Day pack: I have a Black Diamond Astral 40 backpack that I bought a few years back. I love the pack! I take it rock climbing, hiking, mountaineering, trail running and it never fails to make me happy about that purchase. 3. Sun glasses: I love my white oakley sunglasses. I run with them regularly too and then never fall off. I can't seem to find the exact model but I bought mine on SteepandCheap.com and they were 60% off. 4. Comfortable clothes: Anything comfortable would do. This time of the year, the weather is warm, but not too warm. I hiked in convertible hiking pants (from REI) and yoga top (from Lululemon). My friends hiked in jeans and yoga pants. 5. Snacks: Luna bar and Trail mix should be enough. 6. Water: I carried 2 liters in my camelback and hardly used one. 7. Dog (optional): Not optional for me, probably optional for you. My dog had a blast hiking around. She was off leash and sniffing everything everywhere. She is sleeping very very sound at the moment and I couldn't be happier. So a quick summary of the hike: Distance: 2.6 miles one way (5.2 miles total) Time: 5 hours Elevation gain: 1900 ft Difficulty: Beer friendly (you can hike most of the trail with a six pack) Pet: Dog allowed (cats don't hike) More info and pictures: Alltrails.com Snow and I having a special moment during the hike Beautiful waterfall waiting for you at the top of the hike!
When I first started going to farmers markets, I had absolutely no idea how to navigate it and what to buy. I ended up just tasting things and buying bread - which is still cool. But I ended up with nothing to cook with. This happened a few times till I finally mustered the courage to buy real vegetables and not sound totally silly to the sellers.
Here is a list of a few things you can get at the farmers market that give grocery stores serious competition: 1. Tomatoes: Farmers market tomatoes are the best - they are cheaper AND bigger! The redder the better. Avoid squishy tomatoes as they will rot! Ripe, firm and red tomatoes can be used in variety of salads and dishes. 2. Cucumber: One of the most hydrating and delicious vegetables out there. It goes perfectly with tomatoes in a quick cucumber tomato salad. Again, cheaper than grocery store and juicier than ever. 3. Avocado: If I could eat avocado with everything, I totally would. Farmers market avocados are much larger and close to half price of grocery store. I end up using mine for 3 meals! Avocado tip: if you use only half, leave the pip in the other half and it won't go brown when you refrigerate it. Be sure to put it in a ziplock or plastic container. 4. Garlic: The best garlic I have had is also from farmers market. Just roast them and you can eat them whole. Look for elephant garlic for putting in Moroccan type dishes whole or regular small garlic for use in cooking. You will not regret! 5. Bell Peppers: Probably my favorite vegetable. Peppers at the market will also rival grocery store prices with the additional benefit: No pesticides! You can stuff bell peppers with a variety of things which makes a very healthy dinner (easy on the cheese =P ). Grab 1-2 and you can chop half at a time for a small dish or use one whole for dinner! 6. Herbs: Start growing herbs instead of buying them at grocery store. You can buy potted herbs at farmers market for same price as a small serving at grocery store. It reduces your carbon foot print plus the herbs of your liking will be easily available in your kitchen. (Maybe I'll write a blog post about that hmmm...). You can even buy potted cherry tomatoes and have infinite salads! 7. Eggs: Again, local eggs are awesome. The hens these eggs come from are usually open range from local small farms. Every time I see eggs at farmers market, I make it a point to pick up at least half a dozen! Try making a creme brûlée with these eggs and you will not regret! 8. Meats: Farmers markets pride themselves in farm grown and humanely treated meats. These might be pricier than usual grocery store stuff, but you can assure yourself that your food was happy and healthy roaming around mother earth :) Farmers markets are exciting but avoid purchasing more food than you need. Its great to be realistic about what you will have in the week and how much time you'll have to cook. Here is a quick lunch I fixed myself after going to my local farmers market in Idaho Falls :) Here: tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, pepper jack cheese and french bread. The veggies have a touch of olive oil and salt and pepper. Super healthy, super quick and super yum! |
MahimaNuclear Engineer, Product and Strategy expert, Vegetarian, Adventurer. Categories
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