There are a lot of them out there, REI has a good selection to start with.

Climbing guides are very expensive, but there are COMPLETELY worth it! I recommend searching out different books and then buying used off of Amazon. Pro-life tip. Purchase from smile.amazon.com and they donate a tiny bit of your purchase to a charity of your choice! :)

I have these books and they're fantastic:

• Shuteye Ridge, which is just outside of Yosemite. It's more of a local hot spot because they're out of the way but when I lived in this area for two summers I spent a lot of time with my nose in this book and my hands on these climbs. But I'm not sure it's worth the cost and the of full day it takes to get to these climbs. I recommend the beautiful Tuolomne area north of the Yosemite Valley and Shuteye, but you'll run into more crowds.
  
• This bouldering book for Yosemite valley is fantastic. If you enjoy bouldering it's helpful to get bouldering specific books because most climbing books only briefly mention bouldering areas.
  
• I love this particular Joshua Tree book but it is missing some fantastic recent sport routes. Talk to a lot of people before hitting up Joshua Tree. There's some incredible bouldering, sport, and especially trad in J-tree. There's also some cheaper places to camp than the main campsites. There's some government land outside of the park that is free (but it's not close to the climbing so it racks up gas mileage to drive in and out of the park) and you can "backpack" in the park for free. So I'll sometimes "backpack" camp when I can't get a site.
  
• And then this book I have no experience with, but it seems kinda like a great overview for a lot of the area you'll be visiting. I'm sure that there are a lot out there similar. I know that I have another great book that gives an overview for all of California, but I can't find it right now. Maybe I'll find it later and send its name your way.
  
  Well, that was a word vomit response about Climbing guides. As you can see, these guide books can get expensive, especially if you're visiting a lot of different locations. But they can really make your trip rock because you can map out great climbing spots ahead of time. I use them to pick the best spot for a morning of climbing by picking an area with several climbs that I'm stoked to try out.
  
  edit: OH and if you're planning on stopping in multiple National Parks (which I highly recommend stopping at as many as possible!) then I'd just go ahead and get a National Park year pass. They're $80 and you can go in and out of National Parks for free. It normally costs $20/vehicle for parks like Yosemite and Joshua Tree so it gives some extra freedom to get a pass if you're traveling. Plus you're supporting the park systems which is always a plus.

Exciting! If this is your first time, you should definitely get yourself a copy of Gerry Roach's Colorado 14ers, 3rd Edition and read-up. It'll get you excited and help you anticipate some of what is coming your way with Colorado hiking. Beyond that, I'll give some of my own advice.

As someone who lives most the year near sea-level, there's not much you can do to prep for the altitude except to build in time when you get there to adjust, drink a lot of water, and take Asprin. More cardio and some long walks with a weighted pack are both great ways to train more in the lead-up.

The Bierstadt-Evans Combo is a Class-3; even with a little rock-climbing background, I don't know that I'd recommend going beyond that on your first trip. The only thing in that range that would be a step-up would be the Long's Peak Keyhole Route, and that is a pretty tough one.

Personally, I would recommend doing something before the Bierstadt-Evans Combo, something like the Grays and Torreys Combo. It is in the same range and is a shorter, Class-2. Doing this first would help you acclimate and get a good sense of whether or not this trip is the one to go a step beyond Bierstadt-Evans. Another good option that requires leaving the Front Range is to do the Lincoln Group Combo. There is camping at the trailhead, which is around 12000 feet. Stay the night there, bag those four peaks, and you'll have a much easier time adjusting to altitude while also getting a sense of your limits. Every time I bring someone out for me the first time, we do the Lincoln Group together. It helps them adjust, gives us a sense of where they have limits, and they get to go home with four summits in the bag.

I hope you have a great trip, and best of luck solidifying your plans!

Escaping the belay from any type of belay is an essential skill to have. (Here's a famous example where the belayer had to escape the belay to rescue a fallen leader due to rock fall two pitches up.)

But as a leader you may have to escape the belay, fix ropes and rescue a follower. Of course it's easier to escape the belay when the belay is on the anchor but it's good to know what to do when you're belaying off your harness either from above or below. Here are a couple resources that may be helpful.

• Escape Top Belay (Belay from Anchor)
  
• Escape Top Belay (Belay from Harness)
  
• Escape Bottom Belay (Belay from Harness)
  
• Escape Bottom Belay (Belay from Harness) (More in-depth)
  
  
  > I still need to state that I may shit my pants if I had to do a couple of these in a real-life scenario
  
  Glad you can recognize this. Think of self-rescue as an integral part of being prepared to get on a multipitch route. Without having self-rescue skills you exponentially increase the risk of not being able to be rescued at all.
  
  Good luck and have fun!
  
  Edit: This book definitely helped me start to think about belays and rope management not as a series of steps to follow but as systems and how to adapt in all sorts of scenarios.

The Mountaineers, like you already mentioned, may be your best bet. Washington Alpine Club is another option, though they are also passed the registration period for classes this year. You could certainly continue climbing and gaining experience on things you feel comfortable on, lots of snow climbing around here doesn't require glacier travel or even much experience, just use of ice axe/crampons and a love for long walks. Examples include Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens in early season, and basically anything in the Washington Scrambles book (highly recommended) during early season.

You could also try posting over at Cascade Climbers for partners - the only thing I recommend is being very upfront about your level of experience (or lack thereof). If you overstate your experience, trust me, your partner will know, and they'll likely decline to climb with you again.

My recommendation is that you should get your own systems dialed before asking for partners/team. You mention you have steep snow (and ice?) experience? I'm going to assume you don't have much glacier travel or crevasse rescue experience, and likely no alpine rock experience either. Lacking these skills, what you are asking for is essentially a free guide service, or someone to teach you all the technical stuff while assuming all the risk.

That said, my recommendation is to actually hire a guide for a 'skill session.' You can often find one, two, or three day crevasse rescue courses, and then supplement that hands-on knowledge with some old fashioned book reading, as well as tons of practice on your own time. Once you get everything dialed, then post on Cascade Climbers, and I bet you'll have good luck with someone willing to take you out.

Can I get some of you more experienced boulderers to cast your eyes over my new training plan?

Context

I *finally* reached the end of a 12-week cut, having dropped 7.2kg. Now I plan to bump my calories back up to maintenance and take advantage of the extra energy and improved body composition.

I've been bouldering for ~2.5 years total, going 3x per week for the last 6 months. I mostly climb in the gym (V4/V6) but would like to get outdoors a bit more as the weather improves.

The Plan

I want to improve my skill and strength for bouldering. I'm going to continue climbing 3x a week but give each session a different focus as suggested in Steve Bechtel's book, Logical Progression. I also really enjoy lifting, so I'm going to follow Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 Building the Monolith, which is essentially the big four lifts with a few accessories – nothing too crazy. Finally, I'm going to add a hangboard session each week. I've never really trained on the hangboard, so I've picked a very simple beginners protocol to do once a week and see how it goes.

So my week will look like this:

Monday – Gym

5/3/1 Building the Monolith (BtM) squat and OHP

Tuesday – Climbing: strength endurance intervals

Climb 1 route at onsight level, rest 2 minutes. Repeat this 6 times then rest for 5 minutes. Then repeat the whole thing two more times.

Wednesday – Gym

5/3/1 BtM deadlift and bench

Thursday – Climbing: endurance intervals + hangboard

Lower intensity but more volume than Tuesday. Climb 1 route ~1-2 grades below onsight, rest one minute. Repeat this 12 times then rest for 5 minutes. Then repeat the whole thing two more times.

Hangboard protocol is 5s on 25s off, 10s on 20s off, 15s on 15s off. Repeat four times.

Friday – Gym

5/3/1 BtM squat and OHP

Saturday – Cardio

Ride my bicycle and relax!

Sunday – Climbing: limit bouldering

Four routes at 1-2 grades *above* onsight level, spending roughly 20 minutes on each.

Warm weather beta for Fontainebleau?

Hi All, I'm super excited to have the chance to go to font for a few days next week. I've never been before and have been told "everything's great" whenever I ask which bits to go and see, which is really exciting but also super daunting because there's far too much stuff to be covered by one guidebook. I have this: https://smile.amazon.com/Fontainebleau-Climbs-Finest-Bouldering-Circuits/dp/1594857709?sa-no-redirect=1 but even just looking in there there's literally no way to choose!

Does anyone have any recommendations for: a) places which are particularly well-shaded (it's going to be ridiculously hot) b) specific climbs in the low-mid 6s which you just don't think anyone should miss? c) Specific circuits which tend to be shady and interesting (and probably don't go above 6c)

I'm really exciting and sure I'm going to have a great time regardless, and I have no expectations about breaking into new grades given the weather, but any recommendations just for "somewhere to start" would be hugely appreciated! Thank you!

Ross Island is the obvious close one.

Columbia Slough is hit or miss--it's very dirty in some places.

Smith and Bybee is great right now--you can probably still catch the nesting osprey.

Scappoose Bay is especially fun when the water is high, because you can kayak through the forest. I haven't gone this year yet.

Multnomah Channel is fun if you like goat cheese fritters at Marks On The Channel, which I highly recommend.

There are lovely sections of the Tualatin River, but stay away from the part that goes by Lake O because the current is dangerous.

Is Elk Island still an island right now or is the water too low? If it's still an island then that means it is likely hobo-free and makes for a good picnic spot.

There are literally over 100 boater-only campgrounds on the Willamette between here and Eugene. One of the best vacations of my life was floating from Eugene to Independence and camping along the way--for free. You don't even have to pack much food because nearly every river town has a store within walking distance.

I recently did Luckiamute but I would not recommend that place until you get a little more experience.

If you're looking for an easy overnight, I like Wells Island--especially if you have a fishing permit.

Nehalem Bay is pretty rad. Check the tide tables before you go, so you can float from Wheeler to Nehalem for lunch with the tide, then back to Wheeler as the tide goes out.

I have a few books that include many fun routes in the area. I think this is one of them.

May is still fairly early season, the vast majority of ascents happen in July and August. Since it's early season and PNW weather is what it is, you're much more likely to have bad weather than if you waited a few months. Depending on how long you'll be here you may get a great weather window or could have a week+ long period of low visibility and rain.

Would you trust your friend to rescue you from a crevasse without any assistance? If not, they're probably not the best partner to take on this climb. While many of the crevasses will still be snow covered in May, they may be starting to melt out and thin snow bridges won't be as apparent. Mt Rainier is not a 'technical' climb nor is it especially high, but it certainly is a test of fitness and has its fair share of objective hazards.

Depending on conditions, any of those routes could be the right one for you. All are relatively easy as far as glacier climbs go.

I'm not going to go into depth on the other questions - you can do your own research there. RMI and IMG are local guiding companies that can provide resources and make recommendations.

Washington has a huge selection of hikes, from PCT section hikes through the Cascades to long loops in the Olympics. WTA is a great resource for finding the right one for your trip. I'd recommend Washington Scrambles as a good book for non-technical summits in the area.

I excerpted this from an email I sent to a buddy of mine. I used to guide hikes in and around RMNP.

The Completer Hiking Guide by Lisa Foster is the best guide to Rocky. She's a ranger there, or at least was when I was there.The only problem is that she doesn't really differentiate between hard scrambling and easy climbing.

http://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Mountain-National-Park-Complete/dp/0615526845/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Hikes

Easy

• Bridal Veil Falls
  
• Lumpy Ridge
  
• Circle of Lakes (Mills Lake, The Loch, Lake Haiyaha, Dream Lake)
  
• Fern-Odessa Loop (start at the Bear Lake Trailhead. Use the shuttle to get back to the Bear Lake parking lot)
  
• Cub Lake
  
• Emerald Lake, good after dinner hike
  
• Bighorn Mountain
  
  
  Medium
  
  
• Lake of Glass/Sky Pond
  
• Flattop, Hallets and Otis peaks
  ~Go up Flattop. Hike the tundra to Hallets and Otis. Glissade down the Andrews Glacier, b/t Otis and Andrews. Hike out on the Loch trail. Check the conditions on the Andrews Glacier before doing this one. Also if there's still a snow pack, you may want to go with a guide, i.e. a hikemaster form the YMCA of the Rockies.
  
• Tyndall Tarn?
  ~This is above Emerald Lake at the base of the Tyndall glacier, which is a hanging glacier. To get there, find a route over the boulder field to the South, left, of Emerald Lake. I made it most of the way there and got turned around by a storm.
  
• Timber Lake
  
• Ptarmigan Tarns?
  ~There's a climber's trail heading toward the saddle between Flattop and and Notchtop Mtn, called Ptarmigan Point on the quads. You should look for it just past Two Rivers Lake, prior to heading down toward Lake Helene. It will be off to the left of the main trail. Follow it until your reach Ptarmigan Tarns. I think there are two.
  
• Joe Mills Mtn.
  ~There's no trail once you turn off the trail to Odessa Lake. Scramble to the top and head to the west for the high point. Very nice view of Lake Helene.
  
• Chasm Lake
  
• Teddy's Teeth
  
• Twin Sisters
  
  Hard
  
  
• Mummy Mtn./Lawn Lake (very long hike)
  
• Chapin, Chiquita and Ypsilon (high elevation, hike from the Fall River Rd. trailhead)
  
• Mt. Ida, from Timber Lake
  
• The Never Summer Range ~These peaks are characterized by long approaches over rotten, unstable rock. The advantage is there are lightly visited, compared to other areas of RMNP.
  
  Restaurants
  
  
• Smokin Daves
  
• Poppy's
  
• Kind Coffee
  
• Hayley's
  
• Breakfast place in Allenspark, CO
  ~can't remember the name of it. Really, really good breakfast. Find a local and ask them. They should know about it. Head about 16 miles south on C0-7. It's right in the main part of Allenspark.
  
• Rock Inn
  ~don't remember much about the food. I went there for the live bluegrass every weekend. Here's the schedule: http://www.rockinnestes.com/
  
  
  You should definitely spend a day hitting the breweries in Fort Collins.There are six breweries, I think. The tour at The New Belgium Brewery was a favorite. The EP Brewery isn't bad, either.
  
  Lastly, some general tips for hiking there. Most of the rock there is granite. It is very hard on footwear. There will be perpetual construction on Trail Ridge road. This can lead to very long delays in both directions (hours). Plan accordingly. Much of the park is at high elevation. Afternoon thunderstorms are very common. If you're attempting a summit, or heading to a high elevation lake, you should be on your way down by around lunchtime. Plan on the early starts others have mentioned. You will probably have to acclimatize. Start with easier stuff and work your way up to more difficult hikes.The best source of information will be the rangers. They know their park and what goes on in it. Sorry for the wall of text. Enjoy the trip, RMNP is an amazing place.
  

My personal recommendation if you are new to mountaineering you will enjoy and get more out of a trip out in the Rockies. More chances for route finding opportunities and a more gradual transition into snow travel and the ability to do more mountains in the same amount of time!. I've done Shasta, Rainier, Glacier NP, Grand Teton NP, and CO 14ers for a frame of reference. You could

1.) Pick up the bible of moutaineering in Glacier NP and pick as many mountains and routes as your heart desires. MAP One itinerary: fly into Kalispell, drive into Glacier NP (the best NP imo) to Logan Pass and start with one of the best mountain vistas I've ever witnessed on Reynolds Mountain the first day, there's so many to choose from but Chief Mountain for the 2nd day, Allen and/or Wynn the 3rd, big day including Iceberg Peak, Ahern and Swiftcurrent for the fourth.

2.) MAP Fly into Colorado Springs, drive out to Lake City and do Uncompaghre and Wetterhorn the first day; Red Cloud, Sunshine, and Handies the second day; Ellingwood, Blanca and optional Little Bear the third day and; the Crestone Peak and Needle the fourth day with a not too far drive back to Colorado Springs.


I would choose the second one because I would save GNP for a trip when you have more time.

There are tons of guidebooks for Josh. Depends on what you want though as some are more just a list of climbs without much commentary.(even gear!) Some are more of a best of which I would recommend. I have the "trad guide to josh" which has 60 climbs from 5.5 to 5.9 that the author recommends. It's good but I'd probably get this one instead; in fact I just picked it up.

Tahquitz only has one really

malibu creek has sport climbing the santa monicas is ok. but nowhere near the quality of the color pictures and descriptions of the josh ones.

hidden treasures east covers holcomb valley. You can get a lot of info from the mountain project page too.

Red rock is way out of the way but tons of amazing climbing. this is really the defacto guidebook. I am hesitant to say that I have seen a better guidebook anywhere.

There is some hard sport at the riverside quarry(though some really easy stuff too but not a moderate destination crag by any stretch of the mind). You can get the second edition of louie's guide book directly from him. Full color and very good.

If you go to taylors falls, be sure to explore and get past the tourist rocks (those first things you see heading down the trail) and get into some of the more "fun" routes. Also, check out the WI side - they have some great stuff, and its rarely as busy.

Red Wing is also great once you are comfortable with sport climbing - there are a few pretty easy routes there to get going on.

this is a great guidebook for local climbing.

There are a lot of great hiking guidebooks available. A popular series is 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of "City". Looks like they have one for Raleigh area but that may be a bit far for you.

However I see another popular one on Amazon is 100 Classic Hikes in NC. These books are nice as you get a nice rundown of a lot of trails with some tips and maps.

Enjoy!

You could start the PCT NOBO and get 700 miles of trail legs, but when you get to the Sierra there are many ways that you could deviate from the official trail and put together some high routes and alternate trails to link them together.

http://www.adventurealan.com/southern-sierra-high-route-soshr-guide/

https://www.amazon.com/The-Sierra-High-Route-Traversing/dp/0898865069/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://andrewskurka.com/adventures/kings-canyon-high-basin-route/

https://andrewskurka.com/adventures/yosemite-high-route/

​

After you finish rambling through the mountains you'd have a a good sense about whether you still wanted more high adventure and navigation or if you'd had your fill of it and wanted to continue on the PCT proper with it's smooth tread and more chance of company. You'd have the option to deviate and climb some of the massive peaks further north as well. A mixed trip like this sounds like an amazing way to spend 5 months.

Consider supplementing your classes with some books. Bob Gaines new AMGA Manual, the classic Luebben climbing book, and Luebben's anchor book are all excellent. John Long has a new Trad Climbers Bible, haven't read it though. I find him wordy and often not as clear as others.

Note that Luebben suggests to spend a day every year climbing with an expert guide to make sure you're solid.

If you want a specific recommendation: BEFORE YOUR CLASS: Pick up the three books above and read them. Take notes on what you don't understand. Look to online forums and videos for answers. Buy some gear and practice placing the gear outside. Have a piece of rope you keep on your couch. Practice knots while watching TV. FOR YOUR CLASS: Once you've done this, then take a class with an expert. Bring all the questions you've come up with. Take notes and get your guides contact info so you can stay in touch after. AFTER YOUR CLASS, continue reviewing the books (which will make more sense), start climbing easy single pitch stuff outside, email new questions to your guide. Take an anchors course if it's available, particularly before getting into multi-pitch.

Have fun & good luck!

EDIT: Check out r/tradclimbing and their excellent FAQ.

One more thing!

Climber's Guide to Devil's Lake is a great resource for very thorough coverage of all of the routes.

Climbing Minnesota and Wisconsin is less thorough, but has great full color photos that really help to identify routes and toprope anchor placements.

I find the combination of the two to be most valuable at Devil's Lake.

As for the hiking my wife and I have been exploring hikies in this book http://www.amazon.com/100-Classic-Hikes-North-Carolina/dp/1594850542, and we have found some nice ones. if you go a few hours west, there are some great views, like hanging rock, chimney rock, and grandfather mountain among others. certainly some great biking trails around lake crabtree and umstead, also falls lake has some nice hiking and trails.

A bit late here... Please don't concentrate only on gear! Rainier is a VERY dangerous big mountain and don't let the fact that there are hundreds of people going up it at any time fool you into thinking otherwise. One of our team mates punched through a crevasse waist deep while following a trail that dozens of people went over before us that same day. Practice self arrest, crevasse rescue, rope work, team dynamics, route finding, etc. Next time you walk on the street, just pretend for a few feet that the ground could collapse under you at any second and you fall to your death unless you're prepared. 95% chance you will great weather, nothing will go wrong, and you will have the best experience of your life in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Please be prepared for the other 5%.

Some great resources:
http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Mountaineering-Illustrated-Travel-Crevasse/dp/0762748621/ref=pd_sim_b_2

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-rainier/150291

Feel free to PM me and I would be happy to talk to you about our trip (unguided) and talk to you as much about gear as you can stand since I'm a gear whore.

Edit: sorry for the mean sounding post... more people than usual in the mountains this year and every incident weighs fairly heavily when you read about people dying while doing the same thing that you do.

If you have your own gear (harness, shoes, belay device, chalk) you can start climbing on rock immediately if you find people who are willing to take you, and some of the gear I mentioned isn't strictly necessary (just suggested). I am sure there is a group of local climbers who will be willing to help you get climbing outdoors.

As for books, I personally like Rock Climbing: Mastering the Basics. Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills is also really good and comprehensive (though it covers much more than just rock climbing).

You shouldn't ever accept an anchor that isn't redundant. In practice, people use single point bomber tree anchors all the time, but it isn't the best practice, and is riskier than taking a small bit of extra effort to incorporate another point into the anchor (like another tree, in this example).

I'd strongly recommend getting a book on anchor building for top rope situations, like: http://www.amazon.com/Toproping-How-To-Climb-Series/dp/0762770325

Having an experienced friend or guide go out with you your first time or few times and evaluate your anchors is a good thing to do, as well.

If you're looking for a whole week trip, shuttling down to Corvallis and paddling the Willamette back up to the pullout in West Linn is a good 5-day expedition. I did it with the Boy Scouts one summer, and except for the one day of unseasonally torrential rain we had a great time. The Willamette River Keepers has a pretty detailed "water trail" map of the river with marked camping locations and points of interest.

I don't know if they're the best books on the topic, but I have these two:

• Canoe and Kayak Routes of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington: Including Southwest Washington
  
• Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers
  
  Soggy Sneakers has more whitewater stuff in it, but both have a good number of flatwater trips as well.

Glad to help! An excellent book for looking up hikes is Lisa Foster's guide: http://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Mountain-National-Park-Complete/dp/0615526845

It's comprehensive. It hasn't been updated since the flood, but it's still very accurate.

Be sure to take a look at the flood scar on the side of Twin Sisters, too. It's visible from Highway 7. Twin Sisters can be a fun hike - and you get to hike across the flood scar - but it's not something I would recommend if you only have time for one long hike.

Check out the Alluvial Fan too.

Welcome to Yosemite!

First of all, do you trad lead? You have to be able to climb on gear to get the full favor of Yosemite climbing.

When are you going? At this time of the year the Valley can be really hot. Bring a lot of water. Or consider climbing at Tuolumne, which is much cooler.

Get your crack skills and friction climbing dialed. They are almost like prerequisites for climbing at the Valley.

A double set of cams up to #3 and single set of nuts should take you a long way. Single 60m rope is fine but having a second rope can sometimes be handy for rappelling.

Get the Supertaco guidebook... they are the best for first-time Valley climbers.

Camping is a bitch... I usually spend the nights somewhere in the national forest outside of the park.

Routes: you gotta be more specific about what you want to climb. Are you thinking about single pitch cragging? Short multipitch? Or all day adventurous routes?

Not sure if my comment was coming across as mean-spirited, but I didn't intend it to be so. I genuinely appreciate what you're doing. My story about the guidebook happens pretty often to me in southern CA, I'll show up someplace with a ticklist of high rated <V4 problems, only to find they are highballs or have landings full of rocks / down large hills.

I wish more route developers had a keen eye toward noobs. I own this book, and if books like this existed for other areas, I would definitely pick them up.

> Why isn't climbing the best training for climbing?

You get stronger at a particular workout by incrementally increasing the intensity/weight/volume of the workout. This is also known as "progressive overload." The reason why "just climbing" isn't the best training for climbing is because it tends to be too sporadic and varied to guarantee consistent progressive overload. That's why you see a lot of people on these subreddits doing things like hangboarding and weight lifting because the intensity/weight/volume is easily quantifiable, making progressive overload possible.

In Steve Bechtel's new book, Logical Progression, he suggests a few ways of quantifying your climbing sessions so that you can increase the intensity of them from session to session in such a way that you improve your strength, strength endurance, or endurance. Check it out for some good tips.

Others have mentioned key points. Getting comfortable with such things like multi-pitch sport (to get into the mental headspace), single pitch trad (need that gear knowledge), multi-pitch trad with bolted anchors (last step before going for completely trad).

What I'll add, and this is good for all climbing disciplines, is knowing some self-rescue techniques. Its just good stuff to know.
This book and this one are both good options. It will in general up your confidence in the mountains.

I forgot to add, there are some great books out there that are super inspiring and useful.

Climbing Anchors, 2nd Edition, by John Long

Self-Rescue, by David Fasulo, Mike Clelland

Big Walls, Paul Piana

The most popular area of the park is Hidden Valley/Real Hidden Valley. One of the most famous rocks is Intersection Rock. It is right off the park road you can't miss it.

Randy Vogel: Rock Climbing Joshua Tree (Falcon Guide) is the old bible for the park.

Robert Miramontes Joshua Tree Rock Climbs The new best book. This book may be out of print. But if you go to Nomad Ventures in the town Joshua Tree they may still have it. They will also have any climbing gear you need.

Mountain Project list of routes by difficulty

You should also bop on over to /r/Climbing and ask them for the best spots.

How to top rope by Bob Gains is good if you are starting out.
http://www.amazon.com/Toproping-How-To-Climb-Series/dp/0762770325

He also has a book on anchors and setting other pro if you are interested in working on leading.
http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-How-Climb-Series/dp/0762782072/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

John long is also a great author as u/jdevver suggested.

Floral Park is one of my favorites! Some other good off-trail hikes include Snow Moon/ Falling Leaf lakes (near many glacier, if I remember correctly it's off of the cracker lake trail). Shangri-La route to Iceberg Lake in Many Glacier is really cool. I recommend the Climbers Guide to Glacier National Park paired with the Nat Geo Topo map. I have experience with a fair amount of the summits in the park also if you have more questions.

I like http://multipitchclimbing.com/
You can get it as .pdf but, at least, buy David a coffee

Dave Fasulo's "Self Rescue" book https://www.amazon.com/Self-Rescue-How-Climb-David-Fasulo/dp/0762755334/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543067665&sr=8-2&keywords=self+rescue

I think I already mentioned this one in my previous comments: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Guide-Manual-Comprehensive-Reference/dp/1493025147/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543067665&sr=8-3&keywords=self+rescue

Long's "Climbing Anchors" has some good information, but some is dated. Particularly "dynamic equalization" and shock loading is not current thinking

https://www.amazon.com/Trad-Guide-Joshua-Tree-Favorite/dp/0972441395

That's what you want then for sure! Just good clean fun.

I spent my first day in font being annoyed at climbing much below the level i thought i was. From day two onwards, we shifted to a child like happiness roaming around, climbing whatever looked fun (including some trees), getting freaked out on top outs, scraping our knees and elbows, and never wanting to leave. Best advise is ignore grades. Takes crash pads, towels to clean your shoes, lots of food and water, and definitely a guide book (i have this one and it was helpful https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fontainebleau-Climbs-Finest-Bouldering-Circuits/dp/1594857709/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1526124649&sr=8-4&keywords=fontainebleau+bouldering).
Edit: plus make a good effort to warm up properly. Less easy to do than in a gym, but try not to ignore it

I'm trying to do it in September but I've got a lot of prep to do. I just bought this book on it:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sierra-High-Route-Traversing/dp/0898865069

I'd love to get in touch with anyone planning a trip or who has done it. Andrew Skurka did a good write up on it. I'm planning on buying his maps.

http://andrewskurka.com/adventures/sierra-high-route/

Gerry Roach's 14er book is the bible. Superb route descriptions, driving directions, photos, maps, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Colorados-Fourteeners-3rd-Ed-Climbs/dp/1555917461

Mid-July is heaven on earth in the Rockies. There will be heaps of wild flowers, green expanses, singing birds... My favorite month in the Rockies.

Read Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. It's one of the best books on alpinism that exists. Very detailed.

This is what it's really all about- having fun! And, geez y'll, this is literally the route featured on the cover of THE book for JTree climbing (https://www.amazon.com/Best-Climbs-Joshua-Tree-National/dp/0762770198). Bravo dude. Keep being cool and having fun.

For your first time and at the level 7a, any guidebook that has decent directions to the sectors will be fine, for example, Fontainebleau Climbs.

I've been there many times, and still almost never use a guidebook except for finding the parking and blocs. Most of the time, you can just wander around the sectors and find amazing things to climb at just about any level. It's also more fun (for me) to climb without knowing the grades.

The master point can (and will) hang over the edge fairly safely as it shouldn't be moving much at all. It's when the rope hangs over the edge that you have an issue, since the rope will be moving as you top rope. The end of the rope dragging on a slab will be fine as there's very little weight or tension that low.

Near the anchor there will be a lot of tension on the rope (from the weight of all the rope below the anchor as well as the weight of the climber if they take a fall) and you're going to want to avoid the rope dragging across an edge or hard rock there as much as possible. As you get further down towards the bottom of the rope it matters less. Obviously every situation is different, and there might be situations where you'll want to leave a directional piece to keep the rope drag low, but that kind of knowledge comes with experience. If you want a good guide you can check out this falcon guide on toproping. I don't own it but I think it covers the topic briefly, and falcon guides are generally quite good.

Vogel's Book is very comprehensive and has most routes. But if you're not going to spend weeks there, the best climbs book is really great for finding the classics.

It sounds like you would be better suited to a non linear program, as you can continue to climb outdoors and get stronger/better as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Logical-Progression-Periodization-Year-Round-Performance/dp/1544119534

I learned a lot from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Mountaineering-Illustrated-Travel-Crevasse/dp/0762748621 (despite the silly cover)

As I remember it covers considerably more than the freedom of the hills.

Personally I went outside and found a tree branch to practice hauling on. A gym will work but I found it easier to learn/practice without a bunch of other people around gawking.

Get a Supertopo climbing guidebook and look up the climber trails. These trails are unofficial climber maintained trails and are generally safe but more difficult hiking with frequent route finding by following rock stacks. The approaches to El Capitan, Washington Column, Glacier Point Apron, and Middle Cathedral offer some really great views most tourists don’t get to see. The hike to the base of Washington Column (look up the climb “Astroman”) puts you directly across from Half Dome. The hike up to El Cap (look up the climb “Pine Line”) is an easy 15 min walk. Once you get to the base of El Cap, go left and follow the base for 5 min. There is a gigantic ledge that looks strait up the Nose of El Cap. The Glacier Point Apron trail (look up the climb “The Grack”) starts at the parking lot across from Upper Pines campground and cuts into the forest to the base of Glacier Point. Once you get to the base, go left and follow it along the base.

I follow Steve Bechtel's nonlinear periodization.

Logical Progression: Using Nonlinear Periodization for Year-Round Climbing Performance https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544119534/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bUP2CbWZ123QF

It's basically a system that is less strict (if you miss a sessions you just pick up where you left off), doesn't use blocks, and is better for someone who doesn't have a "sending season" (I live in Miami so my season is whenever I make it outside, which could be any time in the year). He also has specific example of what each day should look like, etc. Just a thought. I know this doesnt answer your question directly, but I highly recommend Bechtel's teachings.

I would recommend going back to the KISS principle:

https://www.amazon.com/Logical-Progression-Periodization-Year-Round-Performance/dp/1544119534/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_b_68140_5

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

Because it's written by a consensus of experienced people, because it's comprehensive, because it's revised all the time to be current on gear and facts, and because it can save your life in more ways than any other book in existence. Too bad it weighs 3 pounds.

https://www.amazon.com/Washington-Scrambles-Best-Nontechnical-Ascents/dp/1594858403

Kaleetan Peak is a good one. Lots of good stuff in the Enchantments.

The books:

1. NOLS Wilderness Medicine
   
2. Self-Rescue
   
   The classes will help ensure you get the practice in and actually read and understood the material correctly.

from the ridge above Black Bear Lake, which Roper describes as the best view on The Sierra High Route.

These are mostly moderate climbs and great resources:

https://www.amazon.com/Yosemite-Valley-Free-Climbs-Supertopos/dp/0967239141

https://www.amazon.com/Tuolumne-Free-Climbs-Greg-Barnes/dp/0976523574

This book got me pretty far along: http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbing-Mastering-Mountaineers-Outdoor/dp/0898867436

[Here you go] (https://www.amazon.com/Toproping-How-Climb-Bob-Gaines/dp/0762770325)

This should cover all your top roping questions. Also check out the AMGA single pitch book as well.

This is a decent book for learning about the basic aspects of things: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898867436/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_WvWSAb8ADH6WE

More importantly, you should get to your nearest climbing gym, rent some gear, and start climbing.

There's a really good series of cartoon books about lightweight backpacking and mountaineering by a few guys from NOLS which really helped me adjust what I thought was "necessary".

Mountaineering

Ultralight

General Backpacking

I had a really solid mountaineer once tell me that the key to success on the mountains is camping like a champion. If you're poorly rested, poorly fed or angry with your partners because of a crappy camp setup, you're less likely to achieve your goals.

I mostly do ski mountaineering with some summer stuff thrown in for kicks (I'm in the Canadian rockies so "Summer" is relative). Typically I'll have my ski touring day pack 35L+ and my wife carries a 45L+ bag (she tends to carry but not wear more layers) on any trip where I'm based out of a base camp or hut. We'll drag our gear in on a pull sled or we'll both bring our 65 or 85L bags (depending on trip length) to camp, then ditch em.

The CLASSIC is Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills - should provide some interesting info for you.

Trad Climbing+ is another option, but from a british perspective so some of the stuff might seem a bit strange to you...

I've mostly been practicing it as I go along. The only books I own on the subject are the above and Glacier Mountaineering - travel and rescue

I am thinking of this guide book for our short time there? http://www.amazon.com/Best-Climbs-Joshua-Tree-National/dp/0762770198/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383061620&sr=8-1&keywords=joshua+tree+climbing

I have the other two in this series;
rock climbing anchors
and

rock climbing mastering basic skills

would that do?

For $9 there is no reason at all for anyone doing multipitch not to read this.

To be proficient at getting yourself out of trouble you have to practice it but at least having an idea of what you could do is better than having no clue at all.

https://www.amazon.com/Logical-Progression-Periodization-Year-Round-Performance/dp/1544119534


You might want to check this book out before you hangboard for a month straight and lose your skill set.