Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Monthly Archives: September 2012

Toddlers and Helmets – From Bike to Crag…

Toddlers and Helmets – From Bike to Crag…

My husband and I have always been fans of the brain bucket.  Climbing, biking, horseback riding, driving down I-77 during rush hour (one of these might be an exaggeration)…when it comes to adventures in the outdoors, many of our family photos involve a collage of hard hats.  In the climbing world, this sometimes makes us seem a little bit dorky – while there are some climbing situations where I don’t wear my helmet, 90% of the time I’ve got one on if I’m more than 15 feet off the ground (for a more detailed version of my helmet stance for…Read the rest of this entry →

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New River Gorge: The SEND Train has left the station…

New River Gorge: The SEND Train has left the station…

And I managed to hop on it this time.  (It’s about time…) SEND TRAIN:  The extreme sending phenomenon that occurs when a group of climbers are projecting together and one person finally has a breakthrough – the rest of the crew feeds off of that psych, and all of a sudden everyone is crushing left and right. In last week’s trip report I alluded to the fact that I had felt like I had been in somewhat of a climbing slump for the past few weeks.  It seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I was always coming up…Read the rest of this entry →

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3 Ideas for Preserving Family Beach Memories

3 Ideas for Preserving Family Beach Memories

In a previous post about our family’s beach trip this past summer, I mentioned that we brought a few seashells home with us.  Well that might have been an understatement considering that our stash still has leftovers after multiple craft projects and some garden accents.  I had initially wanted to wait until we had used up all of our seashells to post, but what with school starting and the perfect fall weather we’ve been having, it makes more sense to put indoor craft time on the back burner for a little while.  (Holiday gift ideas, anyone?)  That being said, all 3…Read the rest of this entry →

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The NRG Craggin’ Classic…

The NRG Craggin’ Classic…

This weekend marked an exciting milestone for the American Alpine Club, as well as any climber frequenting the New River Gorge (which is probably the majority of us in the Southeast…)  The “Craggin’ Classic” event gave climbers a chance to get a sneak peek at the latest progress on the new AAC climbers’ campground.  It’s pretty bare bones right now, but from the sounds of it, it has the makings to become a staple part of the NRG!  The crowd was small, but the camaraderie was high, and it seemed as though everyone was relieved to finally see some fall temps again!…Read the rest of this entry →

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Why You Need a Pair of Tenayas in Your Climbing Shoe Quiver

Why You Need a Pair of Tenayas in Your Climbing Shoe Quiver

When I found out a few months ago that Tenaya would be joining Trango under the Great Trango Holdings, Inc umbrella, my first thought was, “YES!!!  Free shoes!”  But then my second thought was, “Geez, what if I don’t like them?!?”  I mean let’s be honest here.  Though at first glance many climbers may seem like easy gear junkies who will try anything and everything if its free, the majority of our flirtations with gimmicky swag is just temporary before we toss it aside in favor of our old stand-by gear.  And there’s probably no piece of climbing gear that…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN