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

Archives

How to Make Reachy Moves

How to Make Reachy Moves

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been shut down by a crux sequence because of a hold that is juuuuust out of reach.  Unless you are 7 feet tall, most of us should have our hands up at this point.  While it’s probably safe to say that a climber who is 5 feet tall probably deals with this more than one who is 6 feet tall, learning how to make long reaches is a skill that can benefit all climbers. Standing at 5’5″ tall, I’m certainly not short by female standards (average height for adult American female is 5’4″), although…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

From Farm to Table – Strawberry Season!

From Farm to Table – Strawberry Season!

When it comes to local eating, strawberry season is my favorite time of year (although autumn apples are pretty high on the list as well…)  So much delicious goodness from such a beautiful little berry!  The past few weeks have been a yummy blur of picking, eating, and experimenting in the kitchen.  Some of our results were gobbled up right away, others got tossed into the deep freeze for later.  Below are our favorite ways to take advantage of the strawberry season. Strawberry Chia Freezer Jam This is seriously the bomb, ya’ll!  And the best part about it is that we’ll be…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

Ups and Downs Climbing at the OBED

Ups and Downs Climbing at the OBED

Last weekend was Memorial Day Weekend, which meant it was time for our 5th annual climbing trip to the Obed Wild and Scenic River.  Usually this trip marks the start of the humid sweatfest that is otherwise known as summer  climbing in the Southeast…but we actually lucked out with a spring-ish weekend.  Nights were cool, and midday highs were in the low 80’s with very little humidity.  Definitely the best Memorial Day conditions we’ve ever had! But when the whole family is involved in the climbing experience, there’s a lot more to great “sending conditions” than just weather.  Without wasting too…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

Softstar Minimalist Sandals – A Review

Softstar Minimalist Sandals – A Review

One thing you may not know about Baby Zu is that she is rather into shoes.  At least twice a day I catch her in our mud room camped out in a giant pile of shoes.  No matter how many times we organize the shoes, by the end of the day, they are scattered out around the house again.  They don’t even have to be hers.  In fact, she takes it upon herself regularly to make sure that everyone in the house has a pair of shoes available to them at arm’s reach. So it only made sense to let…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

To All the Guy Climbers: A Rant and a Salute…

To All the Guy Climbers: A Rant and a Salute…

It was pretty crowded in the gym last Sunday.  The weather was crappy and there were a LOT of birthday parties going on.  I was patiently trying to maneuver through my fairly extensive warm-up routine before retreating to the training area to do some Power Enduro laps.  I was almost ready, just needed to do a handful of more challenging problems that I had really dialed. There was already someone (a 20-something guy) working one of the boulder problems I was interested in doing.  He tried several times, and kept getting stuck at the crux, 3 moves in.  I waited until he took a break…Read the rest of this entry →

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