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

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4 Days of Pump at the Red River Gorge

4 Days of Pump at the Red River Gorge

Spring.  One the two times per year that our family heads to the Red River Gorge with the sole intention of obliterating our forearms.  For those of you not familiar with the Red River Gorge, the climbing style is the polar opposite of the climbing we typically engage in at our favorite weekend crag, the New River Gorge.  “The New” is all about technical face climbing – long, intricate, well-defined crux sequences involving tiny crimps and great footwork.  In contrast, most routes at “the Red” lack a distinct crux – the difficulty comes not in the individual moves, but in linking them all…Read the rest of this entry →

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Giveaway and Discounts from Medi-Dyne Brands!

Giveaway and Discounts from Medi-Dyne Brands!

Those of you that are keen observers perhaps may have noticed the latest graphic in the “Featured Partner” sidebar on this site. That’s because our family is psyched to have been chosen as ambassadors for Medi-Dyne Brands.  And that means great things for us AND you all! Medi-Dyne is a company that offers professional health care products aimed at improving performance and providing pain relief in both the long-term and short-term.  Their pre-hab products are designed to keep you outside enjoying the mountains, beach, lake, or wherever it is that you recreate most. So far we’ve had a chance to try 3…Read the rest of this entry →

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New River Gorge, Round 2!

New River Gorge, Round 2!

Another beautiful spring weekend means another trip to the New River Gorge.  And another trip to the New means another great weekend of family, friends, laughs…and of course climbing!  This was the second week of my Rock Climber’s Training Manual “perfomance phase,” and after the inconsistencies from the first week, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Here’s how it went… Michelin Man Original Finish (5.12b) – After one-hanging this one last weekend, sending this was my primary goal for this trip.  I was hoping that hopping on it fresh as a daisy on Day 1 would feel a lot…Read the rest of this entry →

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The Perfect Hand-Me-Down: 3 Kids and 1 Down Suit

The Perfect Hand-Me-Down: 3 Kids and 1 Down Suit

Before I became pregnant with my first child, I was blessed to have some like-minded friends who were just phasing out of the life stage we were just getting ourselves into.  Their then-toddler would be their last child, and they were actually preparing to move to Germany…which meant our family was one of the many to benefit from their infant outdoor gear archives! We scored bigtime in the clothing and shoe department, most of which at this point has either been worn into the ground or given to other families of outdoorsy little boys who like to play in the mud.  However,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Performance Week 1: New River Gorge

Performance Week 1: New River Gorge

This past weekend marked the first trip of my “Performance Phase” in my first training cycle using the Rock Climber’s Training Manual.  There were a few ups and downs, but overall I am very pleased with how I climbed, and am optimistic about how the next few weeks will go.  I’ll start with the downs, so I can end on a good note! DOWNS On the routes I’d previously been on (and thus already worked out the moves for), I got shutdown.  I failed miserably on Techman (5.12c), which had been my primary goal for the weekend.  The crux went…Read the rest of this entry →

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