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

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Most Popular Posts of 2014

Most Popular Posts of 2014

The end of the calendar year is a time that a lot of folks use for reflection, including myself.  One of the ways I do this on the blog is by revisiting the most popular posts of the year – ie, the ones that generated the most comments, site traffic, social media action, and just overall “buzz.”  As a writer it’s helpful for me to see what my readers responded to most.  For my faithful long-time readers, it’s a chance to stroll down memory lane and possibly catch up on some goodies that you may have missed earlier in the year.…Read the rest of this entry →

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How to Keep Warm on Winter Climbing Days

How to Keep Warm on Winter Climbing Days

Contrary to popular “non-climber” belief, the best weather conditions for climbing often occur during cold weather.  The crux moves on your project on a hot (or worse yet, hot AND humid) summer day can easily feel several letter grades harder than it would on a cool, crisp winter day.  With that in mind, sending odds can sometimes be dramatically increased for those that are willing to brave the cold.  And while how cold is “too cold” to climb varies from person to person, here are some ideas for turning miserable, finger-numbing weather into perfect sending conditions.  (Unless of course you’re a mountaineer…in…Read the rest of this entry →

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5 Tips for Family Geocaching

5 Tips for Family Geocaching

Recently our family has adopted a new outdoor hobby (because you can NEVER have to many, right?)  While I wish I could say it involved snow, it’s something that can be enjoyed with nothing but a smart phone and some enthusiastic explorers – geocaching!  For those of you that may not be familiar with the term, geocaching is basically a real-life treasure hunting game, played outdoors with the use of GPS.  Lately my oldest explorer has really been into searching (and finding!) type games – everything from traditional hide and seek to random, “easter egg hunt” type activities.  One day…Read the rest of this entry →

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Dare to “What If…” Like a Kid!

Dare to “What If…” Like a Kid!

As most of us are probably all too painfully aware, little boys (and little girls!) grow WAY too fast…and growing feet need new climbing shoes on the regular, often before the current pair is worn out.  So far we’ve been pretty lucky in the hand-me-down department (we’ve got several pairs in the garage just waiting to be grown into!)  Just recently I noticed that Big C’s shoes had gone from comfortable to what grown-up climbers would refer to as “performance fit”…great for sending that project, but not so great for little feet that are still developing.  So we went into…Read the rest of this entry →

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Creative Ideas for that Leftover Halloween Candy Stash…

Creative Ideas for that Leftover Halloween Candy Stash…

  Raise your hand if your house still has Halloween candy left.  Don’t lie about it, we can’t be the only ones.  And yes, that secret stash in the top of your pantry that your kids don’t know about DOES count. And playing that warrior game with your kids about their candy doesn’t make it any better.  If you’re like our family, your kids probably got way too much candy and you’re not quite sure how to, ahem, dispose of it in a manner that is satisfactory to everyone in the household.  I mean, you could always just throw it away I…Read the rest of this entry →

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