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

Name that Caption: The Helmet Head Photoshoot

Sentimental Snapshots.
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It’s been a while since I’ve had a Name That Caption post, but although I’m admittedly biased, I do think today’s is pretty darn cute.  This was taken a couple of months ago on a climbing trip to the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  The ever observant Cragbaby has taken an interest in head pieces – climbing helmets, bicycle helmets, sun hats, and of course tupperware containers.  His usual M.O. is to put it over his face first, give a long, echoing shout (a little reminiscent of a dinosaur roar, actually), and then put it on his head, usually sideways.

This picture is actually only one in a series of photos taken during a 20 minute span when C was entertaining everyone with his helmet antics at the base of the cliff. I like this one in particular because I think it highlights his joyful personality…so go ahead, take your best shot – NAME THAT CAPTION!!!  (Oh yeah, and everyone who participates will get an official Cragmama sticker!)

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The Perfect SEND-tember Combo: Tall Rock and Deep Water!

Climbing. Other.
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Who's up next guys? Cragbaby on belay duty!

With Hurricanes Lee and Katia closing in on all sides, we were extremely lucky to get 2 days of great weather on our Labor Day climbing excursion to the Obed Scenic River.  This was substantial improvement over our last Obed trip, when we dealt with thunderstorms every few hours for the entire weekend.  Our posse ended up being a fairly large group, with a wide variety of climbing abilities and goals represented, but what very easily could have been a logistical nightmare turned into a weekend filled with adventure, laughter, and of course – some serious sending!  ***Note for non-climbers – a “send” is constituted by leading (not top-roping) a route from the ground up with no falls or hangs on the rope.  Different “types” of sends might include “onsight” (first try), “flash” (first try after watching someone else do it), or “redpoint” (after multiple attempts)***

Day 1 was spent at Little Clear Creek, an area we had not been to before.  While the climbing itself wasn’t as good as other areas in the Obed, it was still a great day, and the swimming hole 100 feet from the cliff mades this area well worth the visit.  We had ropes up on a wide variety of routes (I think every person in our group had a slightly different tick list), but here’s what mine looked like…

Each jumper had their own style - Bennett...

Me...

...and Steve

Finders Keepers (5.10b) – A long tricksy move down low…then jug haul.
Over the Top (5.10a) – Casual jug-filled climbing until the sloper clipping holds at the anchors.
Dickel (5.10c) – My favorite route of the day – Technical movement on pumpy, incut slots, with an interesting topout onto a bulge.
Woke Up on a Railroad Tie (5.10a) – Similar to Dickel, but with bigger holds and longer reaches.
Uni-boob (5.11b) – About as uncomfortable as it sounds…Not a fan of the tiered roof section that ended with a desperate clip.  (Full disclosure: there was a stick clip involved during this section, which for you non-climbers, this walk of shame certainly does NOT count as a send, but at least it keeps everyone safe…)
Sweat Lodge (5.10b) – Pumpy climbing on good holds and good rock.  Felt pretty darn hard for 10b.

Come on in, the water's fine!

A closer inspection...

The highlight for many however, was the post-climbing dip at the swimming hole.  The area had two different levels that during high water would be split by a waterfall, but during low water was only separated by a little bit of scrambling.  Lots of boulders of varying heights hung out over the deep water in the lower section, providing the perfect opportunity for us all to showcase our best cannonballs.  The upper section was filled with shallow water about a foot deep, which meant that Cragbaby not only had his own private kiddie pool to splash around in, but also had a bird’s eye view of the diving shenanigans taking place on the lower level!

The crew enjoying our Mexican Feast

As exhilarating and refreshing it was to plunge into the spring-fed mountain pool, the hike back was a hot and sweaty reminder that we were destined to be a stinky crew all weekend.  After some merriment and a Mexican feast back at camp, we woke the next morning to cloud cover and a few ominous breezes.  Since no one had a signal, we had to go back to the pre-iPhone era of trusting the weather report we’d seen on Friday afternoon, which hadn’t called for rain until the late afternoon.  We hiked down to South Clear, which is probably my favorite area at the Obed.

April headed up to the Best Seat in the House (5.9)

Prophet 5.11b – Pretty stout for us shorties…powerful boulder problem start and a tricky dihedral section in the middle.
Spawn 5.10b/c – I’ve seen this route listed as everything from 10a (definitely not), to 10d (probably not that hard).  I think the new Obed guidebook’s 10b/c is right on.  Regardless of what the actual grade is however, if you climb 5.10 it’s a must-do!  Steep climbing on great holds with a couple of fabulous rest stances to catch your breath, with a spectacular view all the way down to the river as your reward at the top!  I was really proud of the hubster for snagging the redpoint on this one!

Aaron eyeing the draw on Comic Relief Direct (5.8)

Paleface 5.11a –   This route had epic written all over it from the get go – a very intimidating line that wandered up a broken flake system onto a spectacular exposed white face.  It was just Cragbaby and the girls, since the big boys were finishing up at Spawn, so we were glad we had brought our mack-daddy stick clip with us, since I needed every inch of the 16-foot extension, along with my full tippie-toed reach to get the first bolt clipped.  The traversing nature of the route made for a heady lead even in the more moderate sections down low, especially with the giant spider guarding the 1st bolt.  (I knocked the 3 inch beast off with a sling as humanely as I could, and watched him sail 30 feet downward with his legs sprawled out like a parachute…) Upon reaching the crux, I was a little worried about penduluming into the the dihedral to my left if I botched the next clip, but I took a few test falls at the start of the crux, and decided that a soft catch from further up would swing me well below the dihedral.  Once I committed to the crux I had a brief moment of panic when I realized that I couldn’t clip from the stance that I had expected to, but after 3 more moves (and another 5 feet to the right…) I found a jug that made hanging the draw pretty casual despite my racing heart rate.  As I lowered, I rehearsed the crux moves several times on toprope, and felt like I had it dialed.

Steve on his redpoint run of Nosebleed Section (5.10a)

 

About an hour later, when Cragbaby was asleep and everyone else was focused on other routes, I snagged my favorite belayer (thanks hubby!) and quietly pulled the rope and made my redpoint attempt.   While lowering after the first time, I had hung an extended sling on the quickdraw after the crux, although I hadn’t decided whether I was going to utilize it or not, since it would mean stopping mid-crux to clip.  The second time around felt a million times smoother, and the crux went off without a hitch.  I did end up clipping the extended draw mid-crux after finding a key kneebar. I was pretty pumped after the crux, so I took advantage of the good rest stance before finishing up the long, airy moves from jug to jug at the top.  Certainly not my hardest send, but probably one of my prouder ones, and certainly one of my most memorable!  Not sure that I’d do it again, but I would recommend it to anyone confident on lower 5.11’s looking to challenge themselves mentally.
Pet Sematary 5.11a – Boo, still no send on this overhanging sloperfest, even though I tried it twice – the first time it didn’t feel familiar at all, the second time I fell 2 moves from the top, just like I did last year.  Oh well.  I’m sure the humidity didn’t help, nor did the fact that it was at the tail end of day 2.

Down low on Paleface (5.11a)

The rain began on our hike out, and once it started, it didn’t stop until we arrived back home in Charlotte 24 hours later.  That meant that the only tick list for Monday was to knock out as many menu items as possible at the local IHOP, in a gluttonous frenzy that only fellow climbers can understand.  I wish the rain hadn’t kept us from climbing at Lilly Bluff the last day, because I had a few loose ends from our last trip that I was hoping to send.  Because of the large group I didn’t really get a chance to work on any new projects, but I was happy to get in a lot of mileage on so many classic lines, as well as quality time with a bunch of folks that I love hanging out with.  Cragbaby learned the correct way to pull a rope, as well as a few social cues, such as giving “knuckles” (or “nucks”, as he calls it.  It was a weekend of tall tales, trash talking, and sweet southern sandstone, and no amount of rain can put a damper on that.  (For more pictures, check out the gallery here.)

 

 

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Green Hour Connection: Swept Away with Broomstick Fun!

Miscellaneous.
7 Comments.

To my delight Cragbaby has discovered a love for housekeeping.  I’m not sure where he got that gene from, because both his Mommy and his Daddy are scarcely cleaner than dirty hippies, but I won’t question it.  His favorite cleaning apparatus is the broom, or in his words, the “bwuh, bwuh” and he is ranked as a top cleaner  in the family now.” So the other morning, while hanging out on a blanket underneath our oak trees, searching for cicada shells (another favorite pasttime, more on that here), a light bulb went off in my head – why not celebrate his love for sticks, curiousity with plants, and new-found love for sweeping with an outdoor craft project?

“How’s this one, Mommy?”

  

Organizing the “bristles”

After prying crunchy cicada shells out of C’s hands (one JUST missed going down the hatch), I finally convinced him to help me gather the materials.  A few minutes later and ta da – the Green Hour Broomstick was born!

MATERIALS:
Stick – In your search for the perfect broom handle, the best sticks are thick enough to be sturdy, but not so thick that your child can’t wrap his hands around it easily.  A good length is not quite as tall as your child’s shoulders.
Bristles – There are any number of natural materials you could use for the broom bristles.  We used the wheat-ish looking tufts from the zebra grass growing on the side of our driveway.  Basically any sort of grass that clumps together well will work.  (Or you could always use small twigs and make a rake!)
Binding – Again, a variety of options would work.  Rubberbands, twine, or in our case – zip ties we raided from Daddy’s toolbox!  It doesn’t really matter what you use, but if your little sweeper is as enthusiastic as mine, just make sure your binding will be sturdy enough to withstand even the most vigorous of use!

 

 

Minutes to make = hours of sweeping fun!
What inspired-by-nature craft ideas have been instant favorites in your family?

 

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Green Hour Connection: Not Just Your Garden Variety Spider

Miscellaneous.
1 Comment.

Our new friend

I’ve always been fascinated by spiders.  Not that I want them in my house or anything, although for a while I did entertain the thought of a pet tarantula in college until the roommate nixed the idea.  I’ve just always thought they were kinda cool, and misunderstood by a large portion of our society.  They keep our gardens free of pests, their silk is ounce for ounce stronger than steel, and scientists are researching the properties of their venom for use in green insecticides.  Not to mention that they are among the best climbers on the planet!  So you can imagine my delight when I noticed this colorful addition to our yard a few weeks ago. I spend a lot out time outdoors in our garden lately after tree trimming service made it look just perfect (check out https://aaffordabletreeexperts.com/tree-trimming-pruning-cutting/ for more details). 

I have a lot of funny childhood memories about Garden Spiders such as this one – although we used to call them “Writing Spiders,” because of the zig-zagging strings of silk across the center of their webs.  The zipper-like pattern is actually called stabilimentum, and the function of it is not entirely known.  Many entomologists have hypothesized that it reflects light in such a way that attracts more visitors to the web, both edible visitors as well as optimistic males of the same species.

C trying to decipher the “name” scribbled on the web

But my Maw Maw  had a different theory.  She always maintained that a writing spider existed purely to invoke bad luck upon anyone who was unfortunate enough to have the spider pen their name in its web.  Who knows whether or not she really believed that old wive’s tale, but apparently my dad used to torture her endlessly by finding them in her garden and shouting (and spelling) her name loud enough that every spider for miles around could hear.

I was far too much of a nature dork as a child to fall for such urban legends, but nevertheless writing spiders were always kind of a running joke with my family.  It still makes me giggle when I picture all the times I would run inside the house and tell my dad, “It’s writing your name, I can see the ‘D’!” to which his response was always to dramatically fall prostrate on the ground, presumably stricken by the writing spider’s “curse.”

Unfortunately for us my Maw Maw isn’t around to watch C interact with these mesmerizing creatures, but I like to picture her looking down from heaven at us tossing aphids and stinkbugs (or more recently, caterpillars, seen here)  into our favorite arachnid’s web, just shaking her head.  And judging from my dad’s faux fear reaction when I told him that C whispered “Paw Paw” to our 8-legged friend, I can tell that the memories she left us with are deeply woven into our family in such ways that won’t be so easily forgotten.

If you love growing vegetables at home, then use these helpful tips for growing tomatoes indoors to enjoy eating chemical-free tasty vegetables throughout the year.

What childhood memories have been special for your family throughout the years?

(Related post: Avail the services from Manhattan Tree Experts to remove unwanted decay and weed from your garden and make space for a healthier and better garden space)

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From Gym Rats to Rock Hounds…

Climbing. North Carolina.
7 Comments.

Steve on Electra 5.10c

It seems like a lot of our climbing recently has revolved around projecting some harder stuff, so it was nice to take a step back for a day with some local craggin’ on more moderate terrain with a couple of gym rats.  The forecast was for temps in the mid-90’s, but with Hurricane Irene baring down on the east coast, it also called for lots of cloud cover and 25 mph gusty winds, which we figured would neutralize the heat a bit.  Considering what folks just a few hours east of us at the coast were (and still are) dealing with at the time, I certainly don’t want to complain, but I will say that the 2 clouds I saw and the gentle breeze that swept up the cliff didn’t do all that much to provide relief from the heat.

Chuck working his way up Energy Czar 5.11a

It was just as well that we had planned a laidback sort of day – the intense sunshine made conditions more ripe for finding a water hole than for sending anything hard.  We warmed up on Electra (5.10c) and Energy Czar (5.11a), and even at 10 am the sunny wall felt 2 letter grades harder than usual.  By the time we moved down to Red Wall, it was in the shade, so while Cragbaby snoozed in the backpack, we ended our day on Opinionated (5.9) and Master Beta (5.10c).  I’d never been on Master Beta before, but was glad we had time for it, since it ended up being my highlight of the day.  Technical climbing along a series of sharp (and sometimes flexing…) flakes.  Add in the extra excitement of somewhat generously spaced bolts, and you’ve got a tall, delightful face climb that probably wouldn’t be the best choice for the leader trying to break into upper 10’s.

It had been a long time since we’ve climbed with inexperienced climbers, and doing so reminded me of a few things I’d forgotten over the years.

Me high on Energy Czar

1.  Sexual Innuendos – If taken out of context, just about every other word exchanged between two climbers sounds dirty.  When you first start climbing, every statement is surrounded by chuckling and giggling, Beavis and Butthead style.  After a while though, you get so used to the lingo that not only can you tell your partner things like “I was relieved to grab that jug because I looked down and saw that my nut had popped out,” with a straight face, but you’re so accustomed to it that it doesn’t even sound funny.

2.  Summit Fever – These guys were super psyched to get to the top.  It was refreshing to see that they could care less how they got there – it didn’t matter in the least how many times they fell, how long they rested on the rope, or whether they were toproping or leading.  Their enthusiasm was contagious, and it served as a good reminder that the view is rewarding at the top regardless of the style in which you got there.

3.  Information Overload – These guys weren’t complete newbs.  Although it had been a while, they’d both bouldered outdoors a few times prior, and had been climbing regularly in the gym for at least a couple of months.  Even so, I had forgotten just how much extra knowledge and experience you need to have under your belt before your ready to take it from the gym to the crag on your own.

4.  Butt Shots – I’d also forgotten that before you learn how to position the camera/yourself correctly, the majority of the climbing action photographs you take are likely to be more bad ASS than BAD ASS!

It wouldn't be a trip report without a slumbering C-Squatch photo...

5.  Sprained Egos – Egos tend to shrink dramatically in the absence of tape, grid-bolting, and flat, cushy landings.  One of the guys was engaging in a decent amount of trash-talking on the approach – “A stick to clip the first bolt?  That’s cheating, you shouldn’t use that,” “Fortunately I’m not afraid of falling in the least.”  Call us mean, but Steve and I thought he might need to start his day with a healthy slice of humble pie, and offered to let him hang the draws on our warm-up.  After about 20 feet or so we were starting to hear things like – “I don’t know why I get so jittery when I get over a bolt”, and  “This is a lot taller than the routes at the gym.”  He bailed after clipping one bolt, Steve and I were both satisfied that the lesson was learned.  Thankfully he was a good sport and Steve and I were both very proud of him for leading Opinionated all the way to the top at the end of the day – touchez. 🙂

Patrick getting on the sharp end on Opinionated 5.9

Despite all of the good-natured give and take, I think good times were had by all.  Hopefully Chuck and Patrick had a positive experience out on the real rock and might be up for it again some time soon.  After all, we are still somewhat new in town and don’t have an endless list of friends yet.  Hopefully we made a good enough impression to warrant a second date.

 

 

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