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

Crowder’s Mountain – Our New Local Crag!

North Carolina.
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Cragbaby taking a turn on belay duty...

We’ve been in Charlotte for a little over a month now, but hadn’t had a chance to explore any of our new local rock until this weekend.  We’d been to Crowder’s Mountain before two other times when we were relatively new climbers, but not since 2007, so it felt like a new area.  Crowder’s Mountain is located near Gastonia, NC, and is only 35 minutes away from our new digs!   I can see why Crowder’s doesn’t always have the best reputation among NC climbers. It can get overrun with red-helmeted boy scouts and biting flies during the summer, hikers stand in amazement gawking at those “crazy folks on them thar ropes” (right before tossing their empty beer bottle over the cliff) and the approach is a 30 minute stairmaster workout on level 10 (Steve and I will both have buns of steel by next fall…) But for a backyard crag, it was more than adequate, and I daresay we’ll both have plenty of projects to last us a good long while there!  

We were lucky that our friend Bennett wanted to meet us down there, along with two of his friends (who are now our friends 🙂 ) and their burly but mellow boxer, Zoey.  We huffed and puffed our way up the trail – Cragbaby, aka the Backpack Leech, has evidently put on a few pounds since the last time I’ve hiked any substantial distance with the backpack carrier!  After passing a giant group of folks taking a class on toprope anchors, we eventually arrived at the base of the David’s Castle Wall, where we had decided to begin our day.  We started out on two short but sweet routes, Two-Step (5.10), and Psychotic Reaction (5.10b/c).  The first was easier than the second – a few moves on crimpers that felt pretty small for a warm-up led to a big undercling flake into a bulge.  The latter however, felt a big sandbagged – our consensus was that it felt like a techy V3 boulder problem followed by the easier finish pulling over the same bulge as for the first one.

Electra, 5.10c

Next up was Electra (5.10c).  I had been on this once back in 2007, but not a single move felt familiar to me at all…so I’m gonna give myself credit for the “flashback,” a term coined by my friend Matt.  ( It’s when you’ve climbed a line years before, don’t remember anything about it, then come back and send the route first go 🙂  ).  Anyway Electra was a stellar route, deserving at least 2 out of 3 stars.  The route is fairly easy to read (big moves to good holds) and there’s not really any one “hard” move on it – its just relentlessly sustained until about halfway above the 3rd bolt.  There is a decent runout between the last bolt and the shutts, but by that time the terrain has backed off to 5.9-ish. 

There were a couple more routes in that area that looked enticing, but we wanted to check out the Red Wall before the end of the day (plus Cragbaby was in desperate need of a nap, and the easiest way to accomplish that is a well-timed a hike in the carrier).  I figure since we live here now there’s no need to be in a rush to get on everything right away.  The Red Wall was more out of the way, and subsequently was less crowded.   At first I opted to toprope Desperately Seeking Juggage (5.11b) instead of leading it – which I immediately regretted because I flashed the route without any trouble.  Oh well.  Another short route, it consists of technical moves on SHARP crimps and mini-flakes on a vertical face – my favorite type of route!  After everyone else had had a go, I pulled the rope and sent the route on lead  🙂  Bennett and I also toproped Silence the Critics (5.12b) – ridiculously hard!  Big mantle down low to very tenuous laybacks along a small flake, then a couple of really big moves on skin-rippingly sharp holds before finishing on the Juggage anchors.  I was feeling pretty good up until the crux, when the flailings commenced – I’m pretty sure I did all the moves, but not with any sort of sequential flow, and the thought of trying to clip the 3rd bolt on lead during all of those shenanigans sounds terrifying – yep, no regrets on the toprope choice on this one!

Steve getting started on Desperately Seeking Juggage (5.11b)

I ended my day by cleaning Opinionated (5.9R), which Steve had put up while I was over on Juggage.  I can see why its a classic – a tall, clean line with great exposure up towards the top, with a reward of a spectacular view from the anchors.  There is a substantial runout between the 3rd and 4th bolt, which could easily be remedied with some gear. 

Cragbaby got the prize for collecting the most dirt/snot/food/who knows what else on his face.  I’ve heard that you can tell how much fun a little boy has had by how dirty he gets – if thats the case, then C must have been having the time of his life!  His favorite part of the day seemed to be pointing at all the crag doggies we saw, and then calling them “dada.”  (words are still a work in progress…) 

C and Daddy goofing around and having fun!

Though Crowder’s Mountain not a destination area by any stretch of the imagination, there are more than a few beautiful quartzite diamonds amidst the chossy rubble!  The rock quality doesn’t compare to Moore’s Wall, the setting is nothing like the remote wildness of the Linville Gorge, and it certainly doesn’t have close to the amount of classics you’d find at the New, the Red, or countless other east coast crags.  But it does have something pretty big going for it that none of those other crags have – its only 35 minutes from our door!  So snub your nose at it and call it a choss pile if you want, but Crowder’s is our home crag now, so I for one intend to make lots of great memories there in the years to come!

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Sentimental Snapshots: “Fun-ctional Travel”

Sentimental Snapshots.
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In years past we’ve always tried to tack on a longer (think plane flight, not road trip) destination to our climbing plans at least once or twice a year. We are pretty enterprising (or cheap, depending on how you look at it) when it comes to turning pre-set plans into climbing trips – a business trip to Las Vegas can easily become a long weekend in Red Rock Canyon, just like a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park can quickly extend into an extra week of climbing in Utah! For today’s Sentimental Snapshot, I decided to use a video from a couple of climbing days spent in Big Cottonwood Canyon. (Beware – amateur cinematographer alert…) Our time there was sandwiched in between two sport destinations – Logan Canyon and Maple Canyon. We wanted to maximize our time in Utah, so we didn’t want a full on rest day. We were looking for some long, casual multi-pitch with a picturesque backdrop. Although our day ended up being a little more exciting than we’d planned, it was definitely a spectacular setting to climb in, and we were lucky that our friends climbed across the canyon from us the whole day, so they were able to get some awesome far-away shots of our progress!

This fall my husband gets to attend a Sharepoint conference in October in California…so Cragbaby and I are thinking of flying up at the end of the week so we can tack on a family weekend at Joshua Tree! (On a related note – anyone in the vicinity wanna give us a tour?)  Ok now its your turn – what are some ways you’ve been able to get more bang for your buck on an already planned trip? (Oh, and if you are interested in the trip reports from our time in Utah, click here.)

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Sentimental Snapshots: Unlikely Fun (In Honor of the Rain!)

Sentimental Snapshots.
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Today’s Sentimental Snapshot required more digging around through the archives than any of the previous ones -even though its recent, it seemed relevant in light of all the wet and wild weather we’ve been having recently! It was taken back in 2005, on a Lineberry family trip to New Zealand.   My brother-in-law, Brent, had been living there for several months after graduating from college, so we all thought a Christmas visit was in order. We traveled all around the South Island – hikes, jetboats, bungee jumps, kayaks, glaciers, penguins, sea lions…It was an amazing trip filled with adventure! Oddly enough, one of the best surprises of the trip started out as a disappointment. We were in Te Anau, a small town in the fiordlands of the western part of the south island. We had scheduled a kayak trip on the Milford Sound, and the weather wasn’t looking too promising. We checked in with the guiding company and were told that rain or shine the trip would go on. We went to bed optimistic, but the clouds rolled in at some point during the night and we awoke disappointed to a steady rain that looked like it was gonna stay for a while. Our guide tried to cheer us up on the van ride down to the put in by telling us that although at first glance the weather seemed pretty crappy, wet and rainy conditions were actually his favorite conditions to guide in. We smiled and nodded, but of course we were all thinking that he probably said that to all the clients no matter the conditions.

 

The Lineberry Crew on Milford Sound, Te Anu NZ in 2005

What we didn’t realize til we got there, however, was that all that torrential rain caused hundreds of MASSIVE waterfalls to cascade over the cliffs and spill into the sound. It was truly an amazing sight to see! Our pictures sure do suck (and it seems like a remember someone’s camera receiving a mortal wound because of all the humidity), but we had an unforgettable day out there on the sound in the middle of all that rain. It gave us a unique perspective on the raw power of nature that we would have completely missed on a dry, sunny day! We ended our day soaked to the bone, a little bit cold, but with the sense of satisfaction that can only come from a long day playing around in God’s creation. On the way home we decided that perhaps that guide was telling the truth about his favorite weather conditions on the sound…What about you? Ever ended up with a great experience from unlikely circumstances?

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In Praise of Cloth

Parenting. Gear Reviews.
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In my last Cragbaby post, I mentioned that our family uses cloth diapers.  I’ve received a few questions about it and decided there was enough interest to warrant a separate blog post.  It is something that I felt pretty strongly about before C was even born, but now that we’ve survived a full year almost completely disposable-free (except for the first week before the cord fell off and a time or two at the doctor when I forgot an extra…), I feel even more passionate about the merits of cloth.  But why on earth would anyone choose cloth over the “convenience” of disposables? Isn’t it really expensive?  Doesn’t it get too complicated?  And the million dollar question that everyone has of course – what do you do with the poop?!?  If you’ve ever wondered about the answers to any of these questions, then read on – this post is for you! For the record, by no means is this post intended to pass judgment on those that don’t choose to go this route – the majority of my friends use dispsosables, and they are great parents and are doing what works for their family!

Not to mention that cloth diapers are way more stylin’ than disposables…

Why choose cloth?  The benefits are many – it’s better for the environment, healthier for baby, and saves a ton of money!  Here are just a few interesting stats from the Real Diaper Association (for more stats, click here).

Better for Environment – Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.
Healthier for Baby – Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
Saves a Ton of Money – The average child costs about $1600 to diaper for 2 years – as opposed to getting out for around $300-$500 using cloth (which can then be used on the next kid as well!)

 
 
 
 

 

Cragbaby rockin’ the cloth at his 2 month check-up

 

 

How does it work?  There are tons of options here, and it seems like everyone develops their own system that works for them.  The most expensive options (all-in-ones and pocket diapers) are as simple to put on as a regular disposable diaper.  The more basic options require a couple of extra steps but are a lot cheaper.  Click here to learn about the different types of diapers available nowadays. We use a combination of both – prefolds and covers around the house, pockets and fitteds when we are out and about.  It’s pretty simple, really.  We have a waterproof bag that hangs in the closet – that’s where the dirty diapers go.   For wet diapers, you just put them in the bag, as is.  For code browns, it depends on the age of the baby – breastmilk is water-soluble, so before baby starts solids, you just dump the diapers in the bag right along with the wet ones.  Once baby starts consistently eating a lot of solids, you’ve got to get rid of the poop before you put it in the bag.  Again, there are a few ways to do this.  A lot of times the poo just kinda “rolls” off the diaper into the toilet without any extra work.  For the mushy ones (sorry to be so graphic…) we either scrape it off with toilet paper or a designated wooden spoon that we can then rinse off and store with the plunger and other gross toilet-y things.   Some folks like to use a diaper sprayer that you can attach to your toilet, but that seemed a little over the top for our tastes.   When its time to do laundry, just dump everything out directly into the washer, turning the bag inside out and throwing it in the wash as well.  Easy peasy, right?  I don’t feel like we end up with poo on our hands any more than my friends that use disposables.

Another little known fact – did you know that the instructions on a disposable diaper package advise that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding?  Not that any law enforcement officers are going around inspecting dirty diapers in the landfill, but its worth mentioning that in many states its actually illegal to dispose of human waste in a manner that doesn’t allow it to be treated in the sewage system!

C posing with a one-size cover at only 2 weeks old…

…and in the same cover at 12 months!

What do you need? 

  • Diapers – Decide how often you want to do laundry, and then by accordingly.  When C was a newborn, we went through 10-12 diapers a day, now we use about 6 or 7.  We have around two dozen diapers (mostly prefolds, but with a few fitteds and a couple of pockets), and this lets us wash every 2 or 3 days, and gives us some extra allowance in case I forget to move the dipes to the dryer…
  • Covers – If you are using prefolds or fitteds, you’ll need a waterproof cover.  You don’t have to wash these every time you use them (unless they get poop on them, of course!).  We rotate between 4 or 5 covers.
  • Wet Bags – We have two big ones that hang in the closet, that way we have one to use while the other is in the wash.  We have smaller versions that fit in a diaper bag for on-the-go changes.  Again, when it’s time to wash, the whole bag goes in, so you don’t have to touch anything but the outside of the bags.
  • Snappies – I so wish I was the person that invented these little babies!  Now instead of fiddling around with pins and bare, squirmy baby legs, just use this nifty little trickto secure your diapers!  I’d advise that you have several of them – they are cheap, but also easy to misplace…
  • Diaper Soap – You can’t use detergent that leaves any sort of residue or chemicals behind, otherwise these will build up in the diaper, which will cause them to be less absorbent over time.  We prefer Charlie’s Soap – a little goes a long way and it’s very reasonably priced.

As you can tell, I’m pretty passionate about cloth diapering!  There are probably a million more posts where this one came from on more specific topics (nighttime diapering, brand reviews, swim options, etc), but hopefully this was a good introduction to those of you that had questions about cloth!

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Green Hour Connection: Fun on Wheels!

Gear Reviews.
5 Comments.

All strapped in and ready for a ride!

As most of you know, Cragbaby celebrated a birthday this past week!  Among his many presents were two items that we can utilize in our Green Hour playtimes.  The first was a wagon.  But this was no ordinary wagon – it was a Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon, complete with fold-up seats and cup holders!  I guess things have changed a bit since my wagon days, because it is definitely way more luxurious than any wagon I’ve ever had (or seen for that matter!).  Anyway, its fantastic!  The fold-up seats and seat belt system make going up and down hills a lot safer (not to mention more comfortable!) –  and belielve me, we put it to the test on some pretty rough terrain.  There is plenty of room for gear as well, which makes it perfect for a picnic outing at your local nature trail or park!  Now all Cragbaby is needs is a friend to ride in the other seat with him – any takers?

First stop on our Wagon Adventure was exploring some boulders along the trail!

This one warranted a closer look!

 

The other outdoor-friendly gift was made from the same company – the Radio Flyer Classic Bumper Car!  It’s a ride-on toy that Cragbaby can scoot around on using his feet, Flintstone-style.  Right now his little legs are about a half-inch too short for him to use it by himself, buthe LOVEs being pulled around in it!  (Oddly enough, he also likes walking along beside it pushing the steering wheel with his hands…)  The best part of the bumper car is the noises it makes – when it bumps into something, you’ll hear one of 7 crashing, banging, clanging, booming sounds that are sure to bring a smile to you and your little tyke’s face.

Cragbaby demonstrating the flip-up seats

The Bumper Car sits pretty low to the ground and the wheels are really small, so it works out better on a flat, even surface, like a driveway or patio.  (Save the off-roading for the wagon!)  The nice thing about it’s compact size is that the Bumper Car is maneuverable enough to be used in the house without causing total chaos!  When the sun goes down and Cragbaby’s Green Hour time is over, the fun can continue back in the house, where he can bump his way around cabinets, doorways, and dressers to his little heart’s content!

Taking the bumper car for a spin!

I think C’s fun new birthday toys will make for lots of Green Hour fun this spring – what about you?  Whether it’s for little tyke fun or grown-up fun outdoors, how does equipment add to your Green Hour experience?

The Bumper Car can double as a push-toy!

adventuretykes.com.com

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