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

Creating a Cragbaby: In the Gym

Creating a Cragbaby.
6 Comments.

4 week old Canaan at his first climbing session at Triangle Rock Club

In a perfect climber’s fantasy, every day would be sunny with winter highs in the 50’s and summer highs in the 70’s.  Long, pristine multi-pitch, aesthetic sport lines, and world-class bouldering all within a 30 minutes drive.  It would only rain on days that you had previous (indoor) committments and couldn’t climb, and the sun would never set before 9.  Oh yeah, and you’d never have to wait in line for your favorite 4-star lines, even if you overslept. 

He had to come in so he could send the route that was named after him, which was set the day after he was born!

 Sure, it all sounds great, but if your life is anything like mine, sometimes reality goes more like this – You’re an hour away from the nearest decent rock, way too far to get out mid-week during those short winter days.  Monday through Thursday temps are dry and stellar, with storm systems moving in just in time for the weekend.  Then, when you finally do get the best weekend weather anyone’s seen in ages, it also happens to coincide with your boss’s daughter’s birthday party…

Canaan watching Mommy from the safety of his Cave

We all go through phases in life where we can’t get out as much as we’d like, which is why man invented climbing gyms.  And unless you’re one of the lucky ones that regularly reside in any of the above mentioned fantasies, you’ll probably be logging more than a fair share of hours at the gym over the course of this next year.  So how can you get the training time you need to stay in shape on the rocks while keeping your cragbaby entertained as well?  As long as you plan carefully, pulling on plastic can be a fun way for the whole family to stay active!  Here’s what works for us…

Timing is Everything.  Head to the gym during the hours that it is the least crowded.  For us, this means early afternoon, right when the gym opens.  Steve meets us there on his lunch break, and there is usually only a handful of other folks there.  We can get right down to business without wasting time waiting for routes to open up, and Canaan can wander around (within a safe distance of course) without getting in anyone else’s way.  In the early weeks and months, we would try to time it so that Canaan konked out on the 20 minute drive, and we would usually be able to successfully keep him asleep in the frame stroller long enough to give us an hour or so to climb.  After a few months though, Canaan realized that there was way too much going on to stay asleep!  So nowadays, our plan is to leave pretty soon after he wakes up so that we can maximize the amount of time we have before C turns into a pumpkin and gets whiney. 

Canaan getting his traverse on.

Get Your Stroll On.  We used to stroll sleeping beauty into an out-of-the-way spot where we could still keep an eye on him, and then climb as much as we could until he woke up.  Now we still start Canaan out in the stroller, but he will last anywhere from only 5 minutes up to about 30 tops before he gets antsy and wants to get down and explore. 

“Don’t worry Mommy, I got you on belay!”

 Build a Barricade.  Another advantage of climbing when hardly anyone else is there is that you can commandier multiple crash pads for your cragbaby’s spelunking pleasure.  We push them up against the wall in the lead cave so that Canaan has a “cave” to play in with some toys.  Its a safe spot for him, and it keeps him happy for a good long while.  Sometimes he “climbs” on whatever holds happen to be near him, sometimes he plays with his 2 month baby toys we’d got, and other times he just babbles at us – he’s either cheering for us, or spraying beta, we can’t tell which yet. 🙂 

Have a Plan.  If its just the two of us, we try to do any lead climbing/roped stuff in the beginning, when Canaan is either happy in his stroller, or safely playing behind the barricade.  When he’s tired of entertaining himself and wants to hang out with us, we take turns bouldering problems that we feel comfortable working without a spotter. 

Daddy and Canaan having some bouldering fun!

Safety in Numbers.  We try to get out on real rock most weekends, but the weather sometimes has other plans, which means that we occasionally have to battle the birthday party and meet-up group crowds at the gym on the weekend.  Having an extra partner or two is always helpful, but its especially important if you’re dealing with crowds.  With friends around, your options are wide open – lead, toprope, boulder, depending on how you want to train. 

Canaan loves climbing at {link url=”http://trianglerockclub.com/”}Triangle Rock Club{/link}!!!

Don’t forget to have fun.  Yes, the main draw of a climbing gym is to train for the real crag, but you won’t fit in the door if you try to bring both your baby as well as your ego.  You’ll find that how much of a “workout” you get is  hit or miss at best.  Some days it will seem like all you did was crawl around after your 10 month old watching other folks hop on the “send train.”  Other days you’ll be the one sending all your projects.  Regardless of how each session goes, use this time as a family to have a blast being active together.  On the rare days  that Canaan ends up being the only one that got any sort of a workout, I remind myself that by no means was it a wasted trip.  I’m modelling to my child a healthy, active lifestyle, that will hopefully have way more long-term benefits than any pump my forearms might receive on any given day.

Share

Lights, Camera…FRICTION!!!

Creating a Cragbaby. North Carolina.
2 Comments.

 

Jan capturing a Mommy/Canaan moment while everyone else warms up in the background.

My writing focus these days has been mostly on the Creating a Cragbaby series, so I’ve been a little slack on the trip reports…but a couple of  weekends ago we enjoyed yet another wonderful weather weekend bouldering (and I’m glad we were able to squeeze that in before all the cold and rain set in…)  It was the usual suspects – me, Steve, Canaan, Christie…but this time there was a twist.  Enter Jan Balster, a professional photographer / cinematographer. 

Canaan working on his own crag projects!

We’d worked with Jan before a few years ago as guinea pigs for a promo-shoot at Pilot Mountain.  Well, about a month ago he contacted me with another proposition – evidently my Cragbaby blog series had sparked his interest, and he was interested in filming us for a lifestyle piece.  So fast forward to our day at the boulderfield.  Jan showed up at our doorstep bright and early around 7 am, camera in hand, ready to film all of the organized chaos that is involved in getting up and out of the house in the morning. 

"I'm too cool for school..."

On the way to the boulderfield, Jan explained his vision for this film project.  It will be short (less than 5 minutes) and tell a “day in the life” type story of a family that continued their active lifestyle after having a baby.  Jan intends to use the climbing footage as background interspersed with us talking about our experiences/challenges/rewards/etc. of climbing with Canaan in tow.  Pretty cool, huh?!?

Tryin' to get my crimp on

Jan filmed pretty much the whole day – the approach, nursing, naptime, some good laughs, and of course some great climbing.  It was actually pretty fun to feel like we had the paparazzi around all day!  Canaan was on his best behavior, and was of course adorable.  One of the funniest parts of the day was seeing Jan with his camera inches away from sweet, slumbering Canaan, filming him for about 15 minutes at a time, patiently waiting to catch his hand moving (which he finally did…)

Daddy and Canaan having fun together!

At one point there was a mix-up with the camera battery, and for about an hour Jan took only still shots until he got the video camera working again.  I love how artsy the photos look.  I also love how sweet my two favorite boys look.  And I can’t WAIT to see the final project.  What a fun way to preserve so many family memories from this time in our lives!  We are planning “part two” of the video next weekend.  Jan will be informally interviewing  us about our experiences.  Then of course comes the long, arduous task of editing the footage…so I’m assuming we’re still a good ways away from any finished product.  But for now you can enjoy a few of Jan’s still shots (the first couple are our inferior ones, the rest are his, not that you needed any help figuring that out…).  And if you like what you see, be sure to check out his website!  (don’t forget to thumb through the adventure gallery…you might recognize one of the climbers… 🙂

Share

Skedaddle Kids “Adventuring Moms” Blog Series…

In the News.
4 Comments.

A few weeks ago Lia Keller from Skedaddle (based out of Alaska) contacted me about participating in their new blog series on Adventuring Moms.  She provided me with a list of questions relating to connecting kids to the outdoors.  Since this is something I’m very passionate about, I of course didn’t hesitate to jump right in.

Continue reading “Skedaddle Kids “Adventuring Moms” Blog Series…”

Share

Creating a Cragbaby: Weather or Not?

Creating a Cragbaby.
9 Comments.

A few simple essentials can keep baby protected from the heat and sun.

Just picture it – You’ve been climbing hard all morning, and are one run away from sending your summer project.  You’ve got the crux dialed, the draws are already hung, and you’re totally psyched – all you need now is to refuel, hydrate, and depump for a little bit before tackling your redpoint burn.  But just as you sit down with your trail mix and nalgene, the heavens open up.  What?!?  There was only a 10% chance of rain today!  Or picture this – you’ve got Monday off so you made plans to head to the Obed River for a long weekend of clipping draws, but the forecast is for brilliant sun with a high of 97, humidity at 85%.  Or even this – cold, crisp, temps in the 20’s that will make the top out on that friction problem you’ve had your eye on feel a full grade easier, but with winds 15-20mph and lots of cloud cover.  Now picture a baby in all of these scenarios…suddenly it feels a little bit different.  You can’t just wake up and head out to the crag with whatever was left over in your pack from your last trip, ready to climb on no matter what weather conditions you find there.  And no matter how much you stalk the meteorology trends on your favorite weather website, we all know that “subject to change” is probably the most accurate description.

Who knew portable fans could bring out so much "fun" in functional!

So you have a choice to make – you can either 1) Stay inside and wait until the forecast is absolutely perfect (and then hope that the forecast was actually CORRECT…), or 2) Make the most of the weather you’ve got.  It should go without saying that I’m not advocating taking your 8 week old out climbing during an F4 tornado – always be reasonable in what you ask of your baby.  We’ve not encountered anything Man vs Wild worthy by any means, but as long as the weather was good enough to climb, we weren’t afraid to get out there as a family and enjoy it!  But we have learned some lessons along the way with regards to keeping baby comfortable in all types of weather situations.  This post will attempt to tackle the main questionable conditions we’ve faced so far, along with some don’t-leave-home-without-it essentials for each situation.

No chill bumps here!

HEAT – To say that this past summer in the Southeast was hot would be an understatement.  In North Carolina we set a record of days over 90 degrees in a year, and most if not all of those days were coupled with humidity that was as tangible as wearing a wet blanket.  The main concerns we had to be cautious about were heat exhaustion, dehydration, and sunburn.

  • Hat – Especially if your baby is less than 6 months old (when sunscreen is not recommended), make sure to cover the head and shade the face, as well as the rest of the body.
  • Fan – A portable fan can work wonders.  We picked one up for a few bucks at K-Mart, and it turned out to be a fantastic investment.  Not only did it provide a nice breeze, but Canaan was mesmerized by the fan blades (thankfully they were soft…)
  • Pack Stacking – Set up your climbing packs in such a way that they cast shade over your little one’s sleeping spot
  • Tummy Sleeping – It’s a lot easier to keep the sun out of their eyes this way.
  • Breastfeeding – This seems to come up as an answer to a lot of things…it really is nature’s perfect food for baby!  Remember that a nursing baby satisfies both hunger and thirst at the breast, so offer often to keep your babe hydrated.  With that in mind, make sure Mommy stays hydrated too – it takes a lot of water to make a lot of milk!
  • Carrier – If your baby is too young to hike in with a backpack carrier, you’ll probably be using a soft front carrier on the approach, which means baby is snuggled right against Mommy’s chest.  Choose climbing areas with short, shady approaches to keep the sweat-fest to a minimum.

Extra snuggle time keeps Mommy and baby toasty!

COLD –  By no means does North Carolina get down to what I would call “extreme” cold temperatures during the winter months.  Compared to what Alaskan Mommies over on Skedaddle go through to get their kiddos bundled up for a trip to a local park, it makes our highs in the 20’s appear downright tropical!  But this blog series is about taking your baby ROCK climbing, not ICE climbing, so obviously we aren’t talking about sub-zero highs here…

  • Layer Up – It might take 15 minutes to get your little one dressed in the morning, but layering clothing will go a long way in protecting him or her from the cold and the wind throughout the day.  For really cold mornings we use a down suit as Canaan’s outer layer.  It works out especially well for multi-day trips that involve camping – the down suit also doubles as a sleeping bag, so he can stay nice and toasty around camp while we are cooking breakfast and gearing up.  For day trips where we aren’t outside as the sun is coming up, we have a bunting type suit that we’ve christened as “the bear suit” that not only keeps Canaan warm and toasty, but is also amazingly cute!
  • Double Diaper Duty –  Frequent changes are not pleasant for anyone as the mercury drops.  If you’re using cloth diapers, beef them up with a couple more absorbent layers so that you don’t have to change as often.
  • Legwarmers – These are a must to keep the least amount of skin exposed as possible during diaper changes!
  • Insulate – Don’t underestimate how cold the ground can be when it comes time to put baby down for a nap.  Make sure you have a thick enough layer (ideally with a waterproof underside) to shield baby from the frosty ground.
  • Body Heat – Babies are like heat-seeking missiles.  Some extra snuggle time can be the ticket to keep both baby AND you nice and toasty!

This much cuteness should be a crime...

WET – It’s a scientific fact that germs are what make you sick, not being wet (and not from leaving the house with wet hair…sorry mom) 🙂  No matter how sweet your little bundle of joy may be, rest assured, he is NOT made of sugar and therefore will NOT melt in the rain.  Being stuck in the rain will undoubtedly bother you way more than your baby, provided you have taken some basic precautions.

  • Rain Cover – Any good backpack carrier will have some sort of rain cover built in or as an additional purchase.  Learn how to set it up quickly BEFORE you get stranded at the cliff in a passing band of summer showers.  If your baby is in a front carrier, make sure that your rain jacket is big enough to cover both you AND baby!
  • Extra Burp Cloths – These are invaluable for keeping all of the gear that you couldn’t get in your pack in time from turning into a mud pit.
  • Waterproof Diaper Bag – Let’s say you were able to get your pack cover on before any water leaked through.  But then later on after the sun comes out you stuff your (wet) layers of clothes into the pack…water leaks through, diapers are now useless.  Something as simple as a gallon sized ziploc bag can make the difference between a dry, happy baby and a soaked, screaming baby…
  • Sure Feet – It’s a lot harder to scramble around in the rain while wearing another person – bring whatever gear you need to make sure that you can move quickly but safely.  For us that means a good pair of approach shoes, and maybe even some trekking poles, depending on the terrain.

Look close, A rain jacket built for two!

Again, this is not a blanket invitation to put your baby in dangerous weather conditions.  Do look at the forecast ahead of time, and do come to the crag prepared for any and all sorts of weather.  But also start to look at less-than-ideal weather conditions from your child’s perspective – an opportunity to soak up (maybe literally!) new experiences and learn from them, while you’re safe in the arms of the people who love you most!  Case in point – Last July we took Canaan to the New River Gorge for the weekend.  The forecast called for rain, but not til the afternoon, and if you have ever climbed at the New, you know just how fickle the weather forecast can be (as well as the fact that there are numerous caves and overhangs that provide climbable rock on even the wettest of days).  So we’re pulling down at some sweet Summersville sandstone when the skies went black and the deluge began.  We waded our way through ankle-deep mud over to a giant cave, where we could wait out the storm and dry off.

Some families prefer a portrait studio, we prefer the middle of a thunderstorm...

During the frenzy I started having those guilty “What kind of mom are you to take your kid outside in this?!?!” type of thoughts.  But when we got to the cave and I laid Canaan (who was dry as a bone, by the way) down on a blanket, he looked at me, flashed a toothless smile, and let out a cackle of laughter without abandon that I’ll never forget.  It was then that I caught a glimpse of the bigger picture – the experiences our family has had and will hopefully continue to have because we aren’t afraid to get out and explore.  Some days it would be easier to stay inside, but easier isn’t what memories are made of – so don’t be afraid to get out there!

Share

Review: Chariot Cabriolet Bike Trailer

Gear Reviews.
17 Comments.

“I’m ready guys, let’s go!!!”

Our family recieved a Chariot Cabriolet Bike Trailer for Christmas this past year!  We’d read good reviews, researched the model that we thought would work best for us, and put it on our Christmas list – and we must have all been really good this year because we got not only the trailer but also a spare hitch attachment so that we can easily switch it back and forth between both of our bikes!  The only bad news was that we were itching to try it out, but high’s in the 30’s leave me less than motivated to hop on a bike and feel the wind in my hair… My hard core biking friends might disagree and point me to any number of technical apparel that might make those temperatures tolerable – but we’re a climbing family that bikes on the side, so when it comes to biking weather, we don’t force it.

Gotta love 50 degrees in January!

Anyway, this week we’ve had a freak warm streak in the middle of January in North Carolina that was too tempting to pass up.  So on Friday afternoon we loaded everything into the car and hit the greenway for our first test run with the Chariot, and our first bike excursion as a family!  The verdict – LOADS of fun!  The chariot worked out great for us as well as Canaan. Not only do kids love to ride this thing, dogs are never the exception when it comes to fun. Check out TreeHousePuppies for bike trailers that dogs will love!

Here’s the PROS:

  • 5 Point Harness System – It’s as easy as buckling a carseat, very adjustable, and padded throughout, so Canaan was comfy and safe for the whole ride, and it wasn’t a big pain getting him in and out.
  • Lots of Room – The seat is nice and wide, and there are extra buckles so that Canaan can ride with a friend if he wants.  There is plenty of room for toys (although Canaan was too busy taking in the view to play with any!), along with a “trunk” behind the seat which is great for extra layers of clothing, spare tube and other gear, or even a few bags of groceries if you wanted to bike to the store.
  • 2-in-1 Weather Cover – There is a breathable, easy to see through bug-proof layer, PLUS a clear vinyl, water-proof flap would protect your little one in the rain.  Again, we’re not hardcore bikers so I don’t really see us ever biking on purpose in the rain, but you never know when you’ll get caught.  We did however, really like how the water-proof flap did a great job of keeping Canaan from getting wind-burn.
  • Breakdown Versatility – The wheels come off and the body collapses down very easily – it fit in the trunk of the Element quite nicely.  Also, with the ezHitch spare attachment, it was really easy to switch the Chariot back and forth between my bike and my husband’s bike, which worked out nicely because whoever is pulling the trailer definitely feels the extra weight, so its nice to share the load.
  • Stable Hitching Set-Up – The Chariot attaches to the middle of the rear wheel of the bike with a ball and socket type hitch, so that the bike moves independently from the Chariot. In the unfortunate event that Mommy skids around a corner too fast and can’t get out of her toe cages, the Chariot would stay upright.

Time to switch to Daddy’s bike!

Of course nothing is perfect, so here are the CONS:

  • Non-Reclining Seat – Canaan was way too excited to sleep on our ride, but I’m sure once the newness wears off there will be times that the lulling, rolling movement will cause some eyelid drooping.  However, since the seat doesn’t lay back, he’s gonna have to doze completely upright.  After doing some more research, we discovered that Chariot also sells a “Baby Supporter” which provides padding and extra support on either side of the head to make naps more feasible and comfortable.  We haven’t tried it out yet, but I think it will solve the sleep issue, and we are planning on getting one as soon as we can find the time to hit REI – it just kinda sucks that you have to pay extra for it…
  • Use with a Helmet – There’s already a roll-bar on the top of the Chariot, and like I said in the PRO section, the Chariot is designed not to flip, so even though a helmet is recommended, I feel like practically speaking it’s probably not necessary…but we figured we’d go for the helmet to be on the safe side.  However, the because of the upright seat, the helmet seemed to put Canaan’s head in a weird position, with his chin up against his chest.  It seemed to bother us more than it did him, and I think that the “problem” might alleviate itself once Canaan grows a couple more inches.

“This is fun Daddy, let’s do it again tomorrow!”

THE BOTTOM LINE: I think that the Chariot is a perfect fit for the types of biking our family enjoys.  Our main uses will be along mostly smooth terrain – paved greenways, fine-gravelled bridle trails and “rails to trails.”  I can see us gearing up for relatively short afternoon rides in the 10-15 miles range, as well as longer multi-day trips along the New River Trail in VA with fly-fishing and camping gear in tow.  I don’t think I would feel comfortable riding technical single-track with it – the Chariot is kinda wide for that, not to mention all the head bobbling and jostling that poor Canaan would have to endure!  There are also attachments you can buy to convert the Chariot into a jogging stroller, but we already have a BOB for that, so I don’t see us purchasing the conversion kit.  I’ve also seen pictures of folks trailing behind them on cross-country skis – how fun would that be!  Too bad our average snowfall is usually in the single digits around here…There are lots of really great PROS about the Chariot, and the CONS are nothing more than minor annoyances that are by no means deal breakers.

Steve packs up the Chariot while Canaan takes care of the flag…

The best part about the Chariot is that it is allows our family yet another way to get outside and enjoy the Great Outdoors with our son.  Canaan had a blast tootling around in it – he was singing and chatting at passers-by almost the entire ride!  We are looking forward to using the Chariot with our family for many years to come!

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