Cragmama

Apr 27 2015

Those of you that have been reading for a while may recall a picture I posted during our big snowstorm (yes, singular) this past winter. The picture was of my then 11 month old daughter, and she was wearing her brother’s gloves on her feet, for lack of winter boots. A couple of weeks later, she scored an awesome pair of Muddy Munchkin Toddler Play boots of her very own from MyMayu!

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to use them in the snow this season, but we’ve had a hefty PLENTY of wet weather testing opportunities, in both cold and warm weather. In fact, these boots went on family climbing trips 4 weekends in a row during the month of April, and not once did they let us down!

Our first excursion was on a cold day at Crowders Mountain – the ground was dry, but with the Liners (sold separately), Baby Zu’s feet stayed toasty warm all wrapped up in fuzzy fleece.

Boots…

Liners…

The next couple of weekends were spent at the New River Gorge, where the temps were fairly warm, but the base of the cliff was littered with frigid puddles. Thanks to MyMayu boots (and Ducksday rainsuits!) Baby Zu was able to splash around to her hearts content without getting drenched.

Ready to wipe clean!

But the best puddle stomping weather we’ve had yet came at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky a couple of weekends ago. The overhanging cliffs were dry, but the ground was saturated from the previous days of heavy rains. Baby Zu played in the puddles with her big brother all afternoon – stomping, and splashing, and crawling around. By the time we were ready to hike out she was quite a sight. But after slipping off her boots and rainsuit, I (as well as everyone else at the crag) was amazed to find a clean, dry baby underneath! (Although I can’t say the same of her brother, who’s boots do NOT have a toggle closure at the knee, and at some point ditched the rain suit to play in the sand on higher, dryer ground!)

These boots were not necessarily the easiest of shoes to get on (although what toddler shoes ARE), but once they were on, they stayed put really well. There are toggles at the upper part of the boot as well as the ankle to ensure a proper fit as well as keep splashes out.

Aside from protecting little feet and toes from the harsh elements, these boots are brilliantly designed to stow away in the smallest of places – I literally tucked them both into one of the mesh water bottle pockets on the outside of my pack for a hike! The fabric feels similar to what a lightweight rain jacket would be made out of – so when not in use, they just collapse down for easy packing.

But one of my favorite features was how easy they were to clean – hours of frolicking in the mud are easily wiped away with a damp cloth, leaving the boots ready to stuff in a pack again until the next adventure!

So who’s ready to score a free pair of boots, courtesy of MyMayu?!? They have graciously agreed to provide a pair of Muddy Munchkinds Toddler Play boots for one lucky reader – all you have to do is leave a comment below and enter via the Rafflecopter widget. This time, bonus entries will be giving for following @cragmama1 and @MyMayuOutdoor on instagram, as well as posting which style/color boot is your favorite on the MyMayu facebook page.

PS – And for those of you wondering about Baby Zu’s red rainsuit, it’s courtesy of another one of our go-to brands for wet weather – Ducksday USA! (reviewed here.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 Days of Pump at the Red River Gorge

Climbing. Red River Gorge.

1 Comment.

Apr 22 2015

Thankful for Ducksday and Muddy Munchkin rain gear at Driveby Crag on Day 1!

Thankful for Ducksday and MyMayu rain gear at Driveby Crag on Day 1!

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 together for the send.

Practically speaking (and this is a big generalization), it often plays out that Red climbers come to the New and get shut down by stopper cruxes, whereas NRG climbers walk away from the Red with a whole lot of hang-dogs under their belt (Non-climbers: a hang-dog is when you get to the top of a route, but have fallen and/or rested on the rope along the way.) The best climbers are the ones that spend equal time at both…but our family is hard-pressed to keep driving another 3 hours when the New is the perfect weekend distance for us! (Not to mention, we just LOVE the New!)

That being said, this past weekend was Week 3 of my “performance phase” in the Rock Climber’s Training Manual, and I was anxious to see how things would go. Our typical m.o at the Red involves a less than ideal climbing/rest day ratio (ie 4 days on), so pushing grade limits is usually a little too optimistic (since by the end of Day 2 our forearms are smoked.) But on the flip side, since there is still a ton of rock we haven’t explored yet up there, it gives us a great chance to see how many onsights/flashes we can score. (Non-climbers: an “onsight” is when you successfully climb a route 1st try w/o any prior knowledge about it, and a “flash” is when you do the same, but with beta, usually from watching someone else climb the route.)

Every RRG trip features at least one visit to Miguels…

The forecast was looking pretty dismal at the beginning of the week, but by the time we left on Wednesday night, it had brightened up quite a bit. In fact, the only rain we saw was on the drive up and on Sunday morning.

Day 1

Nothing hard on the first day, just wanted to get a few good pitches under our belt. We went to Drive By Crag at PMRP and did Make a Wish (5.10b), the ultra classic Breakfast Burrito (5.10d), and what ended up being one of my favorite routes of the whole trip, Whip-Stocking (5.11a). These routes were steep, but not ridiculously so, and followed perfect pockets and flakes. Just the right amount of pump for an afternoon session.

Day 2

The second morning was our hardest climbing day, grade-wise. I split time between 2 routes at Left Flank – Wild Yet Tasty (5.12a), and Mercy the Huff (5.12b). The former I’d been on a couple of years ago and bailed, so this time I was psyched to touch the chains, and felt like my odds were good to send the next go, however I came up juuuuust short of the rail at the end of the crux and took a mighty fine whipper. Mercy the Huff was absolutely amazing. I mostly went bolt to bolt, and while I was able to do almost all of the moves first try, linking it together will take a lot of guns! By lunchtime everyone was ready to move to another area, so I didn’t get a chance to try either route again, but next time I’m certain Wild Yet Tasty will go, and I’m also pretty sure I can give Mercy a run for it’s money.

Starting the crux of Wild Yet Tasty 5.12a

Although I wasn’t initially psyched on an afternoon at Eastern Sky Bridge, Commencement (5.11c) ended up being one of my trip highlights. The first half of the route consisted of huge moves between perfectly-angled pockets on gently overhanging rock (NRG climbers: think Disturbance.) After a great rest, the angle lessened a bit for a reachy slab crux, then the pump clock was on until the chains. I was proud of myself for really going for it in the dynamic lower section…then almost unraveled going up/down, up/down on the ledge trying to figure out how to reach the next holds on the slab crux. The finish was desperate and I was super stoked to send!

Day 3

We chased shade at Muir Valley on Saturday. Every time I go there I’m amazed at that place – Rick and Liz Weber are awesome folks, and the climbing community is so lucky to have them around! This was the first we’d been on the new North Main Trail – Big C loved all the stairs, and hiking out in the woods was so much better than baking in the sun on the end-of-day trudge up that gravel road!

After a quick warm-up at The Boneyard (Armed Insurrection 5.10d), we all got shut down on Iniquity (5.12b) before moving over to the Bibliothek for the afternoon. The routes there are typical RRG – steep pulling on juggy pockets and finger buckets. I can tell my power endurance work has been paying off, because I was able to flash all 3 routes – The Unbearable Lightness of Being (5.11c), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (5.11b), and 100 Years of Solitude (5.11a). Ordinarily by Day 3 I probably would have been good to send maybe the first one, then limp my way up the others bolt to bolt, but this time around I seemed to have a lot more reserve in the tank than normal on that sort of terrain.

A portrait of the Crag-Daddy on A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 5.11b

Day 4

By the last day, our spirits were willing but our bodies were pretty weak…and it was raining fairly hard with no sign of stopping any time that day. But we at least wanted to get a few more pitches in before hitting the road, so back to PMRP we went, this time to the Chocolate Factory. After botching the approach (do NOT take the 2nd trail on the left…it’s more like the 5th or 6th left!), we finally arrived under the moderate classics, Oompa (5.10a), and Loompa (5.10c.) To be honest, both felt about the same difficulty, which felt about 5.PUMP! In fact, we all thought that the easiest line on the wall was The Glass Elevator (5.10d), a taller, more technical line that was much closer to vertical. (But that could have been the Day 4 forearms ~~talking~~ shouting!)

I’m not gonna lie, by this point in the trip, even juggy 5.10 felt hard, so I was pretty stoked to keep my flash streak alive. I may not have sent any 12’s, but I was pleased at how consistently I was able to perform on RRG terrain – onsighting or flashing everything that was 5.11 and under. Every other time we’ve been to the Red, we seek out some slabs (which at the Red means “vertical”) for at least one day of the trip, but this time around we kept it steep the whole time, and I was pleased at how long my forearms lasted.

I’ve got hopefully one more week left in the performance phase before taking a couple of weeks off, so here’s hoping the weather will hold out once more!

Giveaway and Discounts from Medi-Dyne Brands!

Training.

12 Comments.

Apr 20 2015

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 products – the CoreStretch, ProStretch, and RangeRoller. And, so far, we’ve really enjoyed using each. Here are the specifics for each product…

RANGE ROLLER

From Medi-dyne: “This innovative massage therapy tool provides exclusive Trigger Treads™ which allow users to experience a deep massage on both inner- and outer-layers of their muscles and tissues, dramatically reducing muscle pain.”

From Cragmama: This is a great tool for working out the kinks in sore, tired muscles. Similar to a foam roller, but a lot smaller (and therefore, more portable), it’s an easy way to increase circulation, release trigger points and knots, as well as break down scar tissue.

CORE STRETCH

From Medi-dyne: “Range of motion, injury prevention, pain reduction, and increased recovery time are just a few reasons that so many individuals have used these products over the years. CoreStretch™ will stretch you back into shape.”

From Cragmama: This one is for anyone needing a deep stretch for lower back and/or hamstrings. It keeps you from “cheating” with your form, and is easily adjustable for varying heights. I can really feel my back lengthening and releasing whenever I use it.

PRO STRETCH PLUS

From Medi-dyne: “ProStretch® has been the #1 choice for pain relief by athletic trainers, physical therapists, and athletes for more than 20 years. The unique design allows complete customization for each individual user, providing users with a deep, effective stretch, flexibility and relaxation is increased in the knees, lower legs, and feet.”

From Cragmama: I have a severe lack of range of motion in my left ankle from a fracture back in 2011 that makes it really difficult to get a deep stretch at the bottom of my calf/achilles area. This product helps me stretch those areas without sacrificing proper body alignment.

We’ll be getting more products throughout the year, and I’ll be sure to keep you all in the loop about Medi-Dyne’s latest and greatest product offerings. But for now, I’m excited to host a giveaway! Medi-Dyne has graciously offered up a giveaway – one lucky winner will get a ProStretch Plus!

If you don’t win (or can’t wait to find out), I’ve got even more good news. Medi-Dyne is also offering an exclusive discount on their products for Cragmama readers – just use the discount code “BACM20” when prompted at their online store.

To enter the giveaway, just use the Rafflecopter widget below. Entries are given by commenting on this post about which Medi-dyne product seems most useful for you. Contest will run through next Monday, April 27 at midnight – best of luck!

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New River Gorge, Round 2!

Climbing. New River Gorge.

3 Comments.

Apr 15 2015

Me and my sweet girl.

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 easier than trying it at the tail end of Day 2 like last time, and I was right! After a quick warm-up it went down without much trouble on my first attempt of the day.

The middle part of the day was spent wandering around somewhat lackadaisically in search of rock that wasn’t seeping after all the rain from the previous days. We ended up hiking back out of Bubba City and driving over to Sunshine Buttress to try Unbroken Chain (5.12a.) Ordinarily I’m a big fan of technical aretes…but this one was spooky. A sideways dyno shut me down about halfway up. I volunteered to clean on toprope and was able to figure out some beta for that section, but I’m pretty certain I would have committment issues on the sharp end…

Cruxin at the top of Michelin Man Original

“Climb THIS route Daddy!”

Saturday night was filled with good burgers, great conversation, and lots of prehab activities…Arm-aids, theracanes, foam rollers, we had it all. And apparently it all worked, because the next day we had a nice-sized send train going at Endless Wall!

It hurts so good.

Modern Primitive (5.12b) – This route had been on our radar for quite a while, but it seemed like there was always something else on the agenda until now. So after warming up on S’more Energy (5.11c) we headed over to it. The line goes up a very aesthetic wall – tan rock with large swirls of caramel colors mixed in. The business is in the middle, with two very technical, very thin cruxes separated by an okay rest. The moves are pretty long, but I actually think the advantage actually goes to a shorter (or more flexible) climber on this one, due to all the funky hand/foot shenanigans. The last move of the crux is keeping the dreaded barn door at bay off of a not-so-great sloping hold. At this point you’d like to clip, but instead you have to continue traveling up and left to a really long lockoff (good holds to a GREAT hold…but you’re pretty pumped when you have to do it.)

Crag-Daddy taking a spin on Modern Prim

My first impression of the route was…geez, I’d hate to fall THERE! So I opted to take a toprope lap for my first burn, at which point I did all the moves, but they felt ridiculously hard, so I toproped it one more time…and then of course got it clean. Ugh. Clearly I should have led it. This route was seeing a whole lot of action, so by the time I got a chance for an actual redpoint attempt, the route was baking in the sun. The holds felt way worse, in particular a fingerlock in a mail slot that was key for the first hard moves. But I squeaked through that as well as the next sequence. Then you know that really long lockoff that I didn’t want to fall at? I came up short and went whizzing down…and down..and down. I shouted a word that I don’t normally say…and managed to say it 3 times (very loudly) before I stopped falling.

Getting started in “the business” on Modern Primitive

But there’s nothing better for your lead head than a safe, clean fall. So although I was obviously wishing I would have sent, it’d been a long time since I’d had a big whipper, so I didn’t regret that it happened. Steve took another lap, and while he didn’t send, made good progress, and was nice enough to brush all the holds REALLY well for me on the way down.

Reeling in the barn door.

My last burn I felt really solid, and the mail slot that had gotten manky felt substantially better after the good brushing. I executed all my beta perfectly through the crux, took a few deep breaths, and popped for the jug. I breathed a sigh of relief this time when I stuck it, then finished it up…carefully, as there’s still one more move to the chains that will keep you awake!

I was psyched to leave with another pair of 12’s, bringing my total up to 4 during this performance phase. We’ve still got a couple more trips before taking a break for a week or two, and the stoke is still high! This coming weekend we’ll be climbing at the Red River Gorge for the first time with Baby Zu (and also probably swimming…forecast is lookin’ pretty wet!)

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

Sentimental Snapshots. Gear Reviews.

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Apr 13 2015

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, my most “favoritest” piece of all resurfaced this winter for yet a THIRD time – an old, REI brand, bunting-style down suit that at this point has probably logged hundreds, maybe even thousands, of hours at the crag!

I tried to find a link to this suit on REI’s website, but it appears that they no longer make this product. There are, however, lots of brands that make similar suits, although all soar way higher than the $50 price tag the original owners paid! (When Big C aged out of the suit, we replaced it with one from Mountain Molehill, which ironically cost twice as much and didn’t hold up even half as well.)

Here’s Finn, circa 2008 or so, who I like to think of as the “original Cragbaby.” His mom was the first woman I ever knew that climbed while pregnant, and they were the ones that showed us it was possible to continue climbing with an infant in tow.

Next comes Big C, although he wasn’t so big back in 2011. The size on the tag says 12 months, but Big C rocked it all the way from 6 months until we could barely get it zipped up at 18 months! For crisp fall nights he’d use it as a sleeping bag, then stay in it for breakfast at camp until we were ready to hit the crag. On really cold winter climbing trips, he’d stay in it virtually 24/7!

20 months old at the Red River Gorge

Although I gave away a lot of Big C’s stuff when I found out Baby Zu was gonna be a girl, I made sure to save this suit. And since she was such a little squirt, it took a bit longer for her to be able to fit in it…but I’m hoping that means it’ll take us through one last winter season before we retire it again.

11 months old at Crowders Mountain

Hand-me-downs are great on so many practical levels – financially, environmentally, and convenience to name a few. But reusing an integral piece of gear also carries a lot of sentimental value, at least for me. Watching a bundled up Baby Zu playing at the base of the cliff brought back so much imagery of her brother…in the same outfit, playing with the same climbing gear, at the same crag. It was a bittersweet reminder that these childhood moments are fleeting – the gear gets used again, but I can’t stop those kiddos from growing up!

Is there a sentimental piece of gear at your house that’s been passed up, down, and all around?

(For easy pinning…)

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

Best Kid’s Rain Boots: MyMayu! (and GIVEAWAY!)