Cragmama

Feb 10 2015

Crag-Daddy pulling hard on the roof of I’ll Be Danned (5.10+)

After hangdogging my way up The Amazing Joe a few weekends ago, I’d been chomping at the bit to get back on it before I forgot all the beta. Thankfully I only had to wait a few weeks, and my patience was rewarded with a beautiful sunny day in the 50’s!

Sauratown is a unique crag in that it is only open for climbing during the months of January and February (click here for more info), and it’s guarded by a hike that i can’t bring myself to make my 4 year old tackle, which means there’s a child care logistic that needs to be factored in whenever we climb there. I knew this might end up being our last day up there until next season, and I didn’t want to get sucked in to throwing myself at a route that was just beyond my capabilities over and over and over, only to hike out sendless…especially when there are plenty of easier climbs that are equally fantastic.

So after a quick warm-up (Leisure Time, 5.10a), I turned my attention to my project du jour. Last time I’d tried it twice, and while I’d done all the moves, I did a LOT of hanging. Also last time I’d had a lot of trouble making the 3rd clip even with the draw already in, so I was thankful that my friend Adam didn’t mind hanging an extended draw on that bolt for me on his way up. My plan was to give it one go to remember the moves, while realistically assessing how doable it seemed for a same-day send.

My little Rock Princess

The Amazing Joe is basically two faces (with the upper face being significantly harder than the lower), separated by a roof. The roof itself is not that difficult. The holds are plenty big enough if you just keep moving…and plenty small enough to get you breathing heavy before the crux. The business starts with a big deadpoint move to get established on the upper face. Then the climbing stays pretty in your face for the next couple of bolts – lots of long moves between decent holds, and a couple of sections of sparse feet.

Lower face on The Amazing Joe

My first go this time around also featured a lot of hanging, but I managed to make the crux throw first try, and refined a lot of my beta. However the moves still felt pretty darn hard. I knew it would take a big dose of try hard along with perfectly executed beta for it to go down. I wasn’t feeling very confident about a next-go send, and contemplated just throwing in the towel and moving on. But two of my friends got the send train rolling in fine style, so I decided to give it just one more try.

I rested at the roof long enough to visualize the crux as well as the next 15 feet of hard climbing. I successfully made the crux toss, and was delighted (and rather surprised) to make the rock on move onto the face. I stalled out a bit trying to get my foot up to stabilize me for the next clip, but other then that, I motored through the next couple of bolts without any trouble. I paused at the last bolt for a while just to let the adrenaline slow down a bit before doing the last few moves, then the next thing I knew I was at the anchors small-talking with another dude on a neighboring route about how pretty the views were!
So far 2015 is getting off to a great start, as this route gives me a pair of 5.12b’s so far this year. I’m hoping to increase that number substantially this spring, as I’ll be finishing up my first season of the Rock Climber’s Training Manual in mid-April. For now though, I’m happy for this past weekend’s distraction from the monotony of hangboarding…only 4 more sessions left before I can move on to Power Training!

Shaking out and wishing the carabiner on that next draw wasn’t upside down…Photo creds Adam Drain

DIY: Homemade LARABars

Hiking.

4 Comments.

Feb 08 2015

Recently I posted about all of the changes our family has made in the direction of sustainability, specifically when it comes to making our own food. We’ve been able to eliminate almost all of the processed food that was in our diet on a regular basis, and meanwhile have been saving money – win, win! And one of the biggest money savers has come with our ability to make Larabars at home with nothing but a food processor.

In this picture they resemble terds…but trust me they are amazing!

For those of you not familiar with Larabars, they are delectable RAW energy/protein bars made with often as little as 3 ingredients. There are many different flavors, but the common flavor combinations always involve dried fruit (usually dates), nuts (usually cashews or almonds), a pinch of salt, and sometimes something “fun” (dark chocolate, coconut, cocoa, more dried fruit, etc.) Nutritionally, they are a powerhouse, providing a perfect balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Plus there are no fillers, preservatives, or any other of the weird stuff stuff you often find in storebought energy bars.

But they aren’t cheap. All of this goodness comes at a hefty price – around here they average $1.50 PER BAR! (Although I have at times seen a few flavors in bulk at Costco that were 87 cents per bar…but it’s never the flavors we like!) So while I’d love for my whole family to reach for those every time they

want an on-the-go bar, we previously only kept them “in stock” for climbing trips. “Everyday” bars were oat/granola bars from Trader Joe’s, until more recently when started keeping a batch of either these pumpkin oat bars or these banana bread bars on hand. And while those homemade bars were definitely yummy, they didn’t offer a ton of protein, and I felt like I was baking them ALL. THE. TIME.

Enter the new food processor I got for Christmas (cue angels singing.) I could do a whole post on how much I love this thing, but for now I’ll just say that I can whip up a couple dozen Larabars in under 15 minutes. It honestly takes more work to clean the food processor than it does to make the bars. Which is why I usually make a bunch at a time, and toss some in the freezer.

Another great part about making your own is that you can customize the size/shape. Think small ones for the kiddos, and big ones for the grown-ups. Or small energy “balls” for a day of multi-pitching and a modest granola bar size for tossing in your bag while you run errands. Big C sometimes likes to customize EACH bar using cookie cutters – then each day he enjoys choosing whether he’ll have a star, snowman, moon, etc.

The directions are easy enough that my almost 5 year old can do it by himself (with supervision of course.) Simply toss in the ingredients, whirl ’em up, press ’em out in a pan, and cut ’em up into bars. (Or press them into cookie cutters. Or roll them into balls. You get the picture.)

So easy a 4 year old can do it!

As far as recipes go, you can find hundreds on the internet in a quick google search. (Leite’s Culinaria has a bunch of good ones). The recipes are all basically all the same, but vary in the nut to date ratios, and in how many bars they make. After a lot of experimenting, the following 2.5 – 3 cup formula is what works out best for us…

1 – 1.5 cups dates + 1 – 1.5 cups nuts + 2T – 1/2 cup add-ins = 8 bars that are 4″ long and 1″ wide.

The amounts vary depending on what nuts and add-ins I’m using. A soft, fatty nut like pecans and walnuts will make a very soft, chewy texture, while a harder nut like cashews or almonds will make a firmer bar. I’ve also found that adding oats (1/2 – 1 full cup) can make for a yummy, texture-changing add-in, especially with the softer nuts. (It makes the consistency more like a CLIF bar.)

Ready for the deep-freeze!

Here’s a couple of our favorite flavors…

CASHEW COOKIE: dates, cashews, choco chips, salt
FUDGE PECAN: dates, pecans, vanilla, cocoa, salt
TROPICAL: apricots, raisins, almonds, cashews, coconut, cinnamon, salt
OATMEAL COOKIE: dates, walnuts, dark choco chips, oats, cocoa, salt
GRANOLA: dates, raisins, homemade granola (I make mine w/oats, sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, and coconut…more on that in a future post!)

Baby Zu enjoying a Cashew Cookie bar

Helpful Tips: Grind up the nuts a little bit first, then add the rest of the ingredients. Process them until everything sticks together like dough. To make bars, spread in a pan lined with saran wrap (a loaf pan works out great for a single batch.) Let them harden in the fridge for an hour or so, then cut (a pizza cutter works great!) Because they are not vaccuum sealed, they only last a few days at room temperature, unlike their storebought counterparts. But they taste great right out of the fridge and will keep just fine there for a few weeks. You can also freeze them pretty much indefinitely. (Store them in ziploc bags, a different one for each flavor.)

Buying in bulk (think Costco) is definitely the way to go with these when it comes to really saving money. I can make any flavor my heart desires for around 40-50 cents per bar! Trader Joe’s also has pretty good prices on nuts as well as dates. If you have trouble getting your hands on dates, prunes are a great substitute – a good bit cheaper, and ALMOST as good.

These little babies are perfect for outdoor adventures. Not only is the nutrition they offer top notch, but they are also the perfect texture no matter what time of year. They don’t melt in the summer (unless of course you put in a TON of chocolate!), and they don’t get rock hard in the winter.

Has anyone else tried their hand at this? I’d love to compare favorite flavors!

Crag-Daddy and the Morton’s Neuroma…

Interviews.

3 Comments.

Jan 29 2015

This title sounds like it could also double as a children’s book…but the illustrations would be disgusting and decidedly UN-kid-friendly, so I’ll keep it as a blog post only. The idea for this blog post came to me about a month ago when my husband had what appeared to be a jalapeno pepper removed from the inside of his foot. Yup, you heard that right. In fact, here’s a picture of it…

The “pepper” was actually a Morton’s Neuroma, and it turns out this condition is fairly common. So I asked him to share a little bit about his experience with this issue, in the hopes that it might help someone else dealing with the same problem. Here’s what he had to say… For more details visit colabioclipanama2019 .

What exactly IS a Morton’s Neuroma?

It’s a benign growth around a nerve in the foot, usually between the 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th toes. The growth is basically scar tissue that develops from inflammation—the same kind of inflammation you’d get after procuring steroids for sale and after their ingestion—due to the aggravation of bones pinching the nerve. Eventually the growth is too big to freely move between the bones. So it can sometimes get stuck between the bones which is very painful or stuck above the bones which is also not comfortable.

When did you start noticing it and what did it feel like?

Early on (some time around 2011 or 2012), I would every now and then feel an intense pain and/or a tingling/numb sensation in my toes while climbing (it tended to always occur when I was backstepping on a small edge.) Then I began to also notice some tingling and numbness in my toes a couple of miles into my runs. I would stop and kind of squeeze my foot which would make it feel better for a little while. (I later found out that this action, called the Mulder’s Sign, relieved my symptoms short-term because it moved the growth back to its normal position.) My neuroma went from being kind of an annoyance to a real problem when I increased my running workouts from 6 miles per week to 15. After a few weeks climbing began to get very painful – at it’s worst I remember almost being unable to walk after a multi-day trip. Dr. Google diagnosed me, and then a podiatrist confirmed my diagnosis. Check now retainedfirefighter for more tips.

Image taken from: http://www.performpodiatry.co.nz/painful-forefoot-mortons-neuroma-causes-treatment-and-prevention/

What steps did you take to alleviate the problem, and did they help?

I initially received a cortisone shot and some shoe inserts – the podiatrist said I would probably be fine in a month. However a month came and went and I was not much better. The shot/inserts seemed to help some, but what I realized helped more than anything else was a toe spacer. Life was manageable with the toe spacer, but without it the pain was worsening and I had to take up many Nerve Pain Remedies to reduce my pain. My podiatrist told me that my neuroma was very large and that I probably needed surgery.

Surgery is usually a last resort for me, so I decided to try everything else I could first – so in January of 2014 I stopped running, biking, and anything else that aggravated it. I continued to climb and use an elliptical trainer (the low impact was better), but only with the toe spacer. I bought new shoes in a bigger size with a bigger toe box. But the condition continued to deteriorate. I then decided to get some custom made orthotic inserts, made from a digital impression of my foot.

What made you decide on surgery?

By November of 2014, I had increased to two toe spacers, and my orthotics were tweaked to add a taller metatarsal lift. These minor changes helped a little, but was not enough. In a typical day my pain level was never more than 3 out of 10 or so, but I had had to eliminate so many things that most people take for granted – like going on a hike with my family. Friends and family began to bring up the idea of surgery, so I made an appointment. Here you can find excelpasswordrecovery the best tips for remving pain. The surgeon (actually the surgeon’s PA) gave me another cortisone shot, per their protocol, but it only helped for a day or two, and when I went back to see the actual surgeon, he could feel the neuroma between his hands and agreed that cutting it out was the best course of action. The informed me that by removing the nerve I would never get a neuroma in that spot again but I would no longer feel the inside of two of my toes.

What was the surgery like?

The surgery wasn’t that bad. The hardest part was fasting the day of. I showed up at the hospital at 2 and got taken in to surgery around 330. They gave me some propofol and a nerve block…and 15 minutes later they were done! I wore a special shoe and walked out of the hospital on my own accord (not even crutches.)

Left foot is the neuroma foot…

What was the recovery like?

The recovery was a lot easier than anticipated. I had to keep my foot highly elevated (above my nose) for the next 48-72 hours, only getting up to go to the bathroom. Then for the rest of the week I could move around a little more (weight bearing was okay), so long as I kept my foot elevated at chest level the majority of the day. After the initial 72 hours, I was able to work from home, in a makeshift “office” using my laptop, a bed, and a lot of pillows. I took percocet for a couple of days, but the ankle block didn’t completely wear off until 48 hours or so, and the painkillers made me nauseous, so I starting switching to ibuprofen by day 3.

Within 1 week’s time I was feeling pretty good and walking in my special shoe without too much limping. I went into the office the next week and was able to function just fine – at the end of the day it would bother me a bit (swelling), but elevating it in the evenings would help. At the 2 week mark I got my stitches out and was cleared to do any activity I wanted to, using pain as my guide.

The next day I went to the climbing gym and it felt pretty good. A few days later I tried to run outside…my foot felt great but my legs were sore for a week! However, 3 weeks later (5 weeks post-op) I was able to comfortably run 3 miles continuously. I climbed outdoors for the first time post-surgery at the 4 week mark, and had zero foot pain from climbing as well as hiking in to the crag.

What do you think caused it?

There’s definitely a genetic component – my mother has had one removed from each of her feet. Apparently some people have a bone structure that predisposes them to problems like this. I’m also pretty sure tight fitting climbing shoes don’t help.

What advice would you give to someone who thinks they may be suffering from a Morton’s Neuroma?

To me surgery was a last resort, which is why I waited so long. Though I have no regrets, I will say that had I known my neuroma was as gigantic as it was (and therefore unable to reduce using conventional methods), I would have opted for the surgery a lot sooner. If there is a next time for me (on another foot or web space), then I think Ill be able to spot it sooner and perhaps take care of it before it gets as big as this one did. So my advice would be to try out all your options…but if things are not improving (or not improving enough), find a doctor you trust and have it taken out!

Pain-free post-op….life is good!

Thanks to the Crag-Daddy for being so open about his experiences – if anyone else out there has dealt with this issue, feel free to chime in in the comments below!

A “Fashion-able” Day of Climbing

Climbing. North Carolina.

No Comments.

Jan 26 2015

Great times were had this weekend as we celebrated the Crag-Daddy’s birthday! Our usual modus operandi is to gather as many folks as we can to climb at Dixon by day, then come back to our house and party by night. After 4 consecutive years, however, this is the first time that the weather didn’t cooperate, and our day plans turned into a gym day for Steve, and a get-ready-for-the-party day for me (cue sad trombone.) Click here for our awesome photoshoot of climbing at songsforromance .

Thankfully the weather dried up in time for Sunday though, which allowed us to enjoy a beautiful, albeit short, afternoon on local rocks at Crowders Mountain. The birthday boy had his sights set on Fashion (5.12b), an area classic. There are multiple starts of varying difficulty, but all variations share the same rad upper crux sequence high above the second bolt. The original line traverses in from the left along a seam to a high first bolt (a slightly harder variation starts directly below this bolt.) The hardest, most “super direct” line has a separate first bolt and takes the most direct path up, via the most heinous crimpers. I’d done the super direct version a couple of years ago. It was actually send #12 on my quest for 12 5.12’s in 2012.

Who knew helmets could double as a super-hero mask?!?

The original start is pretty heady, with some pretty big pendulum potential if you fall in the wrong spot (which is one reason I’d opted for the better-protected harder version previously.) Thankfully though, the rock quality is better, and the holds are not as small or as sharp as the super direct. The climbing is comparatively not hard, but definitely not easy (5.11-?). There’s a nice 5.10 warm-up (The Gimp) that shares anchors with this route, making it pretty hard to pass up a toprope burn all things considered.

I was both pleased and surprised to climb the whole route clean on my first attempt. When I lowered I rehearsed the more committing sequences down low one more time as well as the upper crux for good measure. The upper crux is probably one of the coolest sequences on the mountain, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people do it the exact same way – but each way requires good footwork. To know more details about hill climbing digitalinnovationshow .

When my turn came up next I hemmed and hawed a bit, but finally put on my big girl panties and pulled the rope and sent, making this line my first 5.12b postpartum! And now having done both versions, the original line gets my vote as the better line – the holds are friendlier on the skin and the movement flows really well. The only detractor was having to battle with the encroaching pine tree for the first couple of moves off the ground.

Last move of the upper crux

Crag-Daddy was psyched to be able to work out all the moves – and although he didn’t nab a birthday send, I’m sure it’ll go next time out. While he and our friend Caleb packed up the gear, the kiddos and I got a head start on the hike out, which was really fun. It was one of those perfectly balanced days – the ratio of personal climbing goals and quality family outdoor time was spot on.

MLK Weekend Climbing

Climbing. North Carolina.

2 Comments.

Jan 21 2015

Last weekend’s adventures almost came to an abrupt end before they even began, thanks to a weird tummy bug that was indiscriminately making the rounds through our house. It started out innocently enough with a mild case of upset tummy for Baby Z (which initially we thought could be teething-related), then climaxed in the middle of the night on Thursday when both Big C and the Crag-Daddy were doing a synchronized barf bucket routine. Amazingly enough, the bug was apparently extremely short-lived because everyone, though weak as kittens, was finished with the involuntary stomach emptying by Friday morning.

That meant that by Saturday morning, everyone was ready for adventure, so we headed up to Sauratown Mountain, dropping Big C off along the way so that he could spend a day with the grandparents. (The hike is a very steep 45 minute trudge that is fairly unrelenting…it would have taken those little 4 year old legs all day to get up there!) Last year was the first in many years that it had been reopened – for 3 special access weekends on a trial basis. I was 34 weeks pregnant and the weather was miserable…but we went, not knowing if we’d get the chance again! But apparently the trial days went well, because this year the Carolina Climber’s Coalition has made a deal with the landowners, securing access during the months of January and February for the next 5 years! Woo hoo!

A pair of pics from DC Comics 5.10a

Both pics courtesy of Emil Briggs

We started off the day with a stroll down memory lane, warming up on the jug-haul Texas Pete Rim Job (5.10b) before moving on to the crimpy, technical Skin Toy (5.11b). Both were routes that we’d been on several years ago back in the day, prior to the closure. I’d sent Texas Pete before, but it was by the skin of my teeth and I remember it feeling epic – so it was fun to warm up on it this time around. Skin Toy was one that I’d only toproped, and certainly not clean, and I’d had designs to try and project it the next year…but then the cliff was closed and I never got the chance. That being said, I had no idea what to expect out of it this time around – I’m a whole lot stronger now, but all I could remember was how tiny those holds were, and how intimidating it had seemed. So I was super psyched to send it first go, hanging the draws! The holds were not nearly as small as I’d remembered, but the movement was just as fun!

Lots of climbers on the wall! (and the Crag-Daddy rockin’ Skin Toy 5.11b)

Next I hopped on the very picturesque DC Comics (5.10a), which was definitely my favorite route of the day. It would be easy to write it off as just another “easy 10” on the wall, but this sucker should NOT be underestimated! don’t let the grade fool you – this one is full value! Definitely not for the newbie 5.10 leader – significant runouts, dizzying exposure, and spectacular position above the valley with a heroic finish. If you are confident on 5.10 terrain, you owe it to yourself to climb this!

I ended day on The Amazing Joe (5.12b). I did NOT send it, but invested some time in working out the beta, and I think I could maybe send it next time. The crux for me was a big rock on move pulling above the roof, then the rest of the climbing is just going to be pump management through a few long moves between good holds.

The day was a nice balance of old and new, and I was reminded of all the great times we’d had at that crag back in our early days of climbing. I was also reminded of how exhausting the approach is…but despite my out of shape sport climber legs I’m still psyched to get back there again sooner rather than later!

We spent Sunday at home, but then Monday morning we were back out in the sunshine again, this time at Rocky Face Park. Since we’d spent our last visit ticking off the left side of the wall, it was now time to revisit the classics around the corner on the taller slab wall. Almost all of these lines feature an opening slab that leads to a ledge (and often intermediate anchors), followed by face climbing and a cruxy finish.

The Rocky Face slab wall – me on The General Lee 5.11

Everyone got their slabbin’ on!

I was a little apprehensive about getting on these again, as my previous memories were of my 35 weeks preggo belly interfering with all of the long reaches at the cruxes. But as I found out a couple of weeks ago, I had grossly under-estimated how much easier everything would be without the aforementioned giant belly! The day ended up being a pretty casual one, great for outdoor mileage (perfect for the Base Fitness phase of The Rock Climber’s Training Manual…more on that later!) I started on Hidden-mite (5.11a/b), then worked my way down the wall, ticking off Somebody Open My Dew (5.11b), a newly bolted extension called Bullistics (5.10b), The General Lee (5.11a), and Snake Charmer (5.10c).

Though Sauratown and Rocky Face probably couldn’t be any more different as far as crags go, hitting them both in the same weekend was a great combination. We will definitely be getting back to Sauratown as soon as we can while The Amazing Joe beta is still fresh, and the Crag-Daddy and I are now several steps closer on our quest to cross off every route at Rocky Face that’s 5.10 and up!

Crag-Daddy lowering off of Bullistics 5.10b as the kiddos play merrily at the base

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

Sauratown and The Amazing Joe (5.12b)

DIY: Homemade LARABars

1 – 1.5 cups dates + 1 – 1.5 cups nuts + 2T – 1/2 cup add-ins = 8 bars that are 4″ long and 1″ wide.

Crag-Daddy and the Morton’s Neuroma…

A “Fashion-able” Day of Climbing

MLK Weekend Climbing