Cragmama

Feb 07 2013

The best rainsuit ever, from Oakiwear!

Not sure if anyone else around the country can relate, but North Carolina has been having some really weird weather lately. I’ve seen lows in the 20’s (accompanied by ice) and high’s in the 70’s (accompanied by heavy winds) in the span of just one week. C and I decided to take advantage of one of the warmer days last week with a morning hike at Beatty Park. The forecast had called for rain, but not until the afternoon, so I packed some water and snacks while C took on the arduous task of deciding which bulldozers got to join us on the hike, and which ones had to stay home (there is room for only two in my daypack 😉 ). When we were finally ready and stepped outside, I was more than a little disappointed to discover that it was already raining – not hard, but just enough of a steady drizzle to be annoying. C, on the other hand, was ecstatic. “It’s raining Mommy, it’s raining!”, he shouted as he jumped around.

I’m not gonna lie, I was less than psyched about the rain, and was tempted to drop back and punt. After all, C was in desperate need of a haircut, as we never can seem to find the time to go get it done. Luckily I just bought new trimmers. But just as I was getting ready to pitch my efficient new plan, C announces loudly, “We need to get our rain jackets!”

Cairn stacking 101

I then realized that the thought of nixing our hiking plans had never even occurred to him. In his mind, the only logical course of action in the rain is to suit up and go, right?!? He’s seen that example set over and over on various climbing/camping trips, why would this morning be any different?

After about a half a second of hesitation I decided to keep my mouth shut about the haircut – 65 degrees at 9 in the morning did feel pretty darn good, and wet trails would mean no mountain bikers to dodge in the intersections…I turned around to get our rain gear, but C had already located his rainsuit from Oakiwear (which I can’t recommend highly enough!) as well as my rain jacket.

The next couple of hours were a little muddy, but lovable, and definitely much more enjoyable than getting a haircut. C talked my ear off for the first mile, before we stopped to stack rocks and break out the bulldozers. I could hardly get a word in edge-wise as he chattered on and on about everything from the “dancing tree branches” (it was a very windy day…) to the colors on our jackets, to the various types of heavy machinery that are effective in the mud. We kicked leaves, jumped onto stepping stones in a creek, and watched a hawk soaring high above us in circles. It was a sweet experience, just wandering around the woods with my little boy. By the time we got back to the car we had covered 2.2 miles, and for all but a few brief minutes towards the end we had walked hand in hand.

As we drove home and I listened to C spout off the roll call on the theme song for Thomas the Train, I realized that our precious morning excursion could have very easily been replaced by something much more mundane, in the name of efficiency and convenience. Thank goodness my little guy had spoken up when he did. It was a well-timed reminder to stay open to these opportunities for shared adventures as they come our way, and not to be so quick to write them off for something that is less important in the long run. After all, there’s always next week for a haircut…

What simple, yet unlikely adventures has your family shared recently?

Still shot of the “dancing trees”

Hidden Wall: Where the Party’s At…

Climbing. North Carolina.

5 Comments.

Feb 06 2013

Sam Stephens on Spitter (5.12b)

A lot of folks climb for years at Crowders Mountain without ever venturing over to the “dark side.” Accessed from a completely different parking lot than the Main Area, Hidden wall is a small sport crag with a handful of short, classic lines, along with about a dozen link-ups and variations. Most of the routes feature bouldery cruxes with long, burly moves on barely-there feet. Local developer Wade Parker likes to refer to these scrappy grunt-fests as “blue-collar routes” – ie, for the working man (or woman 😉 ). No room for dainty, tiptoe-ing technique – you’ve gotta be willing to fight for a send at Hidden Wall. That being said, it’s a great training ground for practicing the TRY HARD mantra I’ve been adopting of late.

Our family generally operates on a “Sun’s out? Guns out!” modus operandi, but on this particular day I was the lone representative from our clan. My better halves (2/3’s?) decided to stay home to enjoy some welcomed Father/Son time, since the Crag-Daddoo is taking is resting a tweaked finger for the next couple of weeks. I definitely missed my favorite climbing partners, but I’m appreciative to my hubby for the rare occasion to get out by myself. But back to the climbing…

Beta for The Snag (5.12b): a solid try hard face helps you hold onto the snag hold.

The nice thing about Hidden Wall is that it starts baking in the sun at dawn, creating stellar winter conditions by mid-morning, provided that it’s a calm, clear day. By lunchtime the sun has moved around the wall, but as long as the temps continue to creep up, the rock generally stays pleasant enough for at least another couple of hours. It’s a short day, but certainly worthwhile considering how close by it is! And apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so – by noon there was a rowdy bunch of climbers swarming around a normally secluded base. But that brings me to the second nice thing about Hidden Wall – generally the only folks that go there are people that I know (and usually like) and not some guys in adult male entertainment. That means the rare days that do get crowded feel more like a backyard party than an outdoor gym!

One by one I’ve been ticking off the area classics, and everything left is far out of my onsight ability, so I tend to go there with one goal in mind to focus on for the day. This particular day I only had eyes for The Snag (5.12b/c). This route features an in-your-face boulder problem right off the deck, starting with a big deadpoint to a mail slot, followed by 3 very core intensive moves in a row off of very small, but positive holds. The namesake crux hold is a tiny crimper that has sort of a thumb catch on top, and if you go too dynamically you’ll rip a hole in your thumb pretty darn fast, so the crux is simply managing to stay tight enough to reach up with enough precision to be able to “snag” the hold with enough control.

Rob preparing to get cruxy on Slabster’s Lament (5.12a)

I’d taken 3 cracks at it the week before, the first one going miserably, and the next two remarkably better, each time refining my beta a little bit more, but unfortunately we ran out of time and daylight before I could cross it off. I was feeling good about my odds this past weekend, but my first two runs went so terrible I got completely shut down at the crux and couldn’t even hang the draws – not to mention my thumb was starting to get a little raw from so many missed “snags.” I couldn’t figure out what the problem was, but the atmosphere was far too lively to get frustrated, so I just belayed and snapped photos for a while. I got back on it again after lunch, and the difference was like night and day. I fired up to the mail slot, shuffled my feet in a slightly different arrangement than I had been doing, based on some beta I’d seen one of my friends use. I mentally told my core to tighten, turned my hips, looked up…and there was the crux hold staring me in the face, seeming a lot more attainable than it had before. I latched it successfully and hustled up to the next bolt and a nice rest stance. The rest of the climb went just as smoothly – yay for ticking another classic!

It was pretty cold by the time I got down, and I had planned to be done for the day, but I ended up taking a lap up Pteranodon (5.11a) to retrieve the draws. It had been a long time since I’d done this one, and it was a lot easier than I’d remembered – so much so, in fact, that I’m pretty sure I found a hard-to-see hold that I hadn’t used before, so while unexpected, it was a worthwhile effort!

Along with cheering on several of my friends (I wasn’t the only that bought a ticket for the send train…), one of my highlights was getting to hang out with one of the local developers from back in the day, Wade Parker. He was a walking, talking guidebook, filled with epic tales of first ascents and harrowing falls. He was also kind enough to rig himself at the top of the cliff to snap photos of all of us, of which I’ve included a sampling.

What about everyone else? Whether you climbed, skied, hiked, or just built a snowman, I hope you were able to find some outdoor time to spend together as a family!

Keeping Your Toddler Warm on Winter Climbing Trips

Toddlers at the Crag.

6 Comments.

Feb 03 2013

Layers, Hat, Food, and Snuggles – all strategies at once!

Compared to other parts of the country, a winter day in North Carolina is generally rather mild, especially if the sun’s out. But just because our highs are generally above freezing doesn’t mean your kiddo can hang out all day at the crag in a light jacket. In fact, your toddler is actually much more likely to get cold at the crag than you are. Think about it – You warm up pretty fast hiking in to the crag with a big pack, while the only effort your child is expending is craning around in a carrier to ~~make you lose your balance~~ see what’s behind them. You generate a lot of heat while you are climbing, then you keep all that heat in by throwing on a puffy jacket when it’s your turn to stand around and belay. Meanwhile your child is playing on the cold (and sometimes damp) ground and rocks, probably using more fine motor skills than larger muscle movements (the kind that will keep you warm!) This is certainly not to deter you however – our family has had successful days at the crag with morning temps as low as the upper 20’s, and everyone left happy and healthy at the end of the day. The following is a revamped toddler version of a previous post I wrote a couple of years ago on handling weather extremes with your cragbaby. (So if you’re little guy or gal is less than a year old, you might find that post to be more applicable…)

We sized with room to grow last Christmas…

LAYER UP – It might take an extra 15 minutes to get dressed in the morning, but layering clothing will go a long way in protecting your toddler from cold and windy conditions. Start with a non-cotton baselayer for top and bottom (our favorite being wool). From there it depends on conditions – if temps are well above freezing and the sun is out, we may just throw on an insulating layer and call it a day (for example, a fleece sweatshirt and a thicker fabric bottom). To shun confusion in enclothing the toddler in the right order, one may even consider labeling the clothes. One can easily acquire a huge range of custom hangtags and tag every dress in an order. If it’s cloudy, windy, or just plain frigid, we toss C into his “Red Man Suit.” It appears that the version we have is discontinued, but the current version looks even warmer. Our suit works out especially well for multi-day trips that involve camping – the suit doubles as a sleeping bag, but since it has “legs,” he can stay nice and toasty around camp while we are cooking breakfast and gearing up for the day.

…but extra room is at a premium now!

COVER THAT HEAD – You may have heard it said that you lose 75% of heat through your head. While that statistic may not be accurate, it certainly doesn’t preclude hats from being on the “must-have” list for outdoor activities in the winter. In fact, a hat has turned into such a staple at our house that C often refuses to take his off until he’s been inside for HOURS (which makes for quite the sweaty hat head when it finally does come off!) Since toddler hats (along with mittens and gloves) are rather notorious for turning up missing at the absolute wrong time, we try to always make sure we have a few on hand – one for the climbing pack, one in the car, and one on the shelf in the garage.

Tea party break!

TURN ON THE INNER FURNACE – Eating (especially proteins and fats), will raise your metabolism and therefore slightly elevate body temperature, so make sure your kiddo is taking in plenty of calories. Nuts, energy bars, and cheese are good trail options. It’s tempting to drink less water when it’s cold outside, but do keep in mind that a dehydrated body (even slightly) is more susceptible to hypothermia, so make sure your child is drinking enough too. If your child enjoys warm beverages, think about bringing along a small thermos with tea or hot cocoa.

Long johns and a hat are all you need for a nap in a sunbeam!

THE SNUGGLE PATCH – Definitely the fuzziest of the warm suggestions! Sitting with your child on your lap can be the ticket to keeping your toddler AND you nice and toasty (plus it’s a great catalyst for some quality time in between climbs!)

EXTRA CLOTHES – Especially if there’s snow on the ground, be sure to bring an extra set of clothes. The warmest outerwear in the world will do absolutely no good if your baselayers get wet in a diaper change, spill, or who knows what else. And, for what it’s worth, the only times we have ever needed an extra set of clothes has been on the days we neglected to bring them, so keep a spare in your pack!

BE CONSIDERATE – This last point is probably the most important one. If everyone is bundled up and happy, by all means stay outside and play all day! But if your little one is complaining that they are cold, have a heart. Your fellow masochistic partners in climb may have been psyched to meet you out there, but your kids probably didn’t have a choice. If conditions are truly miserable, go back home and have some hot chocolate by the fire, and plan your project send for another day.

Does anyone else have any anecdotal stories, tips, or strategies for cold weather climbing with the kiddos in tow?

Birdseed Wreath: Wintry Decor for your Feathered Friends!

Homeschooling.

No Comments.

Jan 30 2013

Don’t you wish YOU had one?!?

Just before Christmas I wrote about “5 Homemade Ornament Ideas for Outdoor Trees.” Most of the ideas also doubled as a holiday treat for the birds and squirrels (or in our case…deer.) One of the ideas listed was a Birdseed Wreath, and at the time I posted we hadn’t had a chance to make one yet. Well, eventually we got around to it, and after a lot of trial and error experimenting with various online “recipes,” we ended up with a beautiful wreath that was too awesome not to share! In fact, it was so simple (once we figured it out…), that we made several, all to give away as gifts!

The original recipe I posted was from Martha Stewart, and while the concept seemed sound, the idea of rendering suet in a saucepan seemed overcomplicated and not toddler-friendly. We tried some other simpler ones involving just gelatin, water, and birdseed, but those all ended up far too crumbly to use. But after fattening up all the squirrels in our neighborhood with our crunchy failed attempts, we finally found simple perfection from this website.

Here’s all you need:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup warm water
3 T light corn syrup
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
Crisco (for sides of bundt pan)
4 cups bird seed

Apparently my neighbor’s cats went crazy with the flurry of activity around her wreath!

Combine all the ingredients except the bird seed and stir until you have a paste. Then mix in the bird seed, making sure to coat it thoroughly, and press it all firmly into the bundt pan. Let it harden overnight, and tada! When you wake up, you’ll find a seedy surprise just waiting to be devoured by your feathered (and furry) friends.

Since our gifts were intended for Christmas, we finished ours off with a wide satin ribbon and a bright red bow. But the nice thing about these wreaths is that you can accent them any number of ways, making them suitable for just about any gift-giving occasion. Think pink ribbon with felted hearts for Valentine’s day, raffia with an orange bow in the fall, or a red, white, and blue patriotic fabric in July!

It was fun hearing reports from our wreath recievers over the next few weeks after Christmas. Our neighbor got a great picture of a squirrel munching away on her wreath, and my mom enjoyed watching a woodpecker go to town on hers like clock work every morning. It’s definitely a project that was fun for both me and Cragbaby, and we will most certainly be making these wreaths again! Did anyone else try any “seedy” crafts over the holidays?

“Steady-Eddy” Ramirez and The Crowders Project

Interviews.

No Comments.

Jan 29 2013

As many of you know, my work on the Central Piedmont climbing guidebook I’ve been slaving over for the past year and a half is drawing to a close. Almost all of the writing is in the publisher’s hands at this point, who is now working feverishly on the layout with the guy making the topo maps. That being said, I just wrapped up the a final interview that will be featured in the Crowders section. It’s an interview with a local climber who is wrapping up an inspiring endeavor, and since it had been a while since I’d posted an interview on here, I thought it would be fun to share it with you all! Plus, Eddy is a proud Crag-Daddy himself, with a beautiful little girl just a little bit older than my Cragbaby, so his story will probably be inspiring to all the other parents out there who are working hard to balance personal goals with family life. And for the local readers, it will hopefully give you a sneak preview of what’s to come in print. So…..(drum roll please)….here’s Eddy!

Eddy on the classic Finger Crack (5.8), early in his quest.

“Eddy Ramirez actually stumbled upon the sport of rock climbing by accident. As a semi-professional ballet dancer, he needed to build arm strength for partnering, and was under the misunderstanding that climbing was all about pull-ups. He soon found that climbing and dancing were a two way street. Climbing gave him extra strength that could be applied to the dance floor, and dancing gave him core strength, body awareness, and flexibility that came in handy on the rock. Also, many years of memorizing dance steps and intricate choreography enabled him to easily recall long climbing sequences and specific beta.

The Columbia, South Carolina resident naturally used Crowders as a training grounds, and started like most everyone does – toproping the classics. After onsighting Electra (5.10c), the enthusiastic newbie resolved to onsight everything on the mountain. “I was still fairly new to climbing and didn’t have any real concept of what this goal entailed…eventually that goal involved into redpointing everything in the Main Area,” says Eddy.

As Eddy slowly but surely made progress on his goal, he started moving away from the classic lines and began to focus on the more obscure traditional routes. He found these less-travelled routes to be quite the mental battle – questionable rock and deceptive gear made for a scary combo on the sharp end. But these challenges ended up making Eddy a more well-rounded climber. “The great thing about learning the bulk of my traditional climbing at Crowders is that when I travel to other areas I don’t feel nearly as stressed about placing gear…being on a route with straightforward gear options means I can climb faster and more efficiently.”

Eddy is pretty humble about his project, a little too humble, if you ask me (but then again, he didn’t!). He’s not after local fame or legend status; in fact, for a long time he kept his plans under wraps for fear he would be called crazy, stupid, or both! He summed up his motivation well: “There are people who have achieved far more than I ever will. I just wanted something to challenge myself with. Honestly, I may have bit off more than I could chew. Never the less it has been a great adventure while working towards something probably meaningless to most. I truly love climbing and the way it continues to challenge me to evolve and grow.”

Eddy on one of his most recent ticks, Buddha’s Bulge (5.10a), which ended up being quite the gem!

Now that his tick list is dwindling, the day is counted a success if he can cross one route from his to-do list. Most of what he has left are traditional routes in the 5.10 and up realm, many of which have “R” ratings. (“I’m actually super scared about some of the routes I have left to lead,” says Eddy.) Where he initially tried to attempt everything ground-up, his strategy for these more serious routes usually involves a few toprope burns to check out gear options and memorize the moves before attempting the redpoint.

At the time of this writing, Eddy has just over 20 routes left to go in the Main Area. He hopes to be finished by the end of 2013, and has admitted that patient, capable partners will be a big factor in making that happen. “Applications are welcome,” he was quick to add.

The Crowders Project has not only been significant for Eddy on a personal level, but also for the park itself. He has spent numerous hours trundling loose rock, scraping dirt out of cracks, and ridding ledges of nasty briars. This process has given some old and forgotten lines a new lease on life, as well as given Eddy the chance to nab some first ascents of his own. Some of Eddy’s “FA’s” are variations of existing lines that may or may not have been done before but were previously undocumented. Others are in fact independent lines that are well-protected and a great option for traditional leaders looking to broaden their skills. But whether it’s a well-travelled classic or an obscure pile of donkey doo, I daresay every route that Eddy has touched is all the better for it. So if you ever happen to cross paths with this self-proclaimed “sketchy Mexican,” make sure you thank him for making Crowders Mountain a better place, and be sure to wish him luck on finishing The Crowders Project.”

Thanks to Eddy for letting me interview him (and also for humoring my constant requests for pictures and research help!) If you enjoyed his story, leave him some comment love below! Who knows, maybe with enough motivation he can knock this project out before the book goes to print!

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

When the Weather Gets Wet…Throw on a Rain Jacket!

Hidden Wall: Where the Party’s At…

Keeping Your Toddler Warm on Winter Climbing Trips

Birdseed Wreath: Wintry Decor for your Feathered Friends!

“Steady-Eddy” Ramirez and The Crowders Project