Cragmama

Jan 09 2013

Back in my pre-kiddo days, I was an elementary school teacher, and was accustomed to having a lot of time off over the holidays. My hubby is blessed to get a decent amount of vacation days at work, so he grew accustomed to taking off the same days that I had for Winter Break. Now that I’m not working outside of the home anymore, he’s STILL accustomed to getting lots of time off at Christmas, so he saves up enough vacation days every year to take a full two weeks off over Christmas/New Year’s. That means we have plenty of time for multiple rounds of Christmas with all but the farthest away family members, as well as an opportunity to enjoy the first few perfect friction days of the season – which down here in the Southeast, means wrasslin’ some pebbles! (Or bouldering, for the non-climbers…)

Time to crush guys!

Though physical remnants from my ankle injury last February are now nothing more than an occasional achy twinge on a rainy day, the mental consequences still rear their ugly head now and again, especially when I’m bouldering (which is ironic, since the injury occurred while I was on a rope…) But just recently I got a lot of peace of mind from a positive MRI report (though there is some damage, it’s not the kind that should be cause for concern). Not that I’m all of a sudden going to start projecting V7 highballs or anything. I’m just psyched to get more comfortable dropping onto a pad from a reasonable height again, and hopefully gain some strength and power that will translate to a rope this spring.

Anyway, despite the rather uncooperative weather (75% of the days we had available were filled with rain, gray clouds, or gusty winds…) we managed to get out on 4 different occasions…

RUMBLING BALD: Conditions were splitter – high of 45 and brilliant sun on a south-facing boulderfield! Now that we’re in Charlotte, this world-class destination (for bouldering as well as roped climbing) is an easy day trip, so we will certainly be taking advantage of that this season. Since we’d only been there one other time before and it was more than 2 years ago, we probably did more hiking around getting our bearings than we actually did climbing, but it was a great day nonetheless. I was psyched to send an unnamed V3 on the Trailside boulder that gave me hell the last time I was on it.. It’s just a couple of hard moves, but the first one is pretty long and powerful, and it felt good to send it without too much flailing this time around. Other noteworthy mentions were a couple of really nice slab V3’s on Boulder #36 – they were the definition of fun! After running into some friends who were hiking out from a day of roping up, we finished our day at the Cave Boulder, where my highlight of the day was sending my first post-injury V5! (Into be fair, it was a one-move wonder sit down start that led into a soft V3, but I’ll take it!)

DIXON: This ended up just being a half day for us, due to too-cold conditions. The sun was shining off and on, but never seemed to shine anywhere in the vicinity of where we were. The combination of frigid temps and excessively sharp rock on fingertips that were already halfway shredded from the day before was not a good one, and we bailed at lunchtime. However, the one silver lining on the day was that it was the first time we had ever climbed outdoors as a family of three – and it was a big success! C was a champ, and did a good job of staying off the pads while someone was climbing. He was also very gracious (for the most part…) about “sharing” spotters so that we all had a chance to climb safely. The verdict? Although more is definitely merrier when it comes to bouldering, a casual day at the boulderfield is definitely possible with just us now. I still we need to have a third person with us on C duty when we are roping up, but it’s nice to know that we can in fact fly solo every now and then for a short day if we need to.

Cragbaby’s turn to get his slab skills on at Dixon.

CROWDERS: We were able to get out on a rope for Steve’s last official day of Holiday Vacay with our friend Eddy. It was a short, but profitable day for all of us. Eddy is on the last leg of a quest to send every route at the Main Wall of Crowders (more on that later…), and he was able to tick off 2 more lines. Steve sent Desperately Seeking Juggage (5.11b), and I worked out all the moves on Silence the Critics (5.12b). I’m confident it will go next time I’m out that way. And Cragbaby hiked all the way out from Red Wall to the summit, and down the Backside Trail all the way til just before the last turn! It took twice as long, but was twice as fun!

Silence the Critics (5.12b)

C doing some performance testing on Mr. Eddy’s trad gear

MOORE’S: Of all the times we’ve climbed at Moore’s Wall, we’ve always walked right by the boulderfield on our way to rope up. But armed with a new guidebook and an army of pads, we descended upon the boulders in full force. To be honest, for the first hour (at least) I thought the day was going to be a bust. I couldn’t stop shivering, and every time I touched the rock it felt like I was gutting a snowman. (But apparently everyone else was fine, including Cragbaby whose hands were somehow toasty warm the whole time?!?) Maybe I’m just a pansy when it comes to the cold…Anyway, by lunchtime it had warmed up substantially, and I remembered how to climb again. Notable sends include Men Are From Moore’s (V3), which I would have said felt pretty stout for the grade until I got on the burly and scrappy Donkey Kong (V3), which felt at least a grade harder and a took mighty amount of effort to send. Maybe I’m just a pansy when it comes to bouldering. 😉 We rounded out the day on Scarier than Larry (V3), which, although tall with a fairly high crux, was pretty straightforward and felt surprisingly casual for me. C had a blast playing with his newfound friend A, and was once again a happy hiker, this time ALL the way back to the car, even through some pretty rough and tumble sections on the trail.

Baseball with a Tupperware container?!? Add a new one on the “cragtivity” list…

All in all, I’d say it was a pretty successful holiday! Bouldering season got off to a great start, and I’ve already got a route on deck for the next warm day (hopefully it’ll be relatively soon, before I forget all the beta!) C and I loved having the Daddoo around every day, and it was hard to let him go back to work this week! What about everyone else – how did you all recreate and enjoy the outdoors as a family over the holidays?

Scarier Than Larry (V3). And I promise it's not as tall as it looks in this picture!

Scarier Than Larry (V3). And it’s tall… but not anywhere close to as tall as my dramatic photographer makes it appear 😉

Wanna Keep Track of Your Kids? Try CALL ME CUFFS! (and GIVEAWAY!)

Gear Reviews.

6 Comments.

Jan 08 2013

A lot of people think I’m crazy when I say that I worry more about my toddler at the mall than I do at the crag. True, on a typical climbing day there are rocks, thorns, and sometimes creepy-crawlies to be on the lookout for. But we’re usually contained in a somewhat small area and there are several adults around making sure C stays out of trouble. Contrast that with a typical shopping day at the mall – where C and I are on our own with throngs of shoppers – most of whom couldn’t care less about the possibility of a toddler wandering off amidst shopping bags bigger than he is! And this parental version of “separation anxiety” isn’t restricted to just the mall. I worry about losing track of C at museums, festivals, and even busy parks and playgrounds. Older children can memorize a parent’s cell phone number and be trusted to find their way back to a family meet up spot should they become separated. But toddlers? One day C nonchalantly tells me my car is named “the Element” as he points out where we’re parked at the grocery store. The next minute he’s telling his teacher that his Daddy’s name is “Bob the Builder.” Toddlers are unreliable, at best!

That’s where Call Me Cuffs come in! (Trust me, these things are WAY better than the song worm that’s probably drilling it’s way into your head as you read this!) These nifty little ID bracelets are the brain child of California family Steve and Teri Carcano, who were desperate to find a safety precaution that was better than the “phone number on the forearm” system. The result was a concept that was simple, but brilliant – an ID band with a contact phone number (but without personal information such as the child’s name and address.) These bracelets are made out of soft, eco-friendly material, without the use of plastics, trees, water, or harmful skin irritants such as chlorine and acids. They are designed to be comfortable enough for your child to wear all day long without feeling scratchy, as well as tear proof, water proof, and smudge proof! Though C balked a little bit when I first introduced him to the bracelets, he very quickly came to enjoy his new fashion statement, sometimes even requesting to wear one around the house! He’s a fan of the bright colors, and I love knowing that my contact info is with him at all times whenever we’re in a crowded, public place. If your child has any allergies or other pertinent medical information, that can be added to the ID band as well, which can add some peace of mind for drop-off birthday parties or field trips.

Call Me Cuffs come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and at $14.95 for a pack of twelve (with only $1.25 shipping), they are a great value as well! Customizing the colors, information, and sizing on your child’s ID bands is all very easy to do via a step-by-step process on their online order form. It obviously should go without saying that a product like this doesn’t excuse you from keeping a vigilant eye on your little one(s), but any child can wander off, and even the most observant parents can blink for a split second! As for me, I hope we never have to actually use the Call Me Cuffs system, but if I ever do get separated from C, I know I’ll be thankful that we have it in place. So to me, using this product is a no-brainer – as a parent I can’t think of a good reason NOT to use it! We certainly don’t strap one on every single time we got out in public, but I always have one with me in my bag, just in case we end up in a crowded situation where it seems warranted.

I was lucky enough to receive our personalized ID bands used for this review for free (though in no way did that change my opinion), but lucky for YOU, Call Me Cuffs has graciously agreed to provide one of you all with your own 12 pack of Call Me Cuffs! There are two ways to enter –
1. Share what situation(s) your family would use Call Me Cuffs the most.
2. Like Call Me Cuffs on Facebook (then come back and tell me that you did in the comment field!)
The winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday, January 13th, and contacted via email. Best of luck!

Hit List 2013

Climbing. Climbing. Reflections.

9 Comments.

Jan 07 2013

Fiddling with crux gear on Mighty Mouse (5.11d)

With 2012 in the archives, it’s time to look forward to another year…and another Hit List! Each time I write out a year’s worth of climbing goals, I get a little bit nervous. What if I fail? What if I am nowhere close to any of these goals by the end of the year? The truth is, that could easily happen. Maybe the logistics don’t cooperate for me to be able to put in the time needed to cross some of these routes off. Or worse, maybe I’m able to invest plenty of time into a project, and still come up short! Goal-setting can be a very rewarding thing, but it can also feel very vulnerable and exposed, especially when you make your intentions known to others. That being said, here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish on the rock in 2013…

1. REDEMPTION SONG: I spent last year trying to get settled in at the 5.12 grade. But although I was fairly successful in that quest, I still had to walk away empty-handed a good bit. This year I want to not only push myself a little deeper into 5.12, but also revisit some of the routes that I had to leave unfinished. Since there are other logistics to consider besides my own (everyone else I climb with has a tick list of their own, after all), I may not be able to get back to ALL of these routes, but you can bet if I’m anywhere in the vicinity, the following will be the first on my list!
Gangsta 5.12a (Lilly Bluff, TN) – I can only think of one other route that caused me more frustration than this one last year.
Keeper of the Flame 5.11d (Obed, TN) – Yeah, yeah it’s only .11d but it is an amazing line and definitely my anti-style. Long, jungle-gym type moves to a big stand-up move off an undercling crimp. I shocked myself by making it all the way to the very last significant move on my 2nd attempt last year. I’m hoping it’ll go down without much of a fight next time.
Lost Souls 5.12a (New River Gorge, WV) – My fellow Trango athlete Dan Brayack shot some images of me on this route last fall to use in some Trango advertising…I did well in the try-hard-face department, but not so much with regards to sending. I’ve got all the moves figured out, but there are three long reaches right in a row and I could never do them all successfully at any given attempt. Time to hit the gym for some lock-off training.
Mighty Mouse 5.11d (Moore’s Wall, NC) – I got on this route 3 times last year, all in the midst of summer heat and humidity. It’s the hardest thing I’ve led on gear to date (by far…), and the scene of my first good whipper on gear. I’d love to be able to link it together this year. My best attempt on lead had me hanging on gear just before, right in the middle, and just after the crux (it’s got a looooong crux sequence – the hardest move is probably placing the gear). When I seconded it to clean my gear I only hung once (the little stopper I fell on mid-crux was a beast to get out!!!)

Fall photo shoot from Lost Souls (5.12a)

2. ONE 5.13 FOR 2013 – The mantra for 2011 was one 5.12, and for 2012 it was twelve 5.12’s…I can’t tell you how many folks have asked me about how many 5.13’s in 2013! I initially dismissed it entirely, as I’m not sure I’m ready for the physical and mental work that would take. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured there was no harm in trying. With caution though – one of the things I disliked about my “number-related” goals from last year is that at times I felt like I put too much pressure on myself to succeed, and at times that took some of the enjoyment out of a few days here and there. So my aim this year is just to TRY one 5.13 for 2013 – after all it does have a nice ring to it! I’ll pick one that caters to my strengths and give it a whirl – if it seems like it’ll go, then I’ll invest some time in it. If it feels really far away, I’ll step back from it with a newfound knowledge of the skills I need to develop to take my climbing to that next level.

Nemesis de 2012…Gangsta (5.12a)

3. SEND SOME CLASSIC “GUY” ROUTES – I will be the first to admit that I climb like a girl, which can certainly have it’s advantages; I know how to use my feet, I can match hands on the tiniest of holds, and tech my way up a heady slab that would make the princes of plastic at the gym crap their pants. But put me on terrain where I’m horizontal and my weaknesses become glaringly obvious. I hesitate and move far too slowly to be efficient, searching around for perfect footholds while my pump clock ticks louder and louder. I’ve always had to work harder for steep lines than their techy, vertical equivalents, but last year I made some slow but steady improvements in the overhanging realm. So this year I’d like to put some time in on some of the quintessential, steep “guy”routes in the region. And I don’t mean just slightly overhanging – I’m talking the kind of angle that forces your belayer to either schedule a next-day appointment with their chiropractor or buy those fancy schmancy belay glasses. As this goal will be contradictory with Goal #2 in every way, I will be hard-pressed to even attempt all of these, nevermind redpoint them, but here’s just few bad-ass lines that would qualify.
Narcissus 5.12a (Summersville Lake, WV) – This is the only one listed that I’ve actually been on before, so it would probably be a good place to start. I led it basically bolt to bolt this past fall and felt reasonably good on it. There’s a few sections that will be beastly to link together, but the individual moves felt easier than I was expecting.
Depth Charge 512b (Meadow River, WV) – This may work slightly in my favor because the crux is actually on the technical face below the roof. Working against me is that the line’s so intimidating it makes my tummy hurt just looking up at it…
Solstice 5.12a (Obed, TN) – From what I hear a lot of folks think this route is pretty stout for the grade, but I’ve seen a young boy on it much shorter than me, so I’m assuming that means there’s nothing terribly reachy on it. We’ll see…
Tierrany 512a (Obed, TN) – This is another one that at first glance appears overwhelming. Not sure if we’ll make it out to the Obed enough times to put in the effort this one may take, but it’s a classic for sure, and I’d love to at least try it once!
Unwritten Law 5.12b (The Dump, NC) – So it’s not world famous or anything, but it’s a rite of passage for any NC climber, and with a massive dyno to the anchors, it’s about as anti-Cragmama as you can get. Even if I can’t send it, I’m sure it’ll at least be a fun ride!

Up high on Narcissus (5.12a)

4. FIVE V5’s – Considering how seldom I boulder once warm weather hits, (not to mention how non-committal my attitude can be about bouldering these days), this one may be a long shot…but I figured throwing it out there might make me more motivated to get it done. If I can stay focused long enough, I think I can do it, and the strength I would most certainly gain from all the work would surely translate in crux sequences on the ropes. It helps that I’ve already cranked one out already during one of the first trips of the season at Rumbling Bald. 🙂

5. DON’T GET HURT… Though my injury last year was nothing I could have prevented, I surely don’t want to have to deal with that again any time soon, so fingers are crossed for a healthy year with things beyond my control. That being said, there’s plenty of injury prevention tactics that ARE within my control. Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with any overuse type injuries in years, and my goal this year is to keep it that way – the harder I climb and the older I get, the easier it is for nagging pain issues to creep in and take up residence. Instead of taking month off at the end of the year next year, I’m going to experiment with taking more frequent, shorter breaks throughout the year. Maybe a couple of weeks in the heat of summer when it’s more fun to be at the beach than in the mountains. Maybe a well-timed week after a month’s worth of multi-day weekend trips in the spring.

Regardless of what 2013 brings, the real #1 goal is to have fun with these guys!

Setting a higher standard for yourself is a gamble for sure, but the feeling of accomplishment gained from crossing off items on the list is a great reward. So even though it always feels risky to put myself out there, I’ve learned that the journey along the way (whether it be failure or success) always provides a learning experience that makes it worth doing. So now that I’ve been transparent, it’s your turn – what are you hoping to accomplish in 2013, either on the rock or off? What routes, mountains, trails, slopes, or destinations are you hoping to enjoy, either for yourself, or with your family? (And don’t be afraid to aim high…worst case you fall and your friends/family/climbing partners are right there to pick you up 😉 )

Hit List for 2012 – The Year in Review

Climbing. Climbing. Reflections.

4 Comments.

Jan 03 2013

Well, another year has come and gone, which means another Hit List has drawn to a close. This was the second time I’ve put my year-long goals out there in cyber space (for 2011 Hit List click here), and once again, it was a wild ride, with plenty of bumps (and bruises) along the way! After an unexpected injury started the year off on the “wrong foot” (sorry, couldn’t help myself…), I found a lot of my mental battles this year revolved around fear. Fear in trusting my ankle again, fear in getting my lead head back, along with an unexpected one that kept creeping up – fear of failure. I mentioned it in a previous post, but I learned that along with the many positives of goal-setting (increased psych, motivation, and focus), there are a few distinct negatives – namely, pressure to succeed. Because of my ankle injury in February, I was in essence “starting” on my goals in April, which meant that I felt like I was forever playing catch-up. Several times I questioned whether or not I had bitten off more than I could chew with my 2012 goals.

First forays on a hangboard back in February in my boot.

At the end of the day (year…), I was NOT able to cross off everything on my Hit List. But at the end of the day (year…), I realized it didn’t matter. I had a fantastic year with a bunch of fantastic people. I traveled to some amazing places, climbed some awesome lines, and pushed myself to new heights (literally and figuratively). So to conclude Highlight Week 2012, here’s a recap of the goals on my list, one by one…

~~10. Get My Train On –~~ Being stuck in a boot lit a fire under me in regards to training since that’s pretty much all I could do. Thankfully I had a lot of success with it, and continued to do some sport-specific training throughout the year. I experimented with hangboard and HIT Strip cycles, along with some specific bouldering/route climbing circuits that targeted certain weaknesses – namely slopers, lock-offs, and steep wall endurance.

9. The Whining (5.11d, Hidden Wall, NC) – This climb is at a local area that climbs best in cold weather, so it was intended to be one of the first routes of the year to tick off. But due to my ankle injury and other unforeseen circumstances, I actually didn’t get a chance to get on it this year until Thanksgiving. I finally was able to do the height-dependent crux move with some beta that proved to be pretty low percentage (for me anyway), but after 2 frustrating weekends in a row, I decided to put this one on the backburner and save it for another time. Excuses, excuses? Maybe. But here’s my case.

Cragbaby pulling on some plastic

~~8. Old and New Stomping Grounds~~ – No one can argue that Cragbaby hasn’t done his fair share of crag-hopping in his not-quite-three years of life thus far. But at the start of this year, there were still a few local areas that C hadn’t been to, and a whole host of places still on mom and dad’s bucket list. Over the past twelve months we managed to get C to seven new areas. Two were old pre-kiddo haunts (Moore’s Wall, The Dump), three were new to all of us from our Wild West Adventure this summer, and two were day trips to Western NC (also new to all of us).

~~7. Cragbaby on a Rope –~~ This was more of a prediction rather than a goal, as Steve and I have both agreed not to be those obnoxious pushy parents that try to live vicariously through their kids. But Cragbaby is quickly proving that he’s just as much of a gear junkie as his parents, so he wasn’t about to let all that shiny new climbing gear he got for Christmas last year go to waste! He made good use of his climbing shoes and chalkbag pretty much everywhere we went. Most of his roped explorations were done at the climbing gym, although recently he’s gotten psyched about tying in outdoors, especially after watching a big boy climb (peer pressure isn’t always bad!)

And C and Mommy enjoying a day on real rock together at Hidden Wall

6. Get Established at V5 – The logistics of this goal came too little too late to be able to cross it off. I was in my ankle boot for the best friction temps of the year, and by the time I dusted my crash pad off again this fall I was in no mental shape to push my physical limits. But after some sunny holiday bouldering at the tail end of the year (as well as a positive MRI report from my ortho!), I’m starting to gain more and more confidence. I even managed to successfully snag my first post-fracture V5! In the interest of full disclosure, it was a sit-down-start variation to a V3, but it’s a step in the right direction!

~~5. Twelve 5.12′s in 2012 –~~ Out of all of my goals for this year, this is the one I worked the hardest for, and was therefore the most exciting to cross off! A couple of them were one-move wonders, some were local rites of passage, and a few of them were world class lines, but the journey of crossing them off one by one was priceless! (Here’s the specifics, if you’re interested…)

Mighty Mouse (5.11d)

~~4. Freaky Stylee (5.12a, New River Gorge)~~ – I can’t say enough about how bad ass this route is. After paying my dues with two 2 big whippers on what’s known as the “most whipped upon bolt in the Gorge” I sent it 3rd go on a sunny day in June. This day may have been my favorite climbing days of the year, since the hubster also sent his project that very same day, just a few routes down from this one, in an equally epic style!

~~3. Pockets of Resistance (5.12a, New River Gorge)~~ – Happy Mother’s Day to me! Best gift ever after flailing repeatedly on it the summer before…It’s amazing what a year will do!

2. More Trad – Although I still clipped bolts more than I plugged gear this year, I started working on a challenging gear project that will hopefully help me take my gear climbing to another level – Mighty Mouse (5.11d), at Moore’s Wall. I also had the opportunity to take my gear climbing to a “higher” level in Red Rock Canyon just before Thanksgiving, when Steve and I got our multi-pitch on sans Cragbaby.

1. Finish Guidebook – Well I can’t exactly cross it off the list just yet, but the bulk of my work is done. I wrapped up all the writing except for a few final revision tweaks by the end of the summer, and I’ve been helping out with pictures and topos ever since. Never having done this before, I have no idea how long the rest of the project will take, but my hope is that I’ll have a book in my hands some time during the first half of 2013.

Though my year was definitely littered with a few painful and frustrating moments, the magical ones where everything just fell into place more than made up for the other ones. But I can honestly say that I’m thankful for the bad moments along with the good, as they not only helped to shape me in the smaller picture as a climber, but also in the bigger picture as a wife, mother, and friend. What will 2013 bring by way of goals? Still working on that one, although the actual “list” may look a little bit different this year, so you’ll have to stay tuned. In the mean time, now’s the time to brag on yourself – what goals did you accomplish this year? (And don’t hold back – lay it all out there so we can all cyber cheer 🙂 )

Cragbaby Highlights for 2012

Climbing. Climbing. Toddlers at the Crag. Reflections.

2 Comments.

Jan 02 2013

It’s been a big year for C, who went from a curious, craggin’ toddler to a big boy with his own agenda at the crag (which may or may not have anything to do with climbing…). So in honor of Highlight Week 2012, here’s a look back at some of C’s favorite moments from this year (from his perspective, of course!)…

5. Big Boy Climbing Gear – This year I had my very own climbing gear – shoes, chalkbag, harness, and helmet. Just like Mommy and Daddy! Even though I don’t always use all of it, having my own gear makes me feel like one of the gang!

4. Riding the Waves (Ocean Isle Beach, NC) – This summer I got to go to the beach with lots of people in my family. I watched the grown-ups ride the big waves in the morning, and then in the afternoon I got a turn to ride the baby waves in my tube.

3. Devil’s Bathtub Hike (South Dakota) – This is when I figured out that hiking is really fun! I hiked almost the entire way through streams, over logs, and under big tree branches! At the end of the hike I even got to go swimming!

2. My First Real Send – It took me a long time, and Mr. Charlie had to add on an extra foot hold for me, but I was finally able to climb up the part of the boulder in the gym where everyone else climbs down! I did it just a few weeks before I turned 2, and Daddy even got it on video and put it to music so I could be in my own climbing movie, just like the pros! (Here’s the video…)

1. Devil’s Tower (Wyoming) – Going to Devil’s Tower was my favorite day of the year! It’s a gigantic rock that looks like it’s growing out of the ground, and there are lots of prairie dogs running around at the bottom. Mommy says that one day when I’m big enough to climb it, we’ll all go back and take a picture together from the very top!

So that’s Cragbaby’s year in a nutshell – he’s had quite a fun year! What are everyone else’s favorite family moments of 2012?

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

A Little Bit of Holiday Crankin’

Wanna Keep Track of Your Kids? Try CALL ME CUFFS! (and GIVEAWAY!)

Hit List 2013

Hit List for 2012 – The Year in Review

Cragbaby Highlights for 2012