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

A Peachy KEEN Start to Fall with Toddler Hiking Boots

Gear Reviews. Toddlers at the Crag. Hiking.
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When I first showed Cragbaby the brand new box of Keen Alamosa WP Hiking Boots that had arrived on our doorstep together with my twisted X boots and shoes, the first thing he said was, “Peachy Keen.”  Really, he did.  But it probably had more to do with his current infatuation with the “Veggie Tales” theme song than his knowledge of 1950’s slang.  He tore open the box and enthusiastically jumped into my lap so I could help him put on his shoes.  While I crammed his wiggly little toddler feet into them, I told them that these were his new special hiking shoes, and that they would help him run, scramble, and explore just like a big boy.  He kept pointing at them excitedly, and I was just sure it was going to be love at first sight.  I tightened up the laces, and stood him up so he could take them for an initial test spin…at which point he dramatically collapsed back into my lap, begging and pleading with me to take the new shoes off.  ?!?!?  I didn’t know what to think.  Perhaps something was stuck in the shoe – nope.  I had ordered a size he could grow into, hoping they’d last longer…maybe they were so big they were difficult to walk in – nope.  Or maybe there was nothing wrong with the shoes and C was just playing the stubborn toddler that doesn’t like change routine – ding, ding, ding, correct!  

Already a gear junkie…

I decided not to push, and set the shoes up on his dresser so he could see them.  A couple of times a day the Crag-Daddoo and I talked the shoes up and nonchalantly asked if he wanted to wear them.  And the response was always a very adamant “NO!”  After a couple of weeks went by, I began to get a little worried.  I’m always brutally honest with both positives and negatives in my reviews, but it would obviously have been ridiculously unfair of me to cater to my toddler’s mood swings and write that the shoes were so horrible my son could barely stand to talk about them.  

Enter Gaga…Cragbaby’s grandmother.  She happened to come by for a visit, and (ironically with no prompting from me), noticed the shoes on the dresser and complimented C on his new “big boy shoes.”  Since one of C’s favorite games is “show and tell,” he smiled and gave the shoes a closer look, but still didn’t want to put them on.  But later on that day while he was reading with Gaga, I managed to slip them on without making a big deal about it.  This time when he stood up, he realized he had his new shoes on, and began JUMPING as high as he could!  He jumped, ran, and spun around in circles all afternoon in his new shoes (amidst much cheering from his Mommy and Gaga of course), and as soon as the Crag-Daddoo came home he put on a skills demonstration.  From that day forward we referred to the new hiking shoes as “JUMPING SHOES.”  

The Alamosas getting crag-tested at North Clear Creek in Tennessee

Phew, that was a relief.  After a bit of a rocky start, the Jumping Shoes were well on their way to a glowing review!  The very next day we loaded up the car and headed to eastern Tennessee with Jumping Shoes in hand (foot?), where we put them to the test with a fast-paced regimen of climbing, hiking, and camping.  The week after that was Cragbaby’s first week of preschool, and the Jumping Shoes accompanied him there as well.  Here’s what he (we) thought:

 What we were psyched about…

– WATERPROOF – With a water-resistant leather upper and a waterproof breathable lining on the inside, these shoes are perfectly designed for an afternoon of puddle-jumping (hey and apparently they make you jump higher too…)
– LACE-UP SYSTEM – Slingshot laces mean your child doesn’t have to know how to tie their shoe to put them on by him/herself.   But hey parents, this doesn’t mean you get to skip out on teaching your kids to tie their shoes…as a former elementary teacher, I was always baffled by the number of 8 year olds that still couldn’t perform what should be a 1st grade prerequisite.  
– DURABLE – These boots are pretty beefy, and it’s obvious that they are built to last far beyond the life of the average pair of toddler shoes.  If your family intends to expand its numbers at some point, these shoes would definitely go in the “save” pile!
– STURDY – With the terrain that we encounter at the base of the cliff on climbing days, C often wears his climbing shoes all day to help him scramble around and explore.  But with the Alamosa’s, the only time he asked to change into his climbing shoes was when attempting to climb an actual vertical rock face.  I assume he kept the hiking boots on longer because they were getting the job done, and he felt comfortable and secure on his feet.  

More rigorous testing…

What we weren’t psyched about… 

– My only complaint about Cragbaby’s Alamosa’s is that they are pretty hard to get on, especially when they were brand new.  Even though I sized up to get more wear out of them, I still feel like I’m having to shove C’s poor little foot in there, although he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it at all.  To be fair, however, these are beefy boots – they have to be stiff to offer enough support, so it’s not surprising that they don’t stretch as much as a regular sneaker.  Since we’ve had them for a while they’ve packed out a little bit and on and offs have gotten somewhat easier.  Another factor might actually be my fault – although it’s hard to tell right now with those chubby little toddler feet, it’s quite possible that C has inherited his Mommy’s dreaded high arches, which can certainly cause issues with getting shoes on and off.  

Our family has always been big fans of KEEN.  I like their products, and I like that they are encouraging folks to get outside.  I also love that KEEN thinks everyone deserve to have a high-quality shoe – the toddler and child Alamosa’s are the exact same as the grown-up Alamosa’s, just in a pint-size package.  Because of that quality, these shoes aren’t cheap.  They retail at $65 – which at first glance might seem more than you want to spend on a toddler that grows faster than a weed.   However, I for one think that shoes are in the “do not skimp” category when it comes to the outdoors.  If a child is comfortable outside, odds are good they’ll want to stay outside.  And a child that stays outside is a child that has a whole new world of experiences just waiting at their fingertips.  In my unbiased opinion, I think the Alamosa’s are a wonderful choice for little guys and gals (and grown-ups too, for that matter!) to explore the world around them.  Anyone else have any experience with these shoes?  If not, what are your go-to hiking shoes for the small fry?

KEEN Alamosa’s are comfy for relaxing at the end of the day too…

 

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Play Hard, Sleep Hard (and GIVEAWAY!)

Sentimental Snapshots.
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Today’s Sentimental Snapshot is twofold.  First off, it represents how everyone in our family feels at the end of the summer.  South Dakota, Wyoming, Ocean Isle Beach, New River Gorge, Obed Scenic River, visits FROM family, visits TO family, and of course several day trips to local crags thrown in for good measure – it seems to reflect Cragbaby’s motto of “Play Now, Sleep Later.”  It’s a recipe for loads of fun and family memories, but sooner or later it catches up with you and you have to stop and take a break!  So this picture is an accurate representation of how our entire family has been feeling lately…  

Secondly, this picture is important to me because it’s one of the last photos I took of Cragbaby in his crib.  Yep, that’s right, my little C is now in a big boy bed! A lot of folks had told us that we needed to get him out of the crib around a year old when he first learned to climb out of the crib…but we knew he wasn’t ready then. We considered an idea of a mattress on the floor. Thankfully the climbing out didn’t become a problem, as on the rare occasions he wanted to attempt it when I wasn’t in the room were almost always announced with “Mommy, spot C!”  The switch oddly enough happened a few weeks ago while our family was beaching at Ocean Isle – he was having a lot of trouble going to sleep, and on the second night he made it quite clear that he wanted no part of the pack and play – so the big queen bed it was.  The first couple of nights we kept expecting to be woken up with a big boom coming from the next room, but thankfully that never happened.  Instead, we opened his door every morning and were delighted to see a sweet C sitting up in his giant bed, reading a book we’d left for him on the nightstand.  

And with that, another summer is gone, and another milestone is reached!  My little boy is growing up, although his “play now, sleep later” mentality seems to be sticking with him.  Anyone else lives by that same motto?  If not, how would you sum up your approach to balancing fun versus work versus rest?  And another question – does it involve caffeine?  If it does, you’ve got a chance to score a caffeinated care package from the folks at Peet’s Coffee and Tea.  They have generously agreed to reward one lucky reader with a Summer Prize Pack with a 16 ounce Tumbler as well as a bag of their special Baridi Iced blend coffee.  To enter, all you have to do is answer the previous question – How would you sum up your approach to balancing fun versus work versus rest?  Play now, sleep later?  Or something else…Contest will run through Thursday, September 13, when a winner will be randomly selected.  Good luck to all and thanks for reading!

 

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Progress (Not Perfection) at the Obed

Climbing. Other.
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Steve getting some redemption on Blade Loafer (5.10c)

The Obed Wild and Scenic River is our family’s favorite crag to hit over Labor Day weekend – it’s nice to have an extra day with the longer drive, and we’re able to avoid all the crowds that are swarming at the New and Red River Gorges.  However this time probably could have been talked into going just about anywhere  had the forecast been any better, but it appeared that the entire Southeast was being held hostage by Hurricane Isaac.  We weren’t too worried about the climbing – because of the steep terrain and enormous roofs, the Obed is a fantastic place to climb in the rain without ever getting wet.  But let’s be honest, it’s not very much fun camping in the rain.  Especially when our best hang out options 20 minutes away are a Sonic (outdoor seating) and a crappy pizza joint with locals that give us the evil eye whenever we come in.  Needless to say, a forecast of 50-60% chance of rain every day left us all wondering whether we should even make the drive at all…

I don’t know if we just lucked up or if crags everywhere were spared the rain, but we stayed dry as a bone for 2 full days!  It rained for about 30 minutes on Saturday, and for a couple of hours on Sunday, but for both instances we were already at the crag, sheltered completely at the base of the cliff by massively overhanging rock.  Our original plan had been to climb at least a half day on Monday as well, but when the forecast shifted to 90% rain ALL DAY LONG we figured it would be best to quit while we were ahead, so we decided to climb much later than usual Sunday night, then hit the road.  This made for a post-midnight arrival Sunday night, but luckily we had all day Monday to recover at home (although unfortunately Cragbaby didn’t get the memo that it wasn’t necessary to awaken at 6:30 the next morning…)  Here’s what our weekend looked like…

“This is my fire pit guys.”

Day 1:  Lilly Bluff
Paraphernalia (5.10b): Pump-a-delic fun on great holds all the way!
Gangsta (5.12a):   After my saga with this one on our last trip, I was hoping to be able to lay this one to rest, even though the conditions were no better this time versus last time.  But unfortunately there were no fluffy poetic endings to be had, and after a solid 3 attempts (each one an inch closer to sending than the last), I made an executive decision to walk away and come back when it was cooler.  Ironically, not sending it wasn’t nearly as disappointing as it was last time.  I don’t know, I guess I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that it’ll go when it’s meant to go.  
Heresy (5.11c):  Yeah, speaking of conditions…the humidity made every chalked hold on this route feel like it was coated in slimy toothpaste.  This route has been pretty meaningful to me over the years, and I hadn’t been on it since I first redpointed it over a year ago.  It was fun doing it again, especially without all the pressure to send.  
Whippersnapper (5.11a):  This route was a first for our entire crew – and it was awesome!  With a typical Obed finish on very steep rock with larger-than-life jugs, this route was long, relentless, and provided lots of pumpy fun!  

“And this is my froggie.”

We ran into another family at Lilly Bluff, which was awesome because C had some “pretty girls” (his words, not mine) to play with.  While the grown-ups climbed, the three of them were hard at work gathering sticks and twigs to make a “fire pit.”  

Day 2:  North Clear
Warm-Up Route (5.10a):  Although short, this route was certainly good enough to earn a better name.  Long moves on brilliant rock, and definitely full-value for the grade.  
Saddam Hussein (5.11b):   Probably the tallest single-pitch bolted line I’ve ever done (70m rope required), and also probably one of the best of the grade.  The first 50 feet stem up a picturesque corner before reaching a ledge that you’d better hang out on for a while, because once you pull onto the face again, it’s overhanging rock for another 80 feet.  For me there was a technical crux 20 feet off the ledge (I went for the wrong hold and fell on my first go), and a redpoint crux 10 feet before the anchors (probably only an .11a move but feels pretty darn hard after 100 plus feet of climbing!)  On my second attempt, I sent the route without too much trouble, and was actually able to find several creative rest stances throughout.  If you’re short on time, this is one you can’t pass up!

Approaching the business on Saddam Hussein (5.11b)

Keeper of the Flame (5.11d/12a):  I was feeling the effects of taking 2 laps of Saddam, so my first impression of this route was that I would be lucky to even finish it bolt to bolt.  In case you’re not aware, I climb very much “like a girl.”  I move statically and move my feet a lot, relying on technique rather than strength to get me through hard moves.  This works out really well for delicate face climbing…but not so much for big, burly roofs where you have to climb fast and aggressive.  I’ve been working on this and steadily improving, but the closer I get to my limit, the more obvious this weakness becomes.  In fact, I was tempted to skip this one in favor of it’s technical neighbor to the left that I was pretty sure I could onsight.  But after a little bit of good old-fashioned peer pressure, I realized that in the long run this route would be a much better learning experience for me than another .11b tick.  The first half of the route is vertical with several long, committing moves on sloping edges.  There’s a good physical rest to be had under the roof, but with my last bolt 3 feet below my feet and another 5 to the next one, I found it challenging to quiet my mind.  As soon as you clip the next bolt, the assault on the roof begins, which can kind of be divided into 3 distinct sequences – several V2+ moves to get to the next clip, then a big stand-up move into a corner with a hard clip (crux), then a big lock-off with a heel hook that made me feel like I was topping out a boulder problem 90 feet off the deck.  My first attempt went really well – so well, in fact, that it seemed worthwhile to make a redpoint attempt.  

 

Bennett on the opening moves of Keeper of the Flame

My second attempt was pretty epic.  I had already made a very uncharacteristic decision that if I was clean I was going to channel my inner Chris Sharma and skip the mid-crux clip, knowing that since the wall was so ridiculously steep, adding 10 additional feet to my fall potential would still be safe.  (Between you and me I didn’t think it would matter because I was certain I’d fall before that point anyway.)  But I felt really good on the face and powered right through the initial roof.  I bobbled setting up for the crux just a bit but kept it together for the stand-up move.  I glanced at the rope-less quick draw at my waist and powered up to the jug, where I barn-doored but somehow managed to hang on.  I clipped, breathed a sigh of relief, and in amazement realized that I might actually send this sucker.  All I had left was the “topout move.”  I threw my left heel up, locked off as hard as I could…and was a full 3 inches away from the next hold.  I repositioned every way I possibly could, but clearly didn’t have the gas to make the move and slumped onto the rope.  I rested for a bit and finished up (rather desperately even after the long hang).  

So my performance on Keeper of the Flame was right in line with my performance on Gangsta…good, but not good enough.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little disappointed that I came so close and didn’t send – I had felt so strong up until that last move!  But if I look at it objectively, I can see that my “failure” is actually definitive progress.  Keeper of the Flame was a very intimidating, very “anti-Erica” route, and I’m proud of myself for choosing something that would force me out my comfort zone.  Hopefully the valuable learning experience will pay off later.  And Gangsta?  One of these days you’ll be mine.  (insert menacing cyber glare here.)

Javier going big and accumulating massive style points.

  

Me battling through the roof on Keeper.

Our crew – warm, dry, and hanging out (and dozing off) at North Clear Creek.

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Proof that Nothing is Ever Lost in Cyberspace…

Sentimental Snapshots.
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Last week I had quite the chuckle when I happened to notice a rather random circa 2008 photo of my husband and I floating around on facebook.  Our old gym, Triangle Rock Club, had put it up on their page in a “hey we know those people!” kind of post.  But Triangle Rock club had actually snagged it from another climbing gym’s page – a gym that neither I nor my husband have ever even heard of, let alone set foot in before!  It was used as a prompt for their members to post where they were headed for the long weekend, and I have no idea where they found the photo.  Actually that’s not entirely true.  I know exactly where they found the photo, it just amazes me how much digging they had to go through to get to it (which probably means their front desk staff has way too much time on their hands…)

Anyway, after the shock of seeing this ridiculous old photo, it only seemed fitting to use it as material for a Sentimental Snapshots post.  The story behind it is actually pretty silly.  On a whim we decided to enter a photo contest on Rockclimbing.com, sponsored by Sierra Designs.  The rules were quite simple – submit a creative photo involving a sleeping bag.  Ten finalists were chosen, then the voting was left to the cyber-masses.  First prize was a pair of sleeping bags, and second prize was 2 sets of down booties.  We actually made it to the finals, but unfortunately didn’t win.  Apparently our family-friendly photo (our pic was one of the few that didn’t involve multiple people per sleeping bag), couldn’t compete with father/daughter snuggle time or half-naked women.  If you’d like to see the rest of the entries, you can click here.  I’m assuming that’s the same page the unknown climbing gym stumbled upon when they found our photo.  

I’m also assuming that when I submitted our photo for the contest there was some sort of fine print about giving up rights to the picture, so I certainly don’t feel like that gym was out of line by reusing the photo.  It does however bring up the point that nothing ever really disappears once it’s on the internet.  Most online writers, myself included, have a copyright notice posted somewhere on their site, but I’m sure that’s not much of a deterrent to some.  On a somewhat regular basis I get emails from folks asking if they can re-post something that I have written (which I always agree to, provided it’s clear that I’m the author of the piece).  And I know I’ve certainly contacted people a time or two to ask permission for reusing a photo/quote/re-post/etc.  But I wonder how often that important step is ignored, and how much plagiarism is really going on in the highly technological age in which we live…

But as for this particular picture, I’m actually flattered that some random climbing gym found it funny enough to re-post.  Hey, and it had over 20 “likes” last time I checked…kinda makes me wish RC.com would have the contest again so we could reenter.  Perhaps our new “fan base” could be solid enough to strip the Snuggly Father/Daughter pair of their winning title.  

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10 Things You’ll Find at Ocean Isle…

Travel Beta.
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Most people have a firm allegiance to either the mountains or the beach.  Although our family casts a no-brainer vote for the mountains, I think its healthy to change things up a bit every now and then, especially for Cragbaby.  That being said, when the grandparents planned a coastal rendezvous for the whole family, we were all in and looking forward to a good time!

And a good time we had indeed!  In fact, we encountered a good many things at the beach that we never would have run into in the mountains.   So rather than bore you with a play by play report of our daily shenanigans, I thought it would be fun to sum up our trip with a list of things you can find at Ocean Isle that you WON’T find at our usual escapades above sea level…  (But if you really want a play by play it would go a little something like this – 1.  Beach.  2.  Nap.  3.  Beach. 4.  Sleep.  5.  Repeat.  The only deviations came when the waves were either exceptionally good, or the weather was exceptionally bad.)  

10 THINGS YOU’LL FIND AT OCEAN ISLE BEACH THAT YOU WON’T FIND IN THE MOUNTAINS…(in no particular order…)

10.  CHEESY HOUSE NAMES – While there are a few restaurants and a couple of shops on the island, Ocean Isle is a far cry from the commercial mayhem lying just 20 miles south at Myrtle Beach.  Aside from the handful of smallish condominiums, the majority of the housing consists of quaint little beach cottages.  Each one is different from the next, and almost all of them have quirky little names.  Discovering all of the little puns and plays on words during my daily jog routine with the hubby was definitely a highlight each morning.  My favorites were “SeaDuction,” “Conch’d Out,” “Looney Dunes,” and “Vitamin Sea.”  Since running usually kicks my creativity into gear, the writer in me couldn’t help but brainstorm names for a climber-friendly cottage by the sea – the best ones I came up with were “Beach Bivy,” “Cragrats Cove,” and the dorky but possibly endearing “Yo-sea-mite.”  

Ken and Barbie at the beach – let’s hope they don’t go in the water…

9.  KEN AND BARBIE BEACH SCENES – Stumbled upon this “display” on a morning jog…not really sure what to say about it, except that it was both fascinating and disturbing at the same time…and I’ve definitely never seen the likes of this in the mountains (or anywhere else, for that matter).  

8.  HERMIT CRABS – C learned about hermit crabs (and various other sea creatures) at the “touch tank” at the Coastal Carolina Museum, which we hit up on a rainy morning.  Along with the touch tank, the museum had life-size exhibits depicting sharks, fish, turtles, and sea birds, as well as a room with puzzles, puppets, and books.  C enjoyed himself so much that we decided to let our beach memories live on through “Hermy,” the newest member of our family (who was free with purchase of a cage…)

Touch Tank at the Museum

  

My little scientist getting a closer look.

 7. FRESH SEAFOOD (and someone that knows how to cook it) – The meals we make in the mountains generally have only one goal in mind – refuel.  Taste is often secondary, and presentation is certainly not even considered.  Not so at the beach!  I wouldn’t be surprised if we all gained a few pounds from all of Bebe’s wonderful cooking, but every now and then that’s okay, right?

C and his new hermit crab

6. A SEPARATE ROOM FOR CRAGBABY – Family snuggles in a tent are certainly sweet, but it was a welcome change of pace to be able to share a bed with only the hubster (that is until 3:30 am almost every night, when C would randomly wake up screaming and subsequently hop in between us for the rest of the night…)

5.  RAIN SUCKS…BUT ONLY WHEN ITS RAINING.   If I had to choose for a rainy week at the beach or a rainy week at the crag, hands down I’d choose a rainy week at the beach.  It rained at least once every day we were there, but it didn’t completely decimate our plans the way it can at the crag.  After all we had a big, dry house complete with a covered gazebo to wait it out, and we were a 30 second saunter from the sand.  No desperately combing through a guidebook trying to find something dry – as soon as the rain stopped, even if it was just for a short window, we were good to go!

4.  FAMILY – Don’t get me wrong, our climbing friends are the best, and most of them close enough to consider family.  But it was nice to be able to share some outdoor recreation with C’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, and especially his cousin.  In this case double the toddlers meant double the fun, and it was awesome to watch the two of them discover and learn so much together (and then hear them jabber back and forth about it in senseless toddler talk at the dinner table…)

 

3.  SEASHELLS – We brought them back by the bag fulls!  Not sure what we’re going to do with them yet (ideas welcome!), but I’m hoping to incorporate some in our garden, and maybe get in a few toddler-friendly craft projects.  

2.  WAVES – Big ones for the grown-ups to take turns riding in the mornings and at nap times, and small ones in the afternoon for C and his cousin to splash around in.  It was cute watching both little boys start out the week rather timidly, and get just a little bit braver with each passing day.  C had been out past the breakers a few times with us prior in the week, but it had taken a lot of convincing, and was always short-lived.  Most of his “ocean time,” however, was spent hanging out in the shallows at low tide, jumping and splashing around in the “baby waves” (as he called them).  But one of my highlights had to be on Thursday afternoon at the end of the day, when C just up and grabbed his inflatable dolphin and marched right out to sea!  I’m not sure what came over him, but he just floated over wave after wave,  even “riding” some in to shore just like Mommy and Daddy!  At one point we had to drag him out of the ocean for dinner.  Unfortunately the weather didn’t lend itself very well to swimming the rest of the week (read: rainy or too cold to actually submerge), but I was very proud of C for turning his fears into fun!

1.  SAND – Wow.  The amount of sand a toddler can accumulate in his swimming trunks after just an hour at the beach is outrageous.  And the amount of sand that same toddler can deposit onto his loved ones is equally unreal.  Fortunately for us Cragbaby liked the de-sanding process just as much as getting sandy.  But I still have a feeling that I’ll be washing sand out of our clothes for at least a week or so…

But despite all the new and interesting sights and experiences to be had at the beach, I discovered an interesting thing about my sweet son…YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE THE MOUNTAINS OUT OF THE BOY.  Let me elaborate.  Like most toddlers, C spent a good bit of his beach time digging and building in the sand.  One morning he’d worked particularly hard on a steep mound of sand, carefully adding sand to certain parts, and patting it down to keep it nice and smooth.  I asked him what he was making, and without hesitation, he looked up at me with a big smile and said, “That’s Devil’s Tower!”  And with that, I knew that all of our hearts still belonged in the mountains.  

 

 

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