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

Monthly Archives: February 2011

Gettin’ High (off the ground…) With a Little Help from my Friends

Gettin’ High (off the ground…) With a Little Help from my Friends

The old cliche is true – good friends are hard to find.  This is true in life as well as in climbing.  Sure its not hard to find folks that are psyched about getting out climbing – whether they’re the non-committal weather-stalking types waiting for the last minute to decide if conditions are perfect, the cool to hang out with but sketchy on the belay types, the newbie gym climbers trying to bum a free guide service types, or the “fad climbers,” phasing in and out of super gung-ho and wishy-washy.  Those folks are a dime a dozen.  But DEPENDABLE,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Review: The Peekaru Fleece Baby Carrier Cover

Review: The Peekaru Fleece Baby Carrier Cover

I don’t make it a habit of “categorizing” people…I think there’s a thin line between stereotypes and prejudice.  But, that being said, I suppose if you had to categorize our family, we’d be pitching our tent in the attachment parenting camp more often than not.  We are still breastfeeding (without plans to stop any time soon), we cloth diaper, we spend our early morning hours co-sleeping, and Steve and I both are proud babywearers.  For those of you that aren’t familiar with babywearing, its just like it sounds – carrying a baby or toddler in a cloth carrier.  Babywearing allows…Read the rest of this entry →

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Sentimental Snapshot: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Sentimental Snapshot: Looking Back and Looking Forward

As I was digging around on my computer the other day trying to find miscellaneous pics for future cragbaby posts, I realized that I literally have thousands upon thousands of photos and video clips from various trips we’ve been on over the years.  I’ve decided to add an experimental category of posts to my blog – Sentimental Snapshots.  Once or twice a week (but don’t hold me to it…), I’ll post either a photo or a video from “back in the day”.  Some might represent a special memory, an important milestone, or maybe just a beautiful outdoor setting –  but all will tell a story…Read the rest of this entry →

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Pilot-Palooza aka Cragbaby: Scene 2

Pilot-Palooza aka Cragbaby: Scene 2

Sunny, highs in the 50’s in February…thats enough to draw a crowd at just about any crag.  We’ve been doing a lot of bouldering recently, but this weekend we decided to rope up at Pilot Mountain.  Incredibly enough, it was the first we’d done any roped climbing since October when we spent several days at the Obed in Tennessee.  Today turned out to be a darn near perfect day – despite how much I enjoy bouldering, I’d forgotten that nothing beats tying into the sharp end of a rope!  We met up with Jan and his wife Crystal in the parking lot. …Read the rest of this entry →

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Creating a Cragbaby: In the Gym

Creating a Cragbaby: In the Gym

In a perfect climber’s fantasy, every day would be sunny with winter highs in the 50’s and summer highs in the 70’s.  Long, pristine multi-pitch, aesthetic sport lines, and world-class bouldering all within a 30 minutes drive.  It would only rain on days that you had previous (indoor) committments and couldn’t climb, and the sun would never set before 9.  Oh yeah, and you’d never have to wait in line for your favorite 4-star lines, even if you overslept.   Sure, it all sounds great, but if your life is anything like mine, sometimes reality goes more like this – You’re an hour away from the nearest…Read the rest of this entry →

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