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

Yearly Archives: 2011

The Highlight Reel…

The Highlight Reel…

If you’ve ever climbed with our family, then you’ve probably experienced the end of day mental pat on the back otherwise known as The Highlight Reel. It’s a long time tradition that Steve and I established years ago, back when we first started climbing. At first it was just something we talked about with each other on the way home from the crag. We gradually introduced it to our other climbing partners and it just sort of took on a life of its own… Here’s how it works. After a hopefully long and fun-filled day at the crag, each person…Read the rest of this entry →

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5 Reasons for Families to Get Active – and some scary statistics!

5 Reasons for Families to Get Active – and some scary statistics!

It seems as though I’ve been on a family kick recently with my Green Hour posts, both immediate and extended family.  Ironically, however, I have also had a lot of conversations recently with parents of children who would rather stay inside and watch other people play sports than actually get outdoors and do something active themselves.  In addition to being just plain sad, I also found this both disturbing and odd, especially considering how many nature resources and sports programs are available for kids of all ages these days.  It prompted me to research a little further… It seems like…Read the rest of this entry →

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Rocktober-fest at the New River Gorge

Rocktober-fest at the New River Gorge

After a small string of crappy weather trips a few weekends back, I was starting to think our rain curse was back…but au contraire!  Despite both nights plummeting to a frosty 35 degrees, the daytime temps went from frigid to an ideal 60 degrees within a couple of hours of the sun rise, much to everyone’s delight.  Although we had a pretty big crew with a wide range of skill levels represented, I think everyone managed to get their fair share of pump and exposure, along with a healthy dose of fall color. We spent Saturday at Endless Wall, which is probably…Read the rest of this entry →

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How to Use Your Stick Clip (a Collaboration with the Crag-Daddy)

How to Use Your Stick Clip (a Collaboration with the Crag-Daddy)

For those of you that remember my recent post a few weeks ago regarding the DIY stick clip, you may also remember that I promised a subsequent post on how to use your handy dandy new pole.  (Or you may have forgotten all about it since it’s taken us so long to finally take these videos…sorry about that).   Anway, since my hubby prides himself in his mastery of stick clip tricks (and while I have no trouble hanging a draw, compared to Steve my “trick” skills are that of a mere apprentice), an instructional post like this was right up his…Read the rest of this entry →

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The Green Hour Combo – A Family Affair

The Green Hour Combo – A Family Affair

Last week I wrote about Green Hours and grandparents, and about all of the cross-generational memories that can come from spending time in nature with extended family.  This week however, I wanted to focus a little closer to home – with immediate family.  If you are a frequent visitor to this site, you’ll know that its no secret that the majority of our weekends are spent outside at the crag scaling cliffs.  I’m pretty certain that when Cragbaby looks back at his early nature memories, most of them will involve ropes, helmets, and tents.  To put it mildly, I guess…Read the rest of this entry →

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