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

Yearly Archives: 2012

Say It Loud! The New Doesn’t Get Old.

Say It Loud! The New Doesn’t Get Old.

But I do.  And it sucks.  Not sure why, but this weekend made me feel old.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I twisted my ankle (the one that I used to consider my “bad” ankle until I broke the other one…) just hiking into the crag on Day 1.  Thankfully it seems to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience, along with an annoying,  rainbow-colored reminder that my Earth-Suit ain’t what it used to be.  Or it could possibly be related to the fact that I realized that not one but several of my climbing…Read the rest of this entry →

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Creating a Cragbaby – The Toddler Years

Creating a Cragbaby – The Toddler Years

Somehow (overnight it seems) I became the mother of a toddler.  And with that, our crag “issues” have shifted a bit.  No longer am I trying to balance a soft carrier with a baby on the front and a pack full of gear on my back (sigh of relief…).  Instead I’ve got a big boy that’s not quite as big as he thinks he is, who often insists upon hiking in himself, only to discover halfway through that his little legs are, to quote my Maw Maw, “plum wore out.”  He never asks to nurse at the crag anymore, so…Read the rest of this entry →

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RokRok Chalkbags Review

RokRok Chalkbags Review

Want an example of perfect timing?  I was contacted by Leilani Pierson, the beauty and the brains behind RokRok Chalkbags, just a few days before our climbing trip to Tennessee.  She asked if I’d be willing to choose any bag I wanted from her collection of gorgeous, handmade chalkbags, to review here on the site.  Begrudgingly, I said yes.  Just kidding.  Of course I jumped at the chance, especially once I saw how amazing and unique each bag was – I had a really hard time deciding on just one, so I listed a couple of favorites for Leilani to…Read the rest of this entry →

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Good Times at The Dump

Good Times at The Dump

There’s a small collection of bolted lines right off highway 221 coming out of Blowing Rock in Western North Carolina.  It goes by several other names besides The Dump, but regardless of what you call it, conditions were darn near perfect for it this past Saturday.  Most of the climbing there hovers just less than vertical and features very technical and sequential moves on itty bitty holds.  Although the cliff sees sun for the majority of the day, the elevation generally puts it a good 10 degrees cooler than us down here in Charlotte, making for a sweet escape from…Read the rest of this entry →

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Athleta Allotments: Summer Threads Review

Athleta Allotments: Summer Threads Review

With the weather heating up (seriously 100+ heat index before June?!?), I figured some of my female readers might be on the lookout for some summer threads that will keep you feeling (and looking) cool!  I’ve been putting my new Athleta gear to the test over the past few weeks, which culminated in a sandstone-filled sauna in Tennessee a few weekends ago.  I’m happy to report that most of it passed with flying colors!  Here’s a quick sum-up of the clothing items I received as well as my honest and un-biased thoughts about the summer collection.  Again, my apologies to…Read the rest of this entry →

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