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

Yearly Archives: 2015

New River Gorgeous Fall Climbing!

New River Gorgeous Fall Climbing!

It’s been 7 years since the CragDaddy and I first visited the New River Gorge (way back in the pre-kid era of our marriage.)  Since then we’ve spent hundreds of weekends up there, in all seasons of the year and all kinds of weather…but NONE were as beautiful as this past weekend!  The intensity of the fall color this year was absolutely breathtaking – vivid yellows, vibrant reds, and spectacular oranges.  It was as if Someone, in the 5 days we’d been back in Charlotte, had taken a paintbrush to the entire landscape. Even just hiking in to Endless Wall had a…Read the rest of this entry →

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Winter Footwear for Kids (from STONZ)

Winter Footwear for Kids (from STONZ)

A couple of months ago I was contacted by STONZwear about reviewing some of their awesome footwear for the kiddos.  They said they wanted the review done by the end of October…which in many areas of the country would be easy, but was potentially problematic here in the South.  While the weather can definitely get cold by then, we are more often than not still sporting short sleeves well past Halloween.  So when I saw the weekend forecast a couple of weeks ago, I was psyched for the chance to try out the newest kicks for the crag-kiddos on our…Read the rest of this entry →

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NRG Round 1: Endless (Not Sendless) Wall

NRG Round 1: Endless (Not Sendless) Wall

After a month of unseasonably wet and humid conditions, we were starting to think fall climbing season would never get here.  But this past weekend was about as good as it gets, condition-wise.  The air was cold and crisp, but the rock was still warm – one of those magical times where you can climb pretty much wherever you want, without having to chase sun or shade.  In other words, any excuses for not sending are your own fault! Now when it comes to climbing grades at the New River Gorge, there can be some inconsistency, but the general consensus is that…Read the rest of this entry →

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Red River Gorge: Rocktoberfest 2015

Red River Gorge: Rocktoberfest 2015

Every time our family makes one of our biannual pilgrimages to the Red, we always vow to spend more time there the following year…but somehow we never manage to drive past the New more than twice.  (That being said…2016 is the year!)  But what we lack in quantity we usually make up for in quality, and this year’s Rocktoberfest weekend was no different. We rolled into town Thursday night with just enough light to make camp, which we set up at the very back corner of the property, as far away from the event shenanigans as possible!  On Friday we split time between Driveby…Read the rest of this entry →

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Kindergarten and Bike Commuting

Kindergarten and Bike Commuting

The end of this week means our family has survived the first month of kindergarten…which, if you’ve been there, done that, you already know is no small feat!  To be honest, I had  completely underestimated how much of an adjustment it would require for the WHOLE family, not just Big C.  But after a rocky start and a few bumps in the road along the way, we’ve settled into a new routine that makes everyone happy (most of the time.) And ironically enough, what’s helped our morning routine out the most has been a bike commute!  Over the summer I’d had…Read the rest of this entry →

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