Focusing on his footwork...

Just because I’m stuck in a boot and restricted to three-limbed toproping doesn’t mean Cragbaby is taking it easy.  In fact,  this past Saturday he’s taken his projecting to a whole new level!  C had been working on the down climb from the free-standing boulder at Inner Peaks off and on for a while now, but at best his motivation could be considered sporadic.  His usual modus operandi was to get a couple of feet off the ground and then announce that he was “All Done.”  He would then go back to his other favorite climbing gym activities – brushing off holds, tightening them down, and stacking the crates over by the training area.  But this week was different, for reasons unbeknownst to me.  All of a sudden he seemed to have an intrinsic motivation to get to the top (don’t we all?).  I’m not sure whether he wanted to be just like his “friends” on the climbing team, or whether something clicked developmentally that gave him the confidence to try it, but each day he would make it a couple of moves farther before leaning back into our arms or downclimbing. 

On Saturday morning we arrived just as the doors were open, this time armed with our video camera.  C made a beeline for his project right away, but at first was frustrated that he couldn’t make it very far with half a granola bar in one hand (which he INSISTED upon keeping).  After snacktime was over though, C got down to business – again and again!  His first send was with a very close spot from Daddy, and an encouraging Bennett (aka “But-butt”) at the top.  On subsequent sends however, he topped out like a champ all by himself (but still with Daddy’s strong hands only inches away).  C was thrilled to explore the whole new world on top of the boulder, although I’m not really sure why considering that the walls are too tall for him to see over.  When it came time to come down however, Cwas anything but a happy camper.  We didn’t think coercing him into downclimbing was a great idea, nor did it seem safe for the Daddy to downclimb with a squirming, determined toddler in his arms, so we got creative.  Since C was already wearing his harness, we simply tossed a rope over the bar at the top and set him up on rappel.  Daddy still more or less carried him down, but that way if by freak chance he fell, C was still safe and secured to the rope. 

He made quite the spectacle, and showed off for anyone who was willing to watch all morning.  He was so adrenalized about his latest sends that he spent the majority of his naptime singing. It seems like he’s already dreaming of his next project…So without further adieu, here’s Cragbaby’s latest video. Oh yeah, and C wanted to make sure everyone knew that while Daddy was indeed spotting closely, he did all the moves by himself…

Cragbaby Crushes “Up the Down” (V0-) from Steve Lineberry on Vimeo.