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

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Trango in da House – and on the Trad Wall!

Trango in da House – and on the Trad Wall!

I’ve probably said it before, but one of the best parts about climbing is the people who do it – they tend to be pretty fun to hang out with.  Thankfully our local climbing gym, Inner Peaks (IP for the cool folk…), figured this out a while ago, as evidenced in the member parties they have several times per year.  Even though our family has only been in Charlotte for a little over a year, we’ve had a chance to check out the party scene at IP more than a few times, and we’ve never come away disappointed.  This one…Read the rest of this entry →

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In Memory of Eric Metcalf…

In Memory of Eric Metcalf…

This post was intended to be a trip report from our adventures at Moore’s Wall this past Sunday, but in light of the events that transpired after we left, the usual recounting of the routes we climbed hardly seemed relevant.  The North Carolina climbing community suffered a tragic loss Sunday evening.  Eric Metcalf, a 19 year old from Cary, NC, fell over 250 feet to his death in a rappelling accident in the Sentinel Buttress area of Moore’s Wall.  A lot of the details are still unknown, but I felt led to share my perspective.  My husband, son, and a…Read the rest of this entry →

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New Athleta Store in Durham (aka Adventures in Girliness!)

New Athleta Store in Durham (aka Adventures in Girliness!)

 Even though we’ve been in Charlotte for over a year now, folks still regularly ask me if we miss Raleigh.  My answer is usually….”Nah.”  Aside from several friends (most of whom I still keep in touch with) and a handful of local haunts, Charlotte seems to have everything that the Triangle area had to offer, and more.  Until now…I had heard rumors of a new Athleta store opening up at the Streets of Southpoints mall in Durham (just 20 minutes from our old digs!), and I was delighted when they contacted me about participating in a special VIP “sneak preview”…Read the rest of this entry →

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Little Wilson – A Mid-Summer Cragger’s Dream

Little Wilson – A Mid-Summer Cragger’s Dream

So after spending the past two (unseasonably mild) weekends catching up around the house and enjoying time with family, the heat was back in full force this weekend.  Our original plan was for the New River Gorge, but with temps hovering at 100 and humidity almost as high, no one was psyched on sleeping in a tent in a pool of sweat.  We instead opted for a day trip to a shady little crag off the beaten path in the western part of the state – Little Wilson.  This was actually our first time going there.  We actually attempted to…Read the rest of this entry →

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TRANGO Cinch – A Belayer’s Best Friend

TRANGO Cinch – A Belayer’s Best Friend

So let’s say hypothetically that your favorite climbing partner’s birthday was coming up, and you were looking for the perfect gift to give to the person that holds your life in their hands week after week.  You could probably be successful with the token REI gift card or treat them to a post-climbing feast – climbers generally aren’t that hard to please.  But if you wanted to be a little more selfish efficient in your gift-giving, you would do well to consider the TRANGO Cinch, as odds are it’ll make you both happy.  Why your belayer will like it… –…Read the rest of this entry →

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