Cragmama

Dec 30 2013

The past couple of years on this blog I’ve designated the week of New Year’s as “Highlight Week.” In addition to reflecting on last year’s goals and next year’s goals (that post will be up on Thursday…), it’s a chance to revisit posts that were particularly popular (that’s this post!) For those of you that are relatively new Cragmama readers, here’s some goodies that you may have missed throughout the year. And for those of you that have been reading for a while, it’ll be a stroll down memory lane! Posts were selected based on initial visitors, long-term traffic, and overall “buzz” (comments, shares, and likes via social media.) So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a stroll down memory lane…

C offers a warm, happy belay

TRAINING:
3 Ways to TRY HARDER So You Can CLIMB HARDER – This revelation came to me last January, and applying it to my mindset really helped!
How Parents (and Other Busy People) Can Still Find Time to Train in the Climbing Gym – the name says it all.

TODDLERS AT THE CRAG:
All of this year’s crag logistic posts were geared towards toddlers, but it’s a safe bet that next year will bring back the CREATING A CRAGBABY category in full force, with the addition of our new little girl in early March! But here’s the toddler climbing posts that got the most action this year.
Keeping Your Toddler Warm on Winter Climbing Trips – Tips for how to make cold weather trips fun for the whole family.
Strategies for Rainy Day Climbing (With a Toddler!) – How to keep wet weather situations from being miserable.

GREEN HOURS:
Sometimes we spend our green hours in fun and adventurous places, but more often than not, we take advantage of all there is to explore in our own backyard. These two got the most hits out of this category…
Toddler Bikes and the GOOD Kind of Peer Pressure – An ode to the benefits of children learning from other children (and the merits of a balance bike!)
Why You Should Let Your Kids Run Around Barefoot – A list of all the benefits of barefeet for young kiddos!

CLIMBING/ADVENTURES:
Life Lessons You Can Learn From a Rock Climber – How each climbing discipline offers metaphors for life.
Indoor Climbing vs Outdoor Climbing – Which one do you excel at more?
New River Rendezvous X – A Recap of the Rollercoaster – Shuffling between roles as “Mommy” and “Athlete” at my favorite climbing event of the year.

Indoor…

Outdoor…

REVIEWS:
Once again this year we were blessed with the opportunity to try out a lot of really cool gear, in exchange for providing a truthful, unbiased opinion. And many of the reviews this year were coupled with a giveaway for all of you, courtesy of the awesome companies that provided us with the gear! Here’s the top-searched-for reviews from this past year.
Trango Junior Harness: A Great Option for Kid Crushers! – Our go-to harness of choice for the crag-kiddo.
Keeping Elbow Tendonitis at Bay with Armaid – A secret weapon every climber should have in their injury prevention arsenal.

This guy won’t be getting tendonitis…

REFLECTIONS:
Reflection posts are the kind that always make me nervous before I hit “Publish,” since it often means I’m putting a big vulnerable piece of myself out there for the world to see, but they often end up generate the most sincere dialogue and discussion!
Just Like You Mommy! (aka “The Story of the Striped Pants!”) – A subtle reminder to take the time to enjoy the precious moments life throws our way.
A Year Ago Today: Reflections on Health and Happiness – Counting my blessings on the one-year anniversary of breaking my ankle back in 2012.

INTERVIEWS:
Everyone loves inspiring stories, but these in particular got the most clicks!
The Lightner Family: Teenage Champion, and Urban Mama turned Mountain Mama…Sort of – The endearing story of a climbing prodigy and the mama behind the scenes that’s sacrificed it all.
Fellow Cragmama Charmagne Cox: Inspiration Multiplied! Think it’s hard to climb consistently with just one kiddo? Try triplets and a singleton!

IN MEMORIAM:
It seems like every year I have to write a few of these, and they certainly don’t get easier. This year I just had to write one, but due to the nature of the story, it made quite an impression.
In Memory of Axel Charrette

Now it’s your turn…What would you like to see more of on Cragmama? With a new arrival expected in just a couple of months, it’s a safe bet that 2014 will bring a lot of “baby-related” gear and logistical posts once again – as our family dynamics change, so do our adventures! But I’d love to hear of anything specific you’d like to see – an issue to be addressed, a specific product reviewed, a certain individual interviewed? More or less videos?

Any and all feedback would be much appreciated, and as always, thank you so much for your support this past year! I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings for us all! : )

Kai Lightner gettin’ it done in the Madness Cave, Red River Gorge

Holiday Crankin’ at Rocky Face Park – 30 Weeks Pregnant

3 Comments.

Dec 27 2013

It’s not every day that our family gets to try explore a new climbing area within a day’s drive. Our original plan for a midweek holiday climbing escape involved local rock at Crowders Mountain. But when my friend Tonya, (who happens to be 32 weeks pregnant herself), suggested a day trip to a “new” area that’s been getting a fair amount of buzz recently, our ears perked up. When we saw that it was just under an hour and a half away and that the approach time was literally ZERO, it was music to our preggo ears! Much more enticing than the steep, stairmaster approach toting a 30 pound toddler the majority of the way!

I put the word “new” in quotes because the first ascents at Rocky Face went up in the mid-1980’s, which hardly fits the definition of new. However, this blasted granite quarry in Hiddenite, NC was turned into a county park just a couple of years ago. As a recreational area, it’s got it all – picnic tables, lots of hiking trails with geocaching points, with great views of rural NC from the top of the mountain. As a climbing area, it is a work in progress – with loads of volunteer hours put in by locals Johnny O’Connell, Travis Mabe, Ryan Beasley, and Steven Pope, Rocky Face is becoming a wonderful winter playground for climbers of varying abilities. (Here’s a link to a local TV segment done on the park recently.)

The Rock: It’s granite, with a lot of mica in it – the granite is pretty sticky, but the bits of mica can be a bit slick. It’s a quarry, so if you are expecting bullet hard rock quality, you’ll be disappointed. Everyone in our group broke off at least one hold during the course of the day. (With that in mind, helmets for climbers, belayers, as well as small children roaming the base is highly recommended.) That being said, there was a marked difference in the amount of loose rock between older routes that had seen a fair amount of traffic, and newer lines that were just recently cleaned. I’d imagine that another year or two of traffic would go far in remedying this issue.

The Climbing: The style of climbing was not what our crew was used to – the movement was interesting but a little cryptic and hard to read. I found that often I would stand up expecting to hit a flat, juggy ledge only to be greeted with a low-angled bulge. The angle hovers around vertical, and while the face is littered with incut crimps, we found that many times it seemed as though all the holds were facing the “wrong way,” until we figured out how to use them.

Even crag-kiddo got to get in some climb time!

The Routes: The routes on the left side of the wall were really short (maybe only 25 feet?) and looked super easy (5.6 and below.) They were all easily toprope accessible via a rocky staircase, and many could be led on bolts as well. This area would make an awesome spot for beginners, new leaders, and children learning to climb. As you work right, the routes get gradually taller, to around 50 feet or so. We spent the first part of our day on Sunny Day (5.8), Old Man’s Brow (5.10), and Twins Right (5.9). The middle one is apparently still in the process of being cleaned, as there was a ton of choss still breaking off, but the ones on either side were definitely worth doing. Then we went further right and did what we all felt like were the highest quality routes of the day. We weren’t sure of the names/grades initially, but have since gotten beta for all but one: Unknown (5.7), Aidman (5.11a), Double Roof Ballet (5.11b), Hardman (5.11b). I’ve included a picture of these lines at the bottom of this post for any locals that want beta. (There are topos posted at cliff base kiosks for the ones on the left side.) Apparently there are also more routes in the 5.11/5.12 range that are in the process of being cleaned off and equipped with bolts.

Preggo-power!

Pregnancy-wise, it was a great day – I got to focus all of my energy on climbing, and didn’t have to worry about keeping enough fuel in the tank to hike out at the end of the day. I felt reasonably strong, preggo-flashing every route but one. It was really fun to have another preggo friend to make jokes with about not being able to see our feet while climbing. Considering it had been a little over a month since I’d been able to climb outside, it felt fantastic to just be out at the crag again. Good times were definitely had by all – and even the crag-kiddo got some climb time in!

All in all, Rocky Face may not be a destination crag, but it’s well worth a visit if you are in day trip range or just passing through the area…IF you come with the right expectations. It is perfect for families with babies/small children (which means we’ll probably be hitting it up again this spring with cragbaby #2!). It’s also awesome for large groups of beginners (boy scout troops, meetup groups, etc.), and folks of all abilities looking to knock out a whole lot of pitches in one day (think: outdoor gym.) Conditions are stellar in the winter, but would be broiling hot in late spring/summer.

Boba 4G Review (Toddler Version…)

Gear Reviews. Toddlers at the Crag.

4 Comments.

Dec 19 2013

Even though our little guy is not quite so little anymore (birthday number 4 coming up this spring!!!), I still regularly get questions about the best gear for infants. And while we certainly had our go-to gear favorites when it came to adventuring with the crag-kiddo, the gear junkie in me is thrilled to try out the latest and greatest in infant outdoor gear! (And as a side note, I’m shocked at all the stuff that is on the market NOW as opposed to just a few short years ago…)

Hiking along the Endless Wall cliff base at 24 weeks.

That being said, I’m very excited about the opportunity to try out the new 4G carrier from Boba – TWICE. Because not only will the Boba hopefully make for a comfortable baby option for our new little girl come March, it’s versatile enough to accommodate a toddler up to 45 pounds! True, C likes to hike by himself a lot these days…but when it comes to long approaches at the crag, his short little legs are not surprisingly the first to poop out. This in-between stage has actually proved to be fairly challenging when it comes to carriers – he’s too big for long-haul carriers such as our Kelty, and the terrain is too rough and too long for a transitional carrier like the Piggyback Rider. Our temporary solution up until now has been the Ergo – he slides right in under the weight limit, but it’s questionable whether or not he’s too “long” for it – the back support doesn’t come close to supporting his entire back, so while this works great when he can hold on to my shoulders, it doesn’t make for pleasant sleeping conditions on a long, end-of-the-day slog out of the mountains (which is of course when we rely on the carrier most!)

Here’s the specs on the new Boba 4G, and how they apply when it comes to toddler carrying.

16″ Back Panel – This is a full 3″ taller than our Ergo, making a much roomier and comfortable fit for both rider and wearer. Plenty of back support for C means he has a license to get snuggly and snoozy whenever he wants.

Hip Belt – The Boba hip belt can accomodate anywhere from 25-58″, making it a very convenient option for a husband/wife team on either end of the size spectrum. Elastic bands make for an easy way to roll up the “tails” of your straps for smaller-waisted folk.

Detachable Leg Straps – This is a unique feature designed for toddler comfort. The straps are ergonomically designed to maintain important alignment of the hips and takes pressure off of longer toddler legs. C can slide his feet in and out of the straps by himself fairly easily, and according to him they are very comfy! and they The straps are adjustable, so they can extend as your child grows (probably all too quickly…)

Pockets and Shoulder Strap Holders – I’m not one to carry a purse (especially at the crag lol!), but some moms will probably make good use out of the shoulder strap holders, designed to keep your pocketbook from sliding off your arm. I do, however, make good use out of the multiple pockets that were creatively engineered into the carrier.

(Taken from Boba website)

As successful as the Boba has been for 3 year old C, I think the infant age range is where this carrier will truly shine. It will even fit newborns (7lb weight minimum) with a small pillow-type insert that snaps in just below baby’s bottom – which is INCLUDED rather than paying extra, unlike several other newborn carrying options…but the newborn version of this review will still have to wait another couple of months. Until then, which carriers do/did you use with your child in the 2-4 year “transitional” phase?

*NOTE: As is the case with many of the reviews on this blog, our family received our Boba 4G at no cost for purposes of this review. However, we cannot be bought, so all views expressed here are our own, unbiased opinions!

Rock Climbing and Pregnancy: What Changes to Expect

Pregnancy.

64 Comments.

Dec 12 2013

A lot of folks assume that rock climbing and pregnancy go together about as good as ants and a picnic. However, with one pregnancy under my belt, and well on my way to completing a second, I can honestly say that climbing can be a healthy and enjoyable prenatal activity. That being said, just as not all women should attempt to run/bike/yoga during pregnancy, climbing is not for everyone. If you suffer from back pain, which is a common thing for many women, you would not even think of climbing. I can suggest you to read this content and hopefully you will feel better soon. But if rock climbing is an activity that you engaged in on a regular basis before becoming pregnant, it’s an activity that is perfectly acceptable to continue for most women. (Disclaimer: it’s ALWAYS a good idea to clear it with your OB/midwife first.)

There are a few extra precautions that many expectant moms choose to take at certain points in their pregnancy. For example, with both of my pregnancies, I stopped bouldering and leading early on and switched to a full body harness around 20 weeks. For more specifics on those safety precautions and why they are important, click here.

Crankin’ at Pilot Mountain during my first pregnancy (28 weeks)

But in addition to these logistical changes that are made on the OUTSIDE, a pregnant mama will undoubtedly experience numerous physical and mental changes on the INSIDE. And that’s what I’d like to focus on in this post. Obviously, every woman’s body handles pregnancy in different ways, but the following is a compilation of what symptoms a cragmama-to-be can expect to feel and experience on the rock, and some tips on how to handle them.

SYMPTOM: Increased Tiredness. Ok so this one may seem obvious because it literally affects EVERY pregnant woman I’ve ever met, no matter how active or lazy they are, but don’t underestimate the impact it can have! Tiredness is ironically at it’s worst during the 1st trimester, when most people don’t even know you’re pregnant!
HOW TO HANDLE: Rest when you need to rest. Now is not the time to push for one more pitch before dark when you know you have a grueling hike out at the end of the day. Pace yourself, drink plenty of water, and listen to your body.

SYMPTOM: Nausea. This will affect some women more than others, and can vary from pregnancy to pregnancy in frequency and intensity. With my first, I had zero nausea, but the second time around I had an almost constant low-level nausea for the first 10 weeks.
HOW TO HANDLE: My nausea seemed to improve with activity, so a short session at the climbing gym was a great remedy. I learned the hard way that activity on an empty stomach did not bode well, so a stash of snacks in my gym bag was essential.

SYMPTOM: Out of Breath. Without fail I would start sucking wind the minute I put a pack on my back (or a 30 pound toddler, in the case of pregnancy #2.) Hormones are responsible in early pregnancy, and your growing womb-mate is to blame later on.
HOW TO HANDLE: Take it slow on approaches, especially the uphills. When your heartrate starts to soar and you can’t carry on a conversation, take a break. Be realistic about the amount of gear you need to schlep in.

A 6 months pregnant Melissa Love training at her local gym.

SYMPTOM: Swollen Feet. Edema in a non-climbers feet make for some slight discomfort, especially at the end of the day. But to a climber, it can make putting on a pair of climbing shoes downright torturous!
HOW TO HANDLE: You know that very first pair of climbing shoes you bought, way back when you didn’t know how they were supposed to fit and sized them 2 sizes too big? Or your comfy “all day trad” shoes? Time to break those out full time – trust me it’ll make a big difference!

SYMPTOM: Pressure “Down There.” While rather unlady-like to talk about, a swollen feeling in the nether regions is something most women endure at some point during pregnancy. Don’t worry, your baby won’t fall out! Pregnancy hormones and all that extra blood flow are to blame.
HOW TO HANDLE: As odd as it sounds (and embarrassing as it is to admit!), a post-activity ice pack can help relieve the swelling.

SYMPTOM: Loose Joints. Relaxin is a pregnancy hormone designed to loosen up the pelvic joints to prepare them for all the expanding they’ll need to do during your baby’s birth. Unfortunately, this “loosening” is not limited to just the ligaments involved in childbirth, which makes a pregnant woman’s entire body more vulnerable to strains, sprains, and instability issues.
HOW TO HANDLE: Avoid tweaky moves that put your joints in a compromised position, especially if you’ve ever had dislocation issues. Drop-knees, hard gastons, and cranking hard on tiny holds with bad feet are some examples of situations where you’ll need to be extra careful.

SYMPTOM: Pelvic Instability. Related to the above, this condition involves an instability of the joints that make up the pelvis. Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction (SPD) and SI Joint Pain are quite often the source of a lot of hip, back, and pubic/groin pain for pregnant women.
HOW TO HANDLE: Kegel exercises can help strengthen everything in that area, but there’s not really a way to prevent this from happening, as the body preparing is itself for what it will need to do during childbirth. As with the others, listen to your body – if it feels good, it’s probably fine, but if a certain type of movement causes pain, stop doing it.

Aimee Roseborrough “preggo-pointing” 5.12 in her 8th month with baby #2!

SYMPTOM: Diastisis Recti. This condition occurs when the connective tissue in between the Rectus Abdominis (6-pack muscles) thins and separates, creating a gap in the midline of the body. Julie Tupler, an RN who has worked with pre/post-natal patients on this issue extensively, does a great job explaining what this condition is and exercises that can be used to prevent/heal a separation in this interview.
HOW TO HANDLE: DO NOT do any sort of abdominal exercises that flex your upper or lower body up towards your midline (ie crunches or hanging leg lifts), or forceful twisting on the oblique (side ab muscles) after the 1st trimester, and make sure any separation has healed before attempting ab work post-partum. Fellow climbing mama and PT Aimee Roseborrough (who’s been interviewed on this blog here) recommends sticking to vertical/slightly overhanging terrain during pregnancy, or well below your limit on steep terrain. She also recommends wearing an ab binder and seeing a PT specializing in women’s health post-partum if you end up with a separation – the first 6-8 weeks post-partum are the best opportunity for healing, before scar tissue starts to build up in the separation. Fellow Trango athlete Melissa Love had a diastasis with her 2nd child that went undiagnosed for 15 months, and after lots of time off is still climbing in a splint – she warns, “Be careful! You do not want this!”

SYMPTOM: Braxton Hicks. These annoying “practice contractions” are a prelude to the real thing, although in my experience, feel nothing like real labor. With my Braxton Hicks I could feel (and often see) a “hard spot” on my abdomen where part of my uterus was tightening. While they were not painful, they got progressively more intense and uncomfortable as the weeks went on.
HOW TO HANDLE: While there’s nothing to do to prevent these harmless annoyances, a surefire way for me to trigger more of them was/is to let myself get dehydrated or by standing on my feet too much. If you feel them coming on at the crag, take a rest and some swigs of water and they should eventually settle down.

My 1st pregnancy and 35 weeks along

SYMPTOM: Lack of motivation. It’s hard to stay psyched to do something that you get measurably worse at it with every passing week.
HOW TO HANDLE: If you stay focused on the numbers, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s time for a shift in perspective – pregnancy is not a time for sending at your limit, it’s a time to enjoy the freedom that comes with moving on the rock. That being said, it’s certainly okay to take some time off, especially if any of the above symptoms are starting to get to you – do what you feel is right for your body.

SYMPTOM: “I can’t do _________ anymore!” Depending on the level you were climbing at before you got knocked up, most women find themselves saying this to their partner at some point (and often in a whiny voice…thanks hormones!) The bigger my belly got (gets), the harder it was (is) logistically to do mantles or certain high foot/rock on type moves – that darn belly just got in the way!
HOW TO HANDLE: Again, shift your perspective – staying active is important, but sending that red-taped project in the gym is not. Laugh it off and move on.

Pregnancy is a unique and miraculous journey, one that I have been blessed to experience twice now. Despite the various unpleasantries I had to endure, it was always worth it in the end. Fellow Cragmama Charmagne Cox once said something when I interviewed her that always stuck out to me – “I never regretted the routes I didn’t send while I was raising my babies.” My guess is that I’m not the only mama out there that wholeheartedly agrees with that one!

If you’ve climbed through a pregnancy before, what was your experience? If you stopped at a certain point, what symptom(s) finally “did you in?” If you are a climbing mom (or dad!) hoping to start a family in the next few years, what do you think your attitude towards climbing will be after you see those two pink lines on your (or your significant other’s) pregnancy test? (And thanks to all the strong mamas out there who shared pictures and advice with me for this post!)

Aimee Roseborrough still crushing at 37 weeks!

Our Family’s 15 Minutes of (Local) Fame!

Interviews.

5 Comments.

Dec 05 2013

Cragbaby showing off for the camera

Some of you may recall a Cragmama facebook post a few weeks ago that mentioned our family being interviewed by our local NBC TV station at our climbing gym, Inner Peaks. The producer’s idea was to create a hopefully endearing story about how climbing has been a family affair for us – first as a couple, then as a family of 3, and now as a soon-to-be family of 4.

The shoot took a little over an hour on a weekday morning, and entailed us all being interviewed individually (including a chat with C as he was tying in to climb), and lots of footage of us climbing. Based on the type of climbing footage they were filming, we were afraid the piece would end up looking great from the average viewer’s perspective…but ridiculously cheesy from a climber’s perspective – I mean really, how dorky is having us all on the wall together high-fiving?!? But this is local news, not Reel Rock 8, and they ended up not using any of the cheeseball footage anyway. On a personal note, hubby and I were both a little bit embarrassed about how “country” we sounded, but nobody ever likes the way their own voice sounds on camera, right?

But petty critiques aside, my main motivation for participating was to promote the message that starting a family is not the end to adventure, and I think that message will shine through via not just the interviews, but also the smiles on our faces.

The show aired locally on Thursday, December 5th at 11am, but the segment is available to watch online, either below, or at this link (a written sum-up of the segment is available at the link). I’d be flattered if you’d check it out!