Cragmama

Oct 22 2013

Hiking along the 3 Bears Gully

Pilot Mountain brings about a mixed bag of sentiments for most North Carolina climbers. Most beginners LOVE it, and it’s easy to see why – the approach is short, top-roping access is easy, and there are heavy concentrations of routes in the 5.5-5.9 range. However, once climbers get a little bit of experience under their belts, it’s not uncommon for them to suddenly start sneering their nose up at the crag that taught them how to climb. It’s crowded, often overrun with large groups of boy scouts, youth groups, and outdoor meet-ups that may or may not share the same ethics as the “old-schoolers.” The trail along the base is also very popular amongst the hiking set – which means that well-intentioned (but often outlandish) questions about climbing are a regular occurrence. But w

hile there are a few aspects of Pilot Mountain that I don’t particularly care for, there are a handful of classics that hold their own when rivaled against other, “better,” crags. The best climbing is in the 5.10 – 5. 12 range, and like most beginner areas, the harder you climb, the less likely you are to have to fight the crowds.

That being said, Pilot Mountain is a fabulous resource – when you look at sheer numbers, it’s the most popular climbing area in the state! I think it gets a bad rap lots of times because people go there expecting it to be something it’s not (ie, a world class climbing destination such as the New or the Red…) But for those who go with the right expectations – whether it’s to introduce a newbie to the sport or tick off some challenging, classic sport routes, it’s a great way to spend the day!

Token baby bump shot – the harness hides some of it b/c it’s not that big yet…but trust me it’s there!

And that’s just what we did! It had been over a year since our last trip there – we went there several times last spring when one of my climbing partners, my husband, and I were all projecting routes that were side by side. Once we ticked them off our list, we’d all turned our sights elsewhere, and just hadn’t made it back since. It’s also the first we’d been back since our friend Lloyd Ramsey died on the mountain last summer – he was a quirky staple to the Pilot Mountain climbing community, and it felt really weird not running into him there :(. (I wrote a post in honor of his memory last summer after he died – if you’re interested, you can find that here.)

On a happier note, I also got a chance to try out some new threads from Mountain Mama – the Alba Pant, Marni Tank, and Anya Tee. I loved them all, although it never got warm enough to strip down to the tank top. Stay tuned for a full review coming your way in the next few weeks…

Here’s the routes our crew hopped on:
Foreign Trade Zone (5.10d): Easy start to a tricky move in the middle, to a pumpy finish. Upper section would clean up nicely with more traffic.
Mama Bear (5.10d): The last time I was on this route was ironically enough when I was pregnant with C (only a lot farther along!) Fun pinches up the crack always make for a good time.
Baby Bear (5.11a): My favorite of the “bears” routes, I was psyched to find that I still had the core strength to get through this one clean.
Blind Velvet (5.11b): This is the lower section for one of my “Twelve 12’s in 2012” sends. By traversing left about halfway through, you can stop at the anchors of a neighboring route and keep the route at 5.11. Continuing up the full-value way brings a big roof and a crux right before the anchors (Blind Prophet, 5.12b). The lower section of climbing that we did on this trip features intricate beta up a smooth dihedral with very small features – definitely one of my favorite sections of rock at Pilot Mountain.
Devil in the White House (5.10d): By this point in the day I had post-climbing milkshakes on the brain, so it was hard to get motivated t climb and I almost passed this one up. Really glad I did it anyway though, because I’d forgotten how fun it was!

Working up the dihedral of Blind Velvet (5.11b)

It was nice to get back to an area we hadn’t been to in a while – and the overcast sky with occasional sprinkles was nice for warding off the usual throngs of people. (Although despite the lack of climbers, I’m still pretty sure everyone in our party was “featured” in an iPhone photo or two from hikers passing by…) Although our day had gotten off to a rough start (we had to backtrack 30 minutes after realizing that somehow we’d forgotten to put on C’s shoes…), it ended up being a great day, and a great change of pace. Oh yeah, and that post-climbing milkshake I’d been craving? It was worth the extra wait 😉

Chillin’ like a villain.

My Stonewear Designs “Preggo Picks” (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Gear Reviews.

56 Comments.

Oct 16 2013

Tomorrow marks the official halfway point of my pregnancy – 20 weeks down, 20 more (or less…) to go! And what better way to commemorate making it this far than by reviewing some of my favorite “non-maternity” preggo threads from Stonewear Designs! Even more fun, my fellow Stonewear Ambassador Amelia Mayer is ALSO pregnant (3 weeks ahead of me) and is ALSO blogging about her preggo faves today! And between our 2 posts, our readers will have a chance to score some sweet Stonewear threads! Amelia and I are built differently and are carrying differently, so it’s no wonder that we have different choices, although some of our picks do overlap. But together I think we show that Stonewear really does fit every body – even in pregnancy!

One of Stonewear’s mantras is that clothing should be COMFORTABLE, which also happens to be what most pregnant women are looking for! That’s why it came as no surprise to me that as I’ve slowly but methodically grown out of my jeans one by one, my Stonewear threads have remained a constant in my wardrobe both day and night! And while ALL of their clothes are cozy and stretchy (and therefore forgiving…), there have been a few items in my closet that have quickly become permanent staples in my day to day wear.

All smiles on Wild Seed (5.11a) at the New River Gorge (Rockin’ Capris and Felicity Tunic)

SOLACE TOP: When I’m not pregnant, I love the sexy ladder-strap styling in the back. In fact, this ladder back style was one of my very first Stonewear purchases 6 years ago! Every climbing chick knows you can never have too many strappy tank tops, right? But as I’ve expanded, I’m finding myself more and more grateful of the relaxed fit and slightly longer length. The extra fabric around my midsection offered a flattering fit during that dreaded “looking-bigger-but-not-yet-looking-pregnant” stage.

FELICITY TUNIC: Because of my long torso, I need extra length before I start needing extra width. This top is the longest in Stonewear’s support top line (27 inches). The empire waist provides a flattering fit that drapes beautifully over an expanding belly while accentuating the upper curves that most pregnant women are thrilled about! (And for the non-pregnant body, this top is the perfect climbing gym-to-coffeeshop pairing!) A built in bra provides plenty of support for most activities, but the straps are wide enough to accomodate a regular bra during the early weeks when your (*ahem)girls might be a little bit sore.

ROCKIN CAPRI: These have been my go to climbing “bottoms” ever since I discovered them 2 years ago. Warmer than shorts on crisp fall mornings, but cooler than pants once the sun starts baking, these capris are made from a very durable, wicking fabric that is oh-so-soft. The side leg vents are great for mobility, but my favorite feature is the zipped pocket on the left side – perfect for storing my phone in the event that I need quick access to capture a cute candid of my little guy at the crag (which happens pretty often 😉 ) As far as pregnancy goes, the waistband has gracefully expanded through those first few weeks of bloating as well as the beginning stages of my developing baby bump. They hug my newfound curves snug enough to keep my pants from falling down, but not so tightly that they feel restricting.

Tying in with the Solace Top and Rockin’ Capris at 18 weeks

ROCKIN PANT: This pant has all the same bells and whistles featured in the Rockin Capri, but with the added bonus of availability in 3 different lengths – petite, regular, and long. (For comparison purposes, I’m 5’5″ and the regular length is perfect for hiking and day to day – for climbing they are a little bit long, but stay up just fine after rolling the legs up a few times over.)

MERIDIAN CAPRI: This is probably the most comfortable piece out of the whole bunch – there’s enough stretch in these babies that I wouldn’t be surprised if I made it all the way in these! A relaxed fit and wider leg than the Rockin’ collection, these bottoms have proven to be just as durable despite the much lighter-weight fabric. The only thing I wish it had was a pocket!

I can’t promise that these clothes will last for the duration of my ENTIRE pregnancy, but I can promise they are in it for the long haul. And in the likely event that I have to retire my Stonewear threads for those last few weeks when I am large and in charge, I know they’ll be a welcome sight those first few postpartum weeks and beyond!

And because Stonewear is so awesome, they’ve decided to share the love a little bit – with a giveaway of either the Rockin’ pants or capris (winner’s choice!) To enter, just use the Rafflecopter Widget below. If you are a loyal reader, you’ll notice this is a new way to do giveaways…I’m hoping it will make it easier to manage multiple entries for things besides commenting, but when you comment, you MUST click the “+1” button on the widget in order to be counted in the giveaway, since the widget is what “chooses” the winner. From there you can add multiple entries for facebook likes, tweeting the giveaway, and subscribing to Stonewear’s newsletter! If you have any trouble getting it to work, please email me at infoATcragmamaDOTcom. And don’t forget about Amelia’s picks – head here to read her post and enter her giveaway of the Lola Hoody!

If you’ve tried Stonewear, what are your favorite pieces? If you haven’t, what would you most like to try?

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Continue reading “My Stonewear Designs “Preggo Picks” (and a GIVEAWAY!)”

Why You Should Compost With Your Kids…

Homeschooling.

1 Comment.

Oct 14 2013

“The buggies like to eat the icky bananas,” C informs me matter-of-factly as he tosses an overly browned and bruised piece of banana into the little plastic box sitting on our kitchen counter. When we’re done fixing breakfast, we’ll take the plastic box outside and dump the “icky banana” and the rest of the breakfast leftovers (strawberry caps, eggshells, etc) into the compost bin. Sometimes we’ll give it a few turns with our firepit poker, and, if it’s going to rain that day, we might leave the lid off. Click here visaliaweddingstyle for further updates.

Just toss it in…

This fall marks one year since our family started composting our kitchen scraps, and it’s been an educational as well as surprisingly enjoyable process! While we do maintain a small garden, we are by no means farmers, so we have no need of giant heaps of compost at our disposal every year. But we do get loads of leaves in our yard every fall that would previously have been bagged and put out in the street, and we have plenty of kitchen scraps that would previously have just gone into the trash can. Added up over the course of a year, we’ve not only sent far less trash to the street for collection, but have earned ourselves plenty of nutrient-rich “food” for our garden! The rest of the non-recyclable waste goes to a waste removal service that I hired from www.dialabin.net.au/service/household-cleanups/. I had heard my sister from Australia speak a lot about waste disposal in perth wa, which is the one she still uses but had never hired one until late summer after taking an interest in them thanks to my sister.

Do we put ALL of our brown leaves, and ALL of our grass clippings in the bin? Of course not – our solitary 3x3x4 bin is not nearly adequate for that amount of materials! But every little bit helps, and the important thing is that we are teaching (and modeling) to our son the importance of taking care of our environment in little ways. He can see that the large bowl of potato peelings would have taken up a lot of room in our trash can, but will “disappear” in a few weeks if we put them in the compost bin. He also knows that the apple core we tossed in on our way out the door will eventually become rich, dark “dirt” that we can put in our garden. And he of course LOVES watching the “buggies” do their thing!

…and give it a stir!!!

The message is important, the science behind the process is educational, and the process itself is as easy or complex as you want it to be! We bought a basic compost bin at Lowe’s and away we went! Despite having used it constantly for almost a year, I am amazed at how the quickly the decomposition process “shrinks” everything we put in there – those buggies must have quite the appetite!

Any other families out there gotten bit by the composting bug (figuratively speaking of course ;)) If so, I’d love to know how the process works for your family! And for those of you that are interested in getting started, you can find plenty of resources about the ins and outs of composting with kids online – here and here are both good places to start!

“Just Like You, Mommy!” aka The Story of the Striped Pants

Parenting. Reflections.

1 Comment.

Oct 10 2013

“NO I DON’T LIKE THE PANTS WITH STRIPES ON THEM!” C was shouting with the melodrama that can only come from being 3 years old. I sighed. As a mother to a strong-willed and highly opinionated little boy, I’ve realized that I need to pick and choose my battles wisely. Last month, we had to visit our dentist at Delaney Park Dental, and because I could not give him the freedom I would’ve liked to in the office, he was very loud and obnoxious during the appointment, creating a really embarassing situation there. C responds best to freedom within parameters, so picking out clothes for the day is usually his domain, so long as it fits the “weather guidelines.” But on this particular occasion we were running late for a playdate – we should have been in the car 5 minutes ago, but while I had been packing my bag, C had been playing with trains rather than choosing a pair of pants.

C’s requested picture of our matching denims…

Heaven only knows why C balked at a pair of pants that he had never complained about before, but I didn’t have time to find out. Though it pained me to do so, I patiently held up another pair of pants, this time a simple, brown pair of sweatpants. “Nope, I’m not gonna do it,” was C’s resolute reply. Pregnancy hormones are now raging at this point, so I held up an old pair of blue jeans through a gritted teeth smile as I tried not to crawl out of my skin.

C’s beautiful, sparkling eyes positively lit up as he exclaimed, “I’m just like you, Mommy!!!” Confused, I looked down, and realized that I was in fact wearing jeans in a very similar color. C ran over to me, grabbed the pants, and gently held them up to my denim-clad legs and said, “SEE! My pants are the same as yours!” In an instant, my heart melted. The clock, his playdate, and our argument was all forgotten, as C jabbered on and on about how great it was that we matched, even suggesting that we take a picture together wearing our matching pants.

Me and my little mini-me, on another matching day

As I hugged my little boy close , I offered up a silent “thank you” in prayer, grateful that God had kept my impatient spirit in check. Had I forced the issue with the striped pants, we would most certainly have missed out on this moment together. It kind of makes me wonder how many other times I’ve given in to those feelings that tell me I need to rush, and missed out on a similar moment with my son, my husband, my friends, or even a random passerby on the street?

I certainly don’t always do or say the right thing, and if I’m being honest, sometimes my motivation in the “good deeds” department is lacking. But hearing my little boy unabashedly proclaim his desire to be just like his Mommy is an important reminder that I’m not the only one “watching” my actions.

What “precious moments” have you shared with a loved one recently? Do those glimpses into the bigger picture of what’s really important in life realign your perspective?

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 12-18 (And the Gender Ultrasound!)

Pregnancy.

6 Comments.

Oct 07 2013

The preschool bike commute in my Stonewear Lola Hoody and Rockin’ Capris

While I’ve been pretty consistent about posting climbing trip reports, I’ve been relatively quiet about the daily ins and outs of my pregnancy with Baby #2. Here’s a sum-up of how things have been going from a training perspective…

Week 12: I’m noticing that my body is taking longer and longer to recover from multiple days with high-intensity exercise (ie climbing trips.) C started preschool again (twice a week in the mornings), which meant I got back into the routine of biking him there in the Chariot. Depending on the route I take, it usually ends up being in the range of 5-7 miles. I’m not breaking any speed records, but since school days coincide with climbing gym days, biking is a nice way to balance my upper body work with a little forearm burn. On non-climbing days, I’m either running or spending time on the elliptical.

Week 13: The song remains the same, although after a THREE day trip to the Obed, my increased recovery time was even more noticeable. I also began to notice how much slower I’m getting on hikes, particularly if there’s any sort of incline. (The steep trudges out of the Clear Creek crags kicked my butt.) I only went to the climbing gym once this week to allow myself a little more rest, and I was psyched to send one of my gym projects. Other than that, biking, running, elliptical is the way I roll.

Beginnings of a baby bump after a 14 week jog

Week 14: I’ve stopped lead climbing altogether now, even in the gym. My typical gym routine generally involves a couple of warm-ups (5.10ish), then spending the rest of my time on 5.11’s of varying difficulty. I also try to downclimb rather than be lowered to get in a little extra endurance work (usually on an easier, neighboring route.) I skimped on the cardio for a few days this week due to a nasty head cold from the weekend.

Week 15: Our gym just extended their hours to open up earlier in the morning during the week, which means hubby and I can actually climb together (!!!!!) on Thursday mornings while C is at school and Steve works from home. Our first day I got in 8 pitches up and 5 pitches down – not bad for a quickie lunch break session! We also took advantage of a great fall weather weekend at the local crag this weekend. The only route I got clean was the warm-up, but I was able to do all the moves on everything else fairly easily, with the exception of one particularly core-intensive crux.

Crossing under to reach a crimper at the top of the gym 5.12 (16 weeks)

Week 16: Biggest news this week was that I scored my first 5.12 “Preggo-Point” (meaning, climbed a route cleanly on toprope…) It was just in the gym, which is actually ironic since I usually climb significantly harder outdoors than in, but it felt good all the same! It’s actually the first 5.12 I’d tried in the gym this pregnancy (gym routes tend to force specific movements and body positions more than outdoor routes, and knowing that my ligaments and joints are looser now because of all the pregnancy hormones, I’ve been really careful to avoid anything near my limit that seems awkward or “tweaky” on fingers, shoulders, etc.) This route, however, was right up my alley – cryptic, technical beta that required more brains than brawn. In other news, with cooler fall temperatures, my runs are feeling great. My 4 mile times are still clocking in 2-5 minutes slower than my pre-pregnancy averages, but I feel energized and refreshed afterwards.

Week 17: This is the first week that my belly has gotten big enough for complete strangers to think something might be up. This is a welcome change from the vague, is-she-isn’t-she fat stage… For funsies at the gym this week, I decided to try and “preggo-point” a 5.11 of every letter grade.. So after a few warm-ups, I started with a new 5.11c that took me two attempts to get without falling. The .11a, .11b, and .11d were all routes I had pretty well dialed, so they went clean first try. Add in some down-climbing on easier neighboring routes, and I’d accumulated a pretty good pump by the time our hour was up! This weekend featured PERFECT fall weather, so we took full advantage and went to the New River Gorge (last week’s trip report here if you missed it.)

18 week snapshot of our little pink sprout!

Week 18: We had a milestone doctor appointment this week – the gender ultrasound! At first the little sprout was feeling shy, but just when we started to panic that we wouldn’t find out, she decided to show us that she was in fact a little girl! We are beyond excited (and also a little scared!) On the activity front, not much has changed. Running and biking times are both getting progressively slower and slower, but I’m still feeling great during my workouts. We took a day trip to Western NC this weekend to climb, and I felt pretty inconsistent (I either send or I flail). Interestingly enough however, I’ve still been able to make progress on many of my gym projects, and even managed to re-send the 5.12a I ticked a couple weeks ago. Time to read top-picked manual breast pump: reviews.

So far during this pregnancy I’ve gained a total of 7 pounds, which seems to be a pretty good pace, similar to where I was at with C at this point. It feels so good to finally know the gender, as I think it really helps (for me anyway) with the bonding process,,,and not to mention that logistically it also makes it a lot easier to pick out names/nursery/etc! I really appreciate all the encouragement and kind words I’ve received from family, friends, and members of the online community – thanks so much! Another pregnancy-specific update will be on its way at the end of the 2nd tri!

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

Craggin’ at Pilot Mountain – 20 Weeks Pregnant

My Stonewear Designs “Preggo Picks” (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Why You Should Compost With Your Kids…

“Just Like You, Mommy!” aka The Story of the Striped Pants

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 12-18 (And the Gender Ultrasound!)