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

Tag Archives: Trango

Potty Time at the Crag…

Potty Time at the Crag…

…Not to be  confused with “party time,” although getting through it successfully might  very well warrant a celebration!  After packing in (and out!) hundreds and perhaps maybe even thousands of diapers over the past several years, hiking into the crag big boy (or girl) style is a milestone every crag-parent is psyched about.  We’ve actually just recently dove into the potty training arena ourselves, and have been pleasantly surprised to find the transition at the crag happening quicker than we’d expected.   As a little background, I’m a firm believer that kids will hit developmental milestones when (and ONLY when)…Read the rest of this entry →

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The Lightner Familiy: Teenage Champion, and Urban Mama Turned Mountain Mama…(Sort of…)

The Lightner Familiy: Teenage Champion, and Urban Mama Turned Mountain Mama…(Sort of…)

I’ve interviewed a lot of climbing families over the last couple of years, and all of them have had one thing in common – the kids learned from their parents…that is, until I interviewed the Lightners.  The story of university professor Constance Lightner and her 13 year old climbing champion Kai is as different as it is inspiring.  Kai has competed for  several years in both indoor sport climbing and bouldering, with a host of 1st place finishes at a national level.  In fact, just over a week ago he was crowned National Champion yet again at the USA Sport Climbing…Read the rest of this entry →

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Family Bike Day Along the New River Trail

Family Bike Day Along the New River Trail

Regular readers of this blog know we are big fans of the New River in our household.  During prime climbing season, the New River Gorge is like a second home, as we head up there almost every weekend.  But as wild and wonderful as the gorge is, the river itself is even bigger, extending down through Virginia and into western North Carolina.  Actually, I guess it’s more accurate to say that it extends UPWARDS into West Virginia, as the New is one of the few rivers of the world that flow north!  Anyway, one of the best parts about the…Read the rest of this entry →

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Tips for Camping with Toddlers

Tips for Camping with Toddlers

A couple of summers ago I wrote a post about camping with infants.  But now that I’m the proud mama to a stubborn passionate 3 year old, that old archived camping post is way outdated for our family.  Nowadays, nights in a tent look far different than they did back then!  In some ways, this makes things MUCH easier (ie, we all get more sleep!).  In other ways, some camping activities are a lot more stressful (ie campfires).  If your kiddo is one of the lucky ones that got exposed to camping early and often, transitioning to toddler camping is…Read the rest of this entry →

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Pooping in the Woods, Broken Bones…oh, and a little bit of climbing too.

Pooping in the Woods, Broken Bones…oh, and a little bit of climbing too.

Despite how crazy it sounds, that title pretty much sums up our Father’s Day weekend trip to the New River Gorge.   Here’s the specifics: POOPING IN THE WOODS:  (Ok, so non-parents you might want to just tune out for this first paragraph…)  For the past two weeks we’ve been kickin’ it local style while we went cold turkey with big boy underwear with C, and this was our first weekend trip sans diapers (maybe “sans” isn’t entirely accurate…I did have a large stash of pull-ups in my bag “just in case”).  But I am so proud to say that…Read the rest of this entry →

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