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

Tag Archives: winter

SNOWMAGEDDON (and Ducksday Giveaway!)

SNOWMAGEDDON (and Ducksday Giveaway!)

It’s always a spectacle to the rest of the country when the Southeast gets some winter precipitation, but last week was about the most ridiculous I’d seen in a long time.  Our forecasts started calling for the white stuff around lunchtime, with expected accumulations of 3-4 inches in our area.  At noon the sun was shining and not a cloud was in the sky…then the weather app on my phone shifted to snow at 4:00…then 5:00.  Finally around 6 a fine mist started swirling around outside.  I’m not sure you could even call it snow, as it was more like…Read the rest of this entry →

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Ducksday Kids Outerwear: A Perfect Combo for Rain and Snow (and GIVEAWAY!)

Ducksday Kids Outerwear: A Perfect Combo for Rain and Snow (and GIVEAWAY!)

  While Ducksday might be a household name to outdoorsy families overseas, this kid’s outerwear company has just recently started offering their products stateside, through the family-owned Ollie and Stella Children’s Outfitters, operating out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  What first caught my eye about Ducksday gear was that it offers a solution to the annoying part of outdoor play in the wet and cold – so much bulk your kid can’t move!  Not only do all those layers take up tons of valuable packing space, but countless times I have taken more than 20 minutes to get my little guy geared up enough for an F4 tornado only to have him…Read the rest of this entry →

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Guidebook Update – With a Sneak Preview!!!

Guidebook Update – With a Sneak Preview!!!

  After turning in a giant lump of manuscript to Earthbound Publishing at the end of the summer last year, my work on the guidebook has been pretty sporadic the past few months.  Mostly I’ve just tweaking a few revisions here and there and wrapping up some interviews.  However there has still been one large item on my punch list that had remained unchecked for a long time, mostly due to logistics…The North Face.  Not the jacket company (although one of those would have come in handy!), but the North Face of Stone Mountain.  For most climbers, it’s always been…Read the rest of this entry →

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Toddler Science Experiments: Ice Ice Baby!

Toddler Science Experiments: Ice Ice Baby!

All winter long I’d been wanting to do a science experiment with C involving water turning to ice, but our sub-freezing temps have been few and far between (and for some reason, using the freezer felt like cheating…unless it was July, of course).  But one day last week we finally saw the forecast we’d been waiting for – a low of 22!  We gathered our supplies and headed outside.  Here’s how our experiment worked: 1.  Collect – We walked around the yard with a large muffin tin, picking up nature items off the ground.  We used twigs, pine needles, clover,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Keeping Your Toddler Warm on Winter Climbing Trips

Keeping Your Toddler Warm on Winter Climbing Trips

Compared to other parts of the country, a winter day in North Carolina is generally rather mild, especially if the sun’s out.  But just because our highs are generally above freezing doesn’t mean your kiddo can hang out all day at the crag in a light jacket.  In fact, your toddler is actually much more likely to get cold at the crag than you are.  Think about it – You warm up pretty fast hiking in to the crag with a big pack, while the only effort your child is expending is craning around in a carrier to make you…Read the rest of this entry →

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