Brave Souls

If you are one of those brave souls who attempt a day at the crag with kids in tow, then you are probably looking forward to the day when you can get more than 2 pitches in before retreating back to home base. A great way to get in more climbs is to teach your kids how to belay each other. There are many things to consider before teaching a youngling to belay. I’m not going to explain how to teach belay techniques in this article, instead I’m going to give you some important questions to discuss with your partner before deciding when the time is right to pop the question… “Do you want to learn how to belay?”

How long can the candidate focus?

Think about school work. Can your kid do homework, read, or even draw for 20 minutes before losing focus? Belaying can be boring, so it is important to be able to focus long enough for the climber to finish the climb. If your young climber can crush v10 but not sit still for 10 minutes they might not be ready. You might have climbed with an adult that has a problem focusing while on belay!

Does the little belayer understand consequences?

This is hard to measure, but if you have a good relationship with your kids you will know when the time is right. My oldest daughter started belaying this year after turning 10. She is a great reader who can focus on the task at hand, but before letting her belay we talked very bluntly about what will happen to her little sister if she dropped her. We aren't morbid, just honest. We wanted her to know that there are very real consequences to her actions. As parents, this is just a judgement call. When teaching the high school climbing team belaying, this is the biggest area of focus.

How responsible is the belayer?
Go google Responsibility. Look at the definition but think about excuses. Making excuses is the opposite of taking responsibility. If your climber makes excuses for every mistake then responsibility might not be a strong point for them. Belaying is a great way to teach responsibility, but they will need some base level of it before starting to take someone’s life in their hands.

Is the belayer physically able?
This is actually the least important to me. Assisted belay devices are awesome for top rope safety. Weight is the biggest consideration here. If your kid is mentally ready to belay give em a grigri and go practice in a safe spot where they can focus. The edelrid OHM is a great device when lead belay comes into the picture. I  outweigh my wife by 60 lbs and we use it a lot. They work extremely well at slowing a fall.

All in all this is your call as a parent. Having more belayers has made our days at the crag more enjoyable and makes my daughter feel included as a climber. Take it slow, don’t push them if they are uncomfortable, and have fun!

Indian Creek Spring Break 2019 Trip Report

Hello (in Minion language "bello")!

Dad woke us up early because he wanted to leave at eight o' clock (long story, we left an hour late).  We went to the gas station and set off on our amazing, dusty, cold, and very RED adventure! It was a long drive to get to Indian Creek, but it had amazing views and awesome wildlife. We saw a bald eagle, cows, and prairie dogs on the way.

As soon as we got to our campsite, we started to set up our tent. Now, our tent is HUGE! It took all five of us, including Ella, to set it up. Dad accidentally bent a pole in the effort. After the great adventure of tenting, Mom and Ella took a siesta while dad, Indie, and I explored the cliff on the opposite side of our campsite.  The high schoolers soon showed up and dad gave an eloquent speech on Wag Bags (a bag you poop in).   Then we went on a hike before dinner. We all sang songs and ate marshmallows before my sisters and I went to bed.     

I woke up early to see the sunrise. My family had breakfast and prepared to go trail build on Scarface, a popular climbing area. We listened to the RMFI leader talk about safety and started to hike up the trail. Indie and Ella, my sisters, helped me with little rocks, while dad and the high schoolers lifted heavier rocks for the stairs that we were building. Subsequently, we ate lunch and my family went up to climb. Dad, with mom at the belay, led Wavy Gravy for the others to climb. Since I’m so buff, I climbed the route left of Wavy Gravy (a 5.9) after Mom, Indie, and Ella, went back down to the car. Dad and I packed up and headed back down to our campsite a short while later. We got back, and ate some good dinner, and played a game of Go Fish in Spanish before bed.

The next day, we woke up and had a nutritious breakfast (pop tarts) and packed up to climb again. Indie and I got to ride on the bus! We got to Donnelly Canyon climbing area. It was beautiful, but it had no shade! I felt like a hot dog as I roasted in the sun, waiting to climb. I did a 5.10 crack climb called Elephant Man. I also watched Indie do it too! Best of all, Ella pooped in a Wag Bag!!

We headed out before dinner. Mom handed out goldfish to the starving high schoolers as they left to go back to Montrose, and we went back to our campsite.  

We woke up and ate. This was our last full day at Indian Creek, so we were determined to make the best of it. We packed up (again) to climb, this time at Way Rambo. The approach was grueling, but we made it and had some gummy snacks to refuel. We got to the route and ate lunch (tuna, yummy), and started to climb. The route itself was unusual. It was a chimney! It was hard, but we all made it to the top! It took a while for all of us to do the route, as well as approach and descend, so we headed down after mom and dad did another climb. We drove back and had our last dinner at Creek Pasture, and slept.

We awoke, packed up everything, used the bathroom, and left for Monticello. Indie and Ella took a small siesta on the way. We got to our hotel, unpacked, and rested before we went to eat at Thatzza Pizza. Their pizza was really cheesy, and really good! Their ice cream was really flavorful too! It was interesting to talk to the local owner. We went back to our hotel, our bellies full, and slept on our first real bed in 4 days.

We woke up to the sound of snow and freezing rain. “OH NO!” we thought. One of our rooftop carriers was leaking, so we halfheartedly packed up our stuff, ate a gourmet breakfast, and left, full of tales to tell to the ages to come.
    

                                           BY MYA THE MIRACULOUS!!!

Detail Beta:

Camped at Creek Pasture Campground

Snaked on little Debbie's and fruit gummies

Best new camping meal: Knorr cheddar and broccoli rice with a can of chicken

Roadway inn in Monticello is a great place to grab a shower

Thatzza Pizza great ice cream a Chezzy Pizza-only a picnic table

WAG bags are absolutely necessary at I.C. (steep approaches, delicate, crowds.)

Climbed: 

Scare face area- wavy gravy, unknown 5.9, fat farm

Donnelly Canyon- Chocolate Corner, Elephant Man, unknown 5.9

Way Rambo- Closed Course, Renegades of Funk

   

Hiking With Kids 101

      8 miles down the trail, middle of nowhere, technical obstacles, sheer drops, beautiful scenery, I hear the howl of the high alpine wind, and… and… my kids giggling?

      I hear people say “We didn’t make it that far, because we had our kids with us”. While on the surface this seems very logical and expected, it always seems like a cop out to me. It speaks to the general belief that we don’t go camping, climbing, or hiking because our kids can’t do it. Someday later in life we will start being active again, but for now our kids are too small for us to enjoy the outdoors.

      The truth is, you probably won’t make it as far, climb as hard, or go on that John Muir Trail backpacking trip with a toddler. But if your enjoyment of the outdoors hinges on you taking epic Snap chat or IG selfies then you are missing the point. In our self-saturated culture compromising our wanderlust for our kids seems like an affront to our Americanism. For the sake of transparency, this is one of my biggest struggles. To take precious time away from shredding 20 miles of single track to go for a 4 mile put around town with the kids is hard, but it is central to being a good parent. If you want to survive hiking with a toddler it is as simple (and complicated) as good parenting. Start young, don’t be over bearing, don’t be a push over.

 Start young

      All of our kids have slept in a tent before they were 6 months old. It is best to start early because they don’t know any better. A toddler has a routine and breaking that routine can have devastating consequences. Hiking is hard mentally. If a kid grows up hiking it normalizes the activity making the mental hurdle much smaller. Our middle beacon of joy is strong willed. She is our hardest and easiest to take hiking. If she likes the hike she is unstoppable, if she is not in the mood she plants herself like a great sequoia. If we hadn’t already been hiking with her at a very young age she would never ever enjoy it now.

Don’t be over bearing

      This is the classic dad who makes his kid do what he wants to do… except it’s not. This is not forcing your kids to play baseball so they can go to state like you never got to. This is brainwashing your kids into following you and doing what you want to do. See, that’s so much better! It is ok to help give your kids identity. Part of who your kids are should be who you are. They SHOULD like what you like. They don’t have to, but you should aid them in discovering themselves. Just don’t overdo it. Celebrate the ways your kids are different than you, because they might just be better, smarter, and stronger than you will ever be. You don’t need to force them into a mold, but it’s ok to give them an idea of what forces are shaping them. Especially when hiking, having your own agenda is very obvious to your kids (and wife). They will push back and feel like they are not the priority. Don’t be overbearing by putting the destination first, and not the relationship.

Don’t be a push over

      Contrary to the previous point, don’t let them get their way. When hiking, it will be hard. It will be difficult for all parties involved. It will push the limits of your patience, it will push your mental endurance, and it will push your kiddos physical endurance. That is why we do it. We want to be more patient and we want our kids to be stronger. Don’t let them turn around at the first sign of pain. That just means you cracked first. Make a plan, set a goal, and stick to it if at all possible.

PS. If this fails bribe them.

Just a few pictures of the bike my Dad and I have turned into a speed demon!

Kids

When I weed a garden, 

sweat in the sun,

water the seeds 

and see them grow,

I reap a harvest and my belly is satisfied. 

As I pour out  of my self into my kids, 

work hard to teach them right,

and see them learn a new craft,

I reap no harvest and my soul is satisfied. 

For my first photo tip blog post I will give you the best, the ultimate, the most extreme… the one tip to help you take better pictures! Over the years I have had several people ask me what is the one tip to have better photos. I have never really had an answer to that because the term “better photos” is pretty broad. A lot of people these days are buying DSLR cameras to take better photos of their kids and/or vacations, so I’m going to focus (punny) on that. The one tip I would give to a beginning photographer is (drum roll) keep shooting. Wah wah wah. I know that is the most boring piece of advice ever! However, practice is the most important thing, so there. Kids are hard to take pictures of because they can do the kessel run in less than 12 parsecs [see here www.starwars.com if you don’t know what that is ] Kids are fast, and their genuine cute little moments happen really quick. You need to have a really good handle of your camera to be ready to take those candid shots when they happen. Vacation photos are always fun, but if you are spending the entire vacation trying to figure out the setting of your camera you won’t enjoy your photos or vacation. So, my advice is take your camera on walks, take it to the park, take it to the zoo, to the pool, and everywhere else you go. When I first started taking photography seriously I had a messenger bag for my camera and lenses. I carried it everywhere I went. You need to get a lot of practice before you are comfortable with your camera in various lighting situations. Good luck and keep shooting!

I recently posted this photo to my Facebook page.That amazing little smile happened for a split second but because I have invested a considerable amount of time to perfecting my craft I was able to get the shot.

Why do I like the outdoors? That is a good question with a long answer, but probably the best short answer is because my dad likes the outdoors. He likes the outdoors because my grandpa liked the outdoors. Last week my Grandpa passed away. He is this first person in my life, that I have been close to, to die. I was well prepared for the news because his mind has been gone for a couple years now. None the less, it left me with a lot to think about. Being the Transcendental that I am, I thought a lot about nature. The wild is a funny thing. You can go outdoors to take a million pictures, bring home a harvest, or carry away some precious stones, but you will always leave a little bit of yourself too. My grandpa spent his entire life taking boy scouts on float trips, camping outings, and hikes, all the while leaving little bits and pieces of himself out in the woods. He was scratched by the same Ozark thorns, woke to the same frost, and took shelter from the same rain. His memory will live on for me in those things.

Tangled up in brambles

Frozen in the grass

Falling from the clouds

Clearer than glass.

One more reason

I have now,

To go out of doors

Where the rain drips from my brow.

Dripping to where we all must go

Down to the ground.

An Interview with my 3 year old Indie

An Interview with my 3 year old Indie

Q: Why do you like the outdoors?

A: Because I like to bounce

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when we go camping?

A: play with Charlotte

Q: What is the scariest thing about being outdoors?

A: Dark

Q: Where is your favorite place to go?

A: camping

Q: What to you dream about?

A: I’m scared of crabs, I don’t like crabs

Q: What is your favorite animal?

A: Birds

Q: If you could bring one toy camping what would it be?

 A: My teddy bear

Q: What is your favorite camping memory

A: Eating homemade Ice cream. 

Mya's Interview

Q: Why do you like the outdoors?

A: Because I get to rock climb!

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when we go camping?

A: Roast marshmallows

Q: What is the scariest thing about being outdoors?

A: nothing

Q: Where is your favorite place to go?

A: White Rock Mountain

Q: What to you dream about?

A Roasting Marshmallows by myself

Q: What is your favorite animal?

A: An Elk

Q: If you could bring one toy camping what would it be?

A: A fishing pole, if you would buy me one.

Q: What is you favorite camping memory

A: I remember walking down all these rocks to get to this huge cliff with a beautiful view.

Marmot Drakon 45 Review!!!

I am a unique breed of climber. You have heard of sport climbers, trad climbers, and bouldering, but have you heard of the family climber? Family climbers require a lot from their pack. You need to take all of your gear plus snacks, extra clothes, extra gear, and the occasional Barbie doll. I just got my pack and stuffed all my climbing gear into it, here are my first impressions. The pack looks cool. I know that looks don’t matter but, yes they really do. I love the colors and design of the pack. The pack is made of quality materials. In the world of ultra light backpacking some outfitters have designed some pretty flimsy stuff. Not so with this pack. In my opinion Marmot struck a very good balance between weight and durability. We will see if it holds up as long as my old climbing bag. If you are trying to decide which climbing bag to buy I would readily suggest this one for one big reason, the zipper. The best thing about this pack is its unique vertical opening. You can take this pack to the crag, throw it down on its back and with the zipper access all of your gear. It really helps to keep dirt out of your rope and harness by leaving stuff sitting on top of your pack while unloading other things. Pulling gear out from the top means you will have to put stuff on the ground while pulling out the gear deeper down. The Drakon 45 is also super easy to pack. The size of the pack was perfect for me to put all of our gear, including the rope, inside with a little room to spare. The hanging pocket is nice if you like to put small things in places where you can’t reach. I would have put it inside the top compartment. The smaller vertical zipper you see is a roomy pocket the perfect size for a guide book! I don’t know why more backpacks don’t have a vertical zipper, but for me that makes the Drakon 45 one of the top packs out there. Marmot has designed a excellent pack for climbers, I can’t wait to go get it dirty.

What is a CHIGGER??????????
A chigger is a mythological beast of burden used by the Romans to build aqueducts. The Great Wall of China was actually built to keep the chiggers out. Chiggers were also the cause of the dinosaur extinction. They are invisible, invincible, and intrusive! Ok, so some of those things are lies, but what is a chigger? I did a little research to give you a scientific answer that might make your summers a little less itchy.

    nice picture that has nothing to do with the article... enjoy

“Chiggers are the immature stage of certain mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae. More closely related to spiders than to insects, chiggers belong to the class Arachinida, along with scorpions and ticks. The term “chigger” commonly is used to describe the parasitic larval stage of mites in the genus Eutrombicula. These common mites cause most of the itchy, summertime bites that occur after walking outdoors through grassy or brushy areas.”
Taken from : https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e-365.cfm

So in summary Chiggers are baby spider/scorpions that live in the grass and bite your private parts because they are rude. I also found out that they do NOT burrow into skin. They just bite you and suck your yummy blood. The best way to prevent chigger bites is to wear bug spray with DEET, wear pants, (I need to remember to do that more), long sleeves, and keep your yard mowed. They don’t like the shorter grass, so keeping a well maintained yard really helps. After you go outside try to take a soapy shower and scrub with a cloth or one of those fluffy scrubber things that my wife has. This will help remove any mites that might be on you before they get too comfortable.

So You’re Not Outdoorsy???

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there existed recess. Recess was the best thing I had going for me as a kid. I loved it, and so did every other kid I can think of. Every single child loves to play outside and go bonkers. Now that I am an “adult” I hear people say insane things like F.E.M.A. builds concentration camps, and even more insane than that “I’m not outdoorsy”. How can a human being not like the outdoors? Mother Nature freely offers all of her bounty for our exploitation and you can’t go out and enjoy the woods? It’s just plain rude! Let me try to help you.

Research shows a positive correlation between time spent outdoors and lengthened attention span, being healthy, and the ability to prepare for the oncoming zombie apocalypse. However, you might like ADHD, Obesity, and Zombification. So let me try to convince you with my nonsensical objective opinions that spending time out of doors is the best way to spend your time. On a side note, if preparing for the oncoming zombie apocalypse is not important to you then stop reading, delete me from your friends, and stop talking to me because I don’t want to feel bad when I destroy your undead corpse :-) Here are the top three reasons why I love the outdoors.

1. It is fun

2. It is healing

3. It is real

Show of hands, who has fun at the D.M.V.? I have fun outside because it is the exact opposite of the D.M.V. There are no lines, no charges, and no rules. Being in an environment where there are no rules is fun, but it is also very important to brain development. If you don’t have boundaries you need to create them yourself. This teaches kids to limit their horseplay, focus on what matters, and make independent decisions. There are natural consequences to those decisions so it teaches them to follow the rules because it is important, not just because someone said so. Obviously kids don’t do this well, none of us are good at things we have never done, so they have to learn! This means they might get some bumps and bruises along the way. This leads me to my second point, nature is healing. Natures healing power lies in its awesome power to humble you. Wading through a creek fishing is about as relaxing as it gets for me. If I have had a hard day, or week, or month one hour in the water can wash all of that junk downstream. The creek reminds me that erosion is a terribly powerful and destructive force. Yet, it creates ways for life to thrive. It can take lifetimes for a creek to form. You are just simply aware that you are not the center of the universe and your problems aren’t either. Outdoor sports like rock climbing and mountain biking require all of your attention. It pulls your mind out of the corners of the internet and makes you very aware of the present. Nature is also as real as it gets. I love to read and playing video games, but in nature what you do actually happens in physical time and space. You can’t beat that with a stick (except you can, because it’s real). We live in such a digital era; we need to take time outside of the virtual and spend time in the physical. There is no need to become an outdoor junky, but please take time to appreciate the natural wonder that is all around us every day. And remember, mosquitoes kill 2 million people every year! Muahahaha!

Yaylabs Ice Cream Ball

The Ice Cream Ball.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/industrial-revolution-play-and-freeze-ice-cream-ball~p~3626x/?filterString=s~ice-cream%2F&colorFamily=03
I love ice cream. I eat a bowl of ice-cream almost every night. When I saw the ice-cream ball my first thought was “it doesn't work” so I never got one. It looks like an infomercial gimmick. However, after camping with my two little girls I saw the need to bring things that could keep a 3 and 5 year old busy. I thought we would be sitting around eating sweet milk, but at least it would give the girls something to do. After using it several times here are my pros and cons.
Pro- It works! It makes deliciously amazing ice-cream right in the middle of nowhere! 
Pro- It is fairly easy to use, and you can use your own recipes.
Pro- it is durable.
Con- Do you like sand in your ice-cream? The lid traps dirt so when you open it up there will be a little sand or dirt that might hitch a ride on your spoon. Con- It is NOT a soccer ball! It is hard plastic and full of ice so when a little kid in flip flops decides to give it a kick they will break all of their little piggies.

Overall I say hooray for homemade ice cream without electricity! It is a fun design that keeps kids busy while you prepare dinner, then provides dessert. Not many toys do that. It is just hard to keep from getting dirt on the lid unless your camping spot has nice grass. Just remember don’t kick it or you will be doing the stubbed toe dance.

When I go camping I want to get some solitude, but not have to drive too far. I want to ride some trails, climb some rocks, and get in the water. Oh, and I want to see some beautiful nature! These things usually do not happen all at once. I have no trouble finding solitude, but usually it requires a long drive. Mountain bike trails are easy enough to come by in the Ozarks, as well as beautiful scenery. Water sports normally require their own outing, as does climbing. However, I have just discovered the Swiss Army knife of campgrounds! Lake Leatherwood is a city owned campground just outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It offers a gorgeous little lake where you can rent a canoe or Kayak, it has outstanding trails, and it even has a couple bouldering routes.

Now understand that much like a Swiss Army knife some of the features don’t have quite the usefulness of others. Their climbing routes could be compared to the 3 inch saw that works really well for cutting pinky size twigs. But I won’t complain. On Miners Rock trail there is one of the most unique rock features I have ever seen. There are no other rocks around except this limestone wave coming out of the ground. It has a dozen lines to boulder on. On my first trip to Lake leatherwood I was very pleasantly surprised that I could ride all day, go for a paddle the next, and then go get pumped on a 45 degree overhang. I hear the fishing is good too. It is a great spot for wildlife photography for all you fellow photographer’s out there.

The facilities do leave a little to be desired. The camping layout was open without tent pads, and only one porta potty for the lower campground. I went camping with my two little girls and we spent a lot of time in the potty. If you don’t mind walking a bit further there is a flush toilet near the rv camping. If you are like me, you can take the stinky bathroom in exchange for fewer crowds. I can’t wait for our next outing to Lake Leatherwood. It is a great spot for people looking to engage in a wide variety of outdoor activities. It is good for family camping and die hard mountain bikers. But most importantly it is not work! Look to Lake Leatherwood for a great weekend escape.

http://www.lakeleatherwoodcitypark.com/

                1303 County Road 204, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 (479) 253-7921

Custom Climbing Gear

Here is a highlight of some of my custom gear that my awesome friend  made for me. Check out her shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/AislingLane

I designed this rope bag to be super cheap and simple. It is easy to throw over my backpack and quick to move from spot to spot.

This little gem is super handy to keep all your gear organized while at the crag. 

You can just slide it in and out of your pack while keeping all your draws and cams from tangling.

“Letting Go” in Richland Creek Wilderness Area.

Richland Creek has always been a location I wanted to check out because of all the great things I’ve heard about its beauty. It is probably the most remote spot in Arkansas, it is hard to find, and it has no maintained trail. The mountains there are very steep which helps create the breath taking waterfalls that punctuate the creek. I had a last minute option to go for a three day backpacking trip so I jumped on the chance to go to Richland Creek for the first time… with my 3 year old and 5 year old... daughters… who love Frozen. 

Mya is a pretty good photographer

My two daughters are pretty outdoorsy, but backpacking is a learned skill. The pack animal mentality does not come to humans naturally. I wanted to get them started early so I thought taking them to a beautiful spot with waterfalls would be a good Idea. I figured by the map and other’s trail descriptions that it would be about a 2.5 mile out and back trip, 5 miles total over 2 nights. I took my new 85 liter Osprey  Aether pack chock full of food, candy, sleeping bags, and more candy. The trip could have not gone better for the girls. They complained much less than I did when I first went backpacking so that is a good start. Richland Creek did not disappoint me with her wild beauty either. The non maintained trail was very easy to follow because of traffic. However, not all went so peachy. 

 

Indie and Mya being themselves 

From what I read, I gathered that we would be crossing two streams. No problem, I have crossed hundreds of Ozark streams that were ankle deep, I can do that. Wrong! It rained 2 inches the day before so I had to cross frigid chest deep streams, carrying my children across one by one. The shallower rapids were moving too fast to risk falling, so I opted for a safer deeper route. I am a stubborn Missouri boy and was not going to be deterred by a small creek.  The first time it was kind of fun, but by the 5th time I had waded into the cold water the new adventure feeling had shriveled off. Yes, I chose shriveled for a reason. On our last night I was pretty tired. I was physically exhausted from carrying 50 pounds of gear with a 3 year old sitting on top of that. I was mentally exhausted from swimming across the creek a dozen times, but most of all I was ready to “Let It Go”.

Richland creek 

I might have the most expensive backpack but it does not have hello kitty on it.

Can you guess what they are singing?

If you do not have a daughter from 3 through 30 years of age you might not know that a girl can repeatedly sing the theme song to their favorite movie an infinite amount of times.  The peace, solitude, and quiet of the outdoors had eluded me on this trip. All due to one catchy tune called “Let It Go”. I think I will engrave those words on my tombstone.  Here lies Aaron Wilcox he finally “Let It Go”.  Even with the ringing in my ears, nature’s medicine is strong. Both girls could not have had more fun! We saw a snake, found a turtle shell, and they saw daddy freeze his butt off (seriously I don’t know If I will be able to have more children). Because I spent good quality time with my girls and they want to return, I can call our first backpacking trip a success. Sometimes when you are taking young kids camping you have to relax and remember to just “let it Go”

Twin falls is the highlight of the trail