Climbing might seem daunting. I know. I teach new climbers to swallow their fears and pull on plastic holds 35 feet above the ground. But these climbers have made it over the hump. They have elbowed their way through the strange and pricey gear. They have decided to step out of their comfort zone, and most importantly they have decided to look past the stereotype. The attitude beaning hipster with a harness is often the most common reason potential climbers either back out of the gym door, or decide to stay grounded while their buddies dance on the rock in front of them. Personal sports are fueled by ego, and climbing has it’s fair share.
Tag: climbing (Page 3 of 3)
This morning I woke up thinking, “what should I do today.” The first thing that I thought of was to go up climbing, so we gathered the gear and headed out. As we headed across town I saw the dark clouds forming directly over the mountains we were heading towards, but we continued towards the blackening sky. As we came to the bottom of the canyon it was drizzling rain. As we continued up the canyon it just got worse. We decided to try a new route that we had never been to and, knowing that we might not get to climb, we thought at least we could go and check out the route. We threw on our rain jackets and headed up the trail. This is where my son comes into the picture.
He is just over two years old and loves (love being an understatement) the outdoors. The rain and water did not slow him down a bit. The only thing that was bothering him on the trail was the hood on his jacket. Once I removed that he was just fine, his hat was soaked, but at least he was happy.
After looking for the route we came back to the car with feet and pants soaked. I have always understood the importance of performance gear for myself but it can be hard to find good gear for children. The market is growing and I am happy to see this growth as I have two kids and plan on taking them outside as often as I can. This morning though as I was dressing my boy for today’s adventure I put on some socks we got a couple of years ago from a starter company. The companies name is Roonwear. They make clothing for active children and their tag line is “…because kids sweat too.” He has worn these socks before and I really didn’t think much about the socks when I put them on him this morning, they just matched. But I was very impressed when we got home and his feet were dry. Pants sopping wet but socks and feet dry. I know now each time we go out hiking the first pair of socks that I will put on him, are the socks from Roonwear.
I know there are other companies that make clothing and gear for kids who love the outdoors and I encourage anyone who has children to find and support some of these companies. As I said in the title “children need the outdoors” and to make them happier and in turn us parents happier, we need people making performance gear for children. Please comment if you know of any other companies who make great gear and clothing for children.
I don’t know about you but I have always enjoyed a great book about the outdoors. I thought I would post a few of my favorite books in my collection. And then get some feedback from the rest of you about some of your favorite books. I hope to keep this a living blog post in that I will add books to it as I read them as well as keep all of your comments posted so others can get a few ideas of books to pick up from you.
Postcards from the Trailer Park (The Secret Lives of Climbers) by Cameron M. Burns. This book is a collection of short stories about different climbers. This book is a must read for any climber who loves to hear about others adventures. It was always an entertaining read.
A Test of Will: One Man’s Extraordinary Story of Survival by Warren MacDonald. I came across this book about 4 years ago, and couldn’t out it down. It was one of those books that kept the suspense high. It really shows what the human mind can do, when faced with troubling odds.
Hey Ranger!: True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America’s National Parks by Jim Burnett. Do you envy rangers and what they do for a living. I think about seeing them out hiking around, camping and just spending time in the great outdoors. This is all part of their jobs, but there is much more to it. This book sheds some light on some of the good times of being a ranger and some of the bad times. Jim does a great job at describing and telling the story of the Ranger.
This will be something that I will continue to add books to. I would love to hear from you in the comments and learn of other books that I should pick up and read.