Tag: climbing

Big Goals For 2011

January 6, 2011 /

So beginning this year I have been thinking of the goals that I set last year and how I either achieved them or failed at them horribly. I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish one of the biggest goals that I have wanted to do for a while and that is bike to work more. As you can see in my last few posts I was able to do that and it was great. I had a goal of 15 times and I did that and more. I am going to triple that number for the coming year and shoot for 45 times.

Another goal of mine was to go climbing a bit more. I have to say that I wasn’t able to accomplish this. I did go out, but not the 30 times I was hoping. I did however go out hiking more as that is a lot easier to do with young kids. Both my boy and girl love the outdoors, and I have carried them, held their hands and watched them grow in the outdoors this past year. A little mud has never bothered my little princess.

This year I am not putting a number on how many times I would like to get out climbing. I am going to shoot for maybe a little more lofty goal of doing a few more multi-pitch climbs this year. I have picked out one in general and I have pinned in up on the cork board in the kitchen to remind me of it daily. I will be doing a lot of indoor climbing this winter to prepare myself for this climb.

Running is also another activity that I need to do a lot more of. I remember the days of coming home from work and trading the work shoes to the runners and hitting the pavement almost everyday. I have been trying to figure out when and how I am going to workout a little more and the answer that I keep coming up with is cut out a little sleep. I probably don’t really need 8 hours anyway. I never got that much sleep when I was back in college and working two jobs.

Something that I said last year I think is still applicable this year to all of us. “I am good at coming up with excuses at why I can’t reach a certain goal or maybe why I haven’t been able to go outside as much as I would have liked (Kids, work, family, tired). But when it is all said and done, these are just that, EXCUSES.”

I hope we can all figure out a way to stop making excuses and start living our dreams. I would love to hear from all of you. What are you planning this year? What goals do you have? What excuses you might have as why you didn’t accomplish your goals last year and how you are going to achieve them this year. Please reply to this post and by doing so we can all help each other succeed.

A Quick Get Away!

September 1, 2009 /

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This past weekend the I was ready to leave town. I needed something different. I had the climbing itch and I needed to find somewhere that could scratch it for me.  I called my wife while at work and told her that I think we should head out of town when I get off work that night. I started to think where we could go and have the itch scratched. I live in Salt Lake City and have two young kids so I needed something relatively easy and close but still out of town. I thought a bit and then decided Pocatello, Idaho was the spot for me. I told my wife and ask my brother if he and his girlfriend would like to go with (It is always nice to have a couple of extra hands when going climbing with a 2 year old). We packed our bags, booked a hotel for the night, and headed out the door.

Pocatello is about 150 miles north of Salt Lake City and just over two hours driving. This makes it a quick get away for those who live in Salt Lake and surrounding areas. Pocatello is a well kept secret in Idaho.  More than 1000 miles of groomed trails for mountain bikes are within the public lands of Southeast Idaho. Many more miles of trails for hiking, backpacking and riding horses area available in the area. Camping is also available. But there is some great climbing as well and that is why I went there this past weekend.

There is plenty of climbing in Pocatello and if you are up for a little drive even more stuff is available to you. One area that I love is the Ross Park Areas. Most of this climbing is top roped only climbing. But it is a great place to take the family and enjoy a day of climbing. There is a sunny side and a shady side with over a 120 climbs between the two. The local climbers in the area have made this a nice place to climb and enjoy. You can find free guides and information about this area on Idaho State University website. Another great site for up to date information is the http://www.seiclimbing.com/.

Children Need the Outdoors!

June 20, 2009 /

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.

Book Recommendations

May 27, 2009 /

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.

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