1st Day at the Crag for 2012

There is a new local crag in our area that has been receiving a lot of hype.  Last Saturday we decided to take advantage of the excellent weather we were having and check out this new place.  The approach in was less than toddler friendly and the base area needs some work as well, but the routes are fun and casual.  We finally have a crag close to home that we love climbing at!

As you can see the trail is not really a trail at all.  We have improvised how we pack Ky and the diaper bag.  Ky is chillin in his Ergo while mamma is wearing the Mountain Hardwear diaper bag over top of him.  This means daddy has to pack ALL of the climbing gear alone.  

Last season we learned that it is easier to climb with three people rather than try to wrangle the toddler while belaying.  This day we had an awesome friend step up and join us, she even brought her daughter to watch Ky.  I think after those four hours of hanging at the crag Ky developed quite the crush, if that is even possible for a 2-year-old.

Our friends over at Edelrid sent us their new toddler harness to try out, and according to the photo I think Ky approves!  This harness is the coolest toddler harness on the market.  It cinches down very small, in fact it fit Ky last summer (1-year-old) when they debuted it at the Summer OR Show.  We like the amount of padding and especially the dorsal hook.  We will be writing a more thorough review of this harness as the season comes in full bore.  Now we need to invest in a helmet for him, the one we are eyeing is Petzl's  Picchu which is rated for climbing and cycling.  We are all about multi-purpose gear.

At 2-years-old Ky understands the real fun of rock climbing, the swing.  He's not so much about the up but loves to hang out and log some air time.  At the end of each climb we offer up the rope to the little man and let him have his fun while we pack gear up to move onto the next route.  We look forward to the day that Ky decides to focus on the up.  For now we let him hang out and take pleasure in his company.