At just 3 months old we have taken our little girl to the crag to go climbing twice so far. The first adventure I met up with a friend and her boyfriend while my husband Ryan was at work, next was Halloween with Ryan and friends.

I brought her in her carseat, had a playmat, and the diaper bag filled with snacks and water for me, diapers, toys for her. Emily began leading up pitch one of Swan Slab Gully while Jake belayed so I could feed and get her satisfied enough to let me climb. She was more interested in the rocks and trees than eating. 8 weeks postpartum and finally mostly clear skies from the fires that have raged all of August and September, I was beyond excited to get on the rocks. One pitch done, cleaning the anchor, setting up to rappel and she starts to cry. My friends tend to her as I rapidly try to get down. That was a stressful feeling! Lesson one learned, don’t be the last to climb and rappel, always be on top rope so you can lower at any moment.

Once down, I took the screaming baby and fed her while we decided what to do next. We went around the corner and Emily decided on the start of Lena’s Lieback and going right to the 5.7. The sun finally was behind the rocks so we played on the playmat while Emily crushed the route. She ran out of gear so she set a top rope at the tree and lowered. Jake entertained the baby while I scrambled up. Emily went again and finished the lead up the next section to the actual anchors. We concluded the day and went home.

The next time we climbed was on Halloween. This time my husband Ryan got to come. We left the baby at the base with friends and Ryan rope gunned for me up Oak Tree to Bay Tree Flake. Everyone was dressed in costume scrambling around on the rocks. Once down I fed the little one, who according to both Emilys, John and Ashley was an angel. She doesn’t take a bottle so leaving for to long isn’t an option yet but 2 pitches was enough to satiate my climbing desires for the day.