Ladianne's blog

A group of climbers/bikers/hikers/walkers has formed to participate in the Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up fundraiser to help kids with HIV/AIDS get the medication they need.  We're the Kanyekanye Climbers team and we hope to get people in every possible time zone on our team.  If you are available to climb/bike/hike/walk on Sept. 20 and/or 21, please join our team!  

read the rest

There is a distinct possibility my family will end up moving to Tucson area - - and I'd like to get some info from folks who know the climbing there. When I go out to visit, one of the first stops I'll make will be at Rocks and Ropes climbing gym - - but I'm eager to hear anything I can about the outdoor climbing there. Any info on it will be greatly appreciated!!! Oh, and if there's anything good about how to handle scorpions, I'll definitely take that advice too!!

Ah, the nervous tick has temporarily subsided. Yesterday found me at forty feet off the deck (carpet?!?) at The Climbing Center in Knoxville, TN. And while it wasn't my home playground, it was certainly a fine venue at which to feed the monster. Much to my amusement, the air conditioner had gone the way of many things (the do-do bird, the federal government - ouch, and my forearms on overhanging sport routes....) and failed, at least for the time being.

read the rest

Today is beautiful - clear blue sky, little humidity. And, like a crack addict standing two feet from someone holding a pipe, I developed a nervous tick and foamed at the mouth when I walked out of the garage and realized I would have to enjoy this glorious day with both feet planted firmly on the ground due to household obligations (which have, unfortunately, also been keeping me from this site more than I would like!!).

read the rest

Ok - -I KNOW this is a climbing site, but by my observations, the very same people who climb tend to be awfully knowledgeable about hiking and camping as well. Therefore, oh fellow climbers, I'm asking that you help me help a friend. She needs info about the following for the McDowell Mountains and the Apache trail:

1. How much water to take
2. Special considerations for clothing
3. Hazards specific to that part of the country
4. Anything else she should know --

read the rest

Some would say I live in the land of Bubba. And while North Carolina is decidedly full of wild, wonderful places where one's self-worth is measured by the size of one's monster truck tires, it is also a state where the lilt of a southern drawl melts like buttah over the tops of even the most jagged concepts.

Yesterday I broke the laws of motherhood (yet again....) and femininity by purchasing a big ass pickup truck. My new Chevy, named BIG DADDY, (please....no derogatory comments from you Fordies out there...) is certainly a thing of beauty meant to help me find my way along all the state and national forest roads I can possibly enjoy. Just after purchasing my new chariot, I called a builder buddy and told him about my new ride...."Um, Ladianne......isn't there a rule against having pickup trucks in your neighborhood???" (Insert uproarious laughter here....) "Well," I retorted, "there may be.....but I've already broken most of the rules in the Suburban Housewife's Guide to Good Living. Besides, somebody's gotta break 'em!" My buddy confirmed that I am indeed a nightmare of a human being in the eyes of the women who avert their glances each time I walk by the windows of nail salons and beauty parlors wearing my chalk-covered, faded black capris, black tank top and get-the-hell-out-of-my-way-$10 sunglasses.

read the rest

Ok, let's be clear here - climbing may be enjoyed by many women, BUT it is still a male-dominated sport (which, by the way, is just fine with me). However, I have this one climbing buddy - this guy - who clearly loves me only for my rather ample rack.

Last night I got one of THOSE voice mail messages. "Hey, Ladianne.....we're going to this awesome crag. Haven't climbed with you in a while......if you get this before tomorrow, give me a call and let me know if you have time to go." Having an addiction to vertical terrain, I immediately thought, "hmmmmm......that crag is great......maybe I could work it out......." But THEN it hit me! Ha! He just wants to get his hands on my gear!

read the rest

Like many with whom I've had the incredible fortune of interacting since I began climbing, I have found climbing to be among the best metaphors for so much in life. In what other sport (of course, calling it a sport seems weak really....) can you encounter such incredible people, and even have the opportunity to encounter the parts of yourself you have either chosen not to address or didn't even realize existed?

Tonight I went into the gym (again, I would have preferred to have spent what turned out to be a beautiful day outside, but things just didn't shape up that way....) and climbed with several people I knew to varying degrees. Some I'd climbed with before, and others I hadn't. I worked at a few problems - got all the pieces of that (*$#@*& .11c but still couldn't run it cleanly - ran a .10b and fell once - and overall had a so/so night. But....on the drive home I realized yet again that I'd had a night climbing....and whether good or bad, it was A NIGHT CLIMBING!!!! In other words, to be able - physically and otherwise - and to have the opportunity to participate in an activity that pushes it's addicts physically, emotionally, intellectually...well, that's nothing short of a complete blessing.

read the rest