It is only one week until the St. George Ironman 70.3, a race I enthusiastically signed up for 5 months ago, when it was snowing outside and the thought of actually training for it was hidden behind Christmas vacation and general holiday busyness. But we are headed down to Snow Canyon for a weekend of…

Everything is just big! Huge! Our eyes were wide at the endless expanses of granite towering over our heads. Chris nearly pulled the car off the road. It was everything we’ve always been told it was. Mind-boggling-massive. That night we perused the guide-book by fire light. Inside I had a sinking feeling. Everything was long…

I took a deep breath. Exhaled. And with it let go of the stress of my day. I focused in on my next foot placement, moving my hand up into a finger pocket. More than any other sport, climbing helps me unwind and leave the chaos of life behind, if even for a moment. But…

We’ve all heard people say, “Things just ain’t like they used to be.” Well, after two separate camping road trips in the last year, I feel I can wholeheartedly say that the “great american sleep over” known as camping does still exist, just like it used to. Kid’s playing outdoor games and sing-a-longs. (Even if…

I love spring. Probably more than any other season, there is so much you can do. From skiing to hiking and climbing, every adventurer can find some soul filling beauty. And every year, when the snow starts to melt, there are specific places that come to mind with a beckon similar to the chocolate in…

The dust swirls around our Xterra as we negotiate the last few miles of dirt road. Hwy 191 is up ahead, marking our last leg back into Moab. The kids sit sleepily in the back, giving Chris and I time to talk: She was bored. Bored! She told me she wanted to climb and not…

This last week we decided to seize one last weekend before snowfall by going to one of our favorite fall destinations: Southern Utah. And we weren’t disappointed. The leaves were peaking, the temperatures hovered right around 72 degrees, and the skies were cobalt blue. It was perfect. We headed out to a new crag for…

Balancing kids and climbing can be quite the task. This is what a weekend at the crag looked like for 9 adults and 13 kids: After the fourth reading of “Big Girls Use the Potty” we get the: Mom, I am hungry. Can I have some chips? It is only 9am. They just had breakfast…Imagine…

Two weeks ago our family had a mind-boggling line-up of outdoor activities that only one canyon I know of could supply at the same time: Little Cottonwood Canyon. We hit the trail Saturday morning in our snowshoes and hiked a 1/2 a mile up White Pine trail where lots of snow castle building, tractoring, and general mischief…

Last year, our annual Labor Day family climbing trip headed south an hour or so to the infamous Maple Canyon. Not having ever been there, and not having ever lead a large group into the area, I was a little nervous as to what we would find. Maple Canyon is well-known for its sport climbing….

I’ve flirted with climbing in and around the Moab Area. By this I mean, tried a route here or there as we passed through town or on brief afternoons. Wall Street (a.k.a. Potash Road) is a stunning climbing location, worthy of its name. Steep walls jut up from the canyon floor just feet from the…

So, this isn’t really an “outdoors with kids” topic, but rather a, “I’m a dad that likes to be outdoors with kids and wear clothes while doing so” topic. I don’t know about you [or your husband], but finding shirts that don’t suck is a challenge. Old Navy sells crap shirts that don’t fit and…

Honestly, trip reports really don’t interest a wide audience. But I do them anyways, why? Because I really wish that I could go to a site and see a list of hikes/climbs/etc with all the beta from a PARENT’S perspective. So, we are trying to build that database here at The Kid Project. Awesome family…

Fear. I hate fear. When I became a mom, my day-to-day fearfulness went through the roof. It even hindered my desire to do anything somewhat adventurous. [I wrote an entire post on this here.] This post isn’t about those fears. But the physical, cascading effect of panic. As I mentioned in last weeks post, “Can’t…

If you are not familiar with Wall Street / Potash Rd in Moab, UT just know that you cannot find routes with a shorter approach. You drive up, you toss out your gear, you jump on the rock. Easy. Today I want to highlight one area for kids – The Schoolroom Slabs Directions: Take Potash Road…

We moved to Utah nearly a year ago- waltzed into Momentum, cause we didn’t know where else to climb, and said, “Where do you sign us up?” Climbing for us is an outlet, a must have family bonding item. So naturally when we moved it was near the top of the list- right after the…

We told our daughter that if she made it to the top of the wall, we’d get her climbing shoes. And so, we very quickly found ourselves trying on shoes. “Are they comfortable?” “Oh Mom, these ones are really great, they look so cute on me,” she responds. She is such a girl… To say…

Location: 15 Minutes up Big Cottonwood Canyon, across the road from Storm Mountain Picnic Area.  Park on the side of the road.  Follow trail up the steep washout just east of the glacier gully. Cost: free What to expect: 5-10 minute approach, steep at first, then levels out.  The base of most the climbs are…

We’ve gotten a lot of questions regarding kids climbing harnesses. There are two harnesses I would suggest- though I am certain there are many others that are great. Please leave your comments if you’ve found other great ones. These are the ones we have experience with: 1. Petzl Simba Full Body Harness  We love this…

A Quick Morning Favorite! Location: From Salt Lake, take I-215 towards Big Cottonwood Canyon/ exit 6200s.  Follow Wasatch Blvd. south past Fort Union Blvd. and up the hill. Turn left into the Prospector Drive neighborhoods and an immediate right up the hill.  Take the second left onto Timberline Drive and park in spots on right…