November 16, 2023

Early last week one of my engineer buddies invited me to hike up San Gorgonio. He's got a dry sense of humor, and the kind of reserved judgement that is simultaneously sensible and comical. He told me every time he sees a hiker in sandals he thinks, "There goes another narcissist."

He tsk'd faint disapproval at my "hiking slippers' (Vivobarefoot Primus), but at least they weren't sandals.

He was incredulous that I let the map on my phone orient to where I was pointing rather than a "North up".

Despite our differences we managed to talk and laugh most of the way to the top and back down, drink in some ripping views, and thoroughly enjoyed a good 9 hours of being on our feet in the mountains.

After 60 years on the planet with a good chunk of that in the military, my buddy AK is about to head out for the territories (or at least, the American West) to see what the next chapter brings.

He's got some wandering to do and a few spots to hit (the Amboy crater, a mutual friend in Moab, and a restaurant called Hell's Backbone Grill). Is there anywhere else you've been between San Diego and Sun Valley that you'd point him to as "worth seeing just because it's there"?

After hiking all day on Friday I headed back out into the local hills on Saturday to put up a temporary weather station at a paragliding site. There's just something about being in non-flat country that, despite being physically challenging to move around in, is catnip for me.

What's the terrain you can't stay out of?

Have a rock 'n roll week (and don't forget some desserts for an end-of-hike celebration!)