So I've been gradually teaching myself map and compass skills, and before my last backpacking trip I bought a nice entry level Suunto baseplate compass. It's made of extremely chippable and scratchable acrylic, and has moving parts on the outside, so it made me extremely nervous
Hiking
Around last April, I started hiking (almost) every single Thursday. Even when the weather was a little crappy. Even when I didn't feel like it. So the past year has been all about exploring all the parks in the region, planning fun routes, building up my endurance (I
Hiking
I didn't want to go hiking this week. Freelancing is using up 110% of my brain capacity, and I just didn't have time to plan anything. However, I make a very strong effort to keep to my Hiking Thursdays, so I decided to take the almost
Hiking
Due to my tolerance for long transit journeys, (I regularly spend time on Point Reyes and that involves 3 counties, 3 different transit agencies, and 3 1/2 hours each way) I've managed to open up a large area of the SF Bay Area trail system to myself.
Making
I found this cute and sad little drafting stool abandoned by the dumpsters at my apartment building. The star base seemed to be in pretty good condition, and it had a wood-burned UC Berkeley CED (College of Environmental Design) logo that I thought was a neat little local connection. It
Hiking
Mt Diablo SP is one of a couple of East Bay parks I can't get enough of. I got my start hiking in the high desert, and the landscape at Mt Diablo has a lot of the same qualities I love about desert hiking: rocky terrain, punishing inclines,