Adventures in Onionism

The incoming class of Fellows at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. My reaction, based on how awesome everyone else is: And now I'm tearing up because Maria .

All the driving was getting to me, so I stayed local this weekend. Ran a bad 8 miles on Friday caused by eating too much just before starting. Saw Amy Schumer's new movie and was disappointed, because it's just a romcom, and not at all insightful, satirical, or absurdist like her show. I blame Judd Apatow. Ran a decent 18 with 2,500 feet of climbing on Saturday. And now photos from today: When George lays down and waits for me to catch up, you know you've run him hard. George and Yuch patiently waiting. Las Trampas Ridge Trail I have never seen him drink so much water. Just to give you some idea of how steep Las Trampas is. George modeling his new petrified horse look with his new Gentle Leader collar Ran 22 in Las Trampas with 6,000+ feet of climbing today, and it was hotter than hell. I bonked HARD. I was practically crying and wishing for a slurpee at the end. Thankfully, there was a 7-11 only a mile from the trailhead, so all is we...

Did an easy group trip to Emigrant Wilderness this past weekend. I brought my Little Brother, who had been camping a few times before, but not backpacking. Friday we arrived after dark, to find that it was full, and I hadn't made reservations. Tthey get full? I guess. I never sleep in them, so I don't know.) Thankfully, even in the dark, it only took me 60 seconds to find a dirt road with a pullout and a nice hunter camp for us all to camp in for free. Saturday we hiked from Kennedy Meadows resort (the northern one, for you PCT thru-hikers) to Kennedy Lake. It's a pretty well-maintained trail, with a fair amount of stock travel, but it wasn't anywhere near Tuolumne Meadows to Vogelsang level of donkey-shit awfulness; in fact it was quite nice. It's 6 or 7 miles up to Kennedy Lake, and the trail peters out right when you get to a narrow leg of it. To actually see the lake, you have to make your way through some boggy ground, and there really isn't anywhere ni...

First, a very important question. I am in search of a high-altitude, wifi-enabled, dog-friendly coffee shop on the western slope of the Sierra between HWY 108 and I-80. Where is this magical place only a few hours from Berkeley where I can go to work for a few hours, still bring George, and easily get in an evening run, camp in the truck, and get into the wilderness the next day? Towns along 49 are too low and too hot in the summer, and not very close to real wilderness. I guess Truckee is probably a good option (I do have friends there), but I'd prefer more access to granite, which is mostly further south. Kirkwood on 88 was OK this weekend, and it seemed like there were a couple potential places on 50 on my way home today. Anyway, I'd love some recommendations. Now to the point: I braved holiday traffic to get to the mountains. I drove up 88 on Friday. Set up camp near Caples Lake (Schneider Camp) and hiked up Little Round Top for an excellent sunset. Saturday I had big pla...