Adventures in Onionism

2017 is shaping up to be a year. Bold typeface indicates I've already registered. February 4, 2017 Rocky Racoon 100 March 4, 2017 Way Too Cool 50k  March 11, 2017 Marin Ultra Challenge 50-Miler April 1, 2017 Barkley Marathons  Backup: April 1, 2017 Bone Tempest  April 15, 2017 Lake Sonoma 50M (Dec 1-15 lottery)   Backup: April 15, 2017 Grizzly Peak 50K  May 14, 2017 Quicksilver 100K  June 24, 2017 San Juan Solstice 50 (lottery Jan 15-22) July 14-16, 2017 Hardrock 100  August 11-15, 2017 Bigfoot 200  October 14(?), 2017 Euchre Bar Massacre That's about it. Rocky Racoon isn't really my style, but it's an excuse to visit friends in Houston, and I think I can wedge it into a multi-destination work trip. Barkley I'm not sure about, and I never am, but why not go balls out the same year I finally get into Hardrock and have already signed up for a 200-miler? That's right. I got into Hardrock on my fifth application. To be exact I'm f...

I also: Enjoyed vegan ramen with friends. Then I went up to the Sierras. Got into Emigrant Wilderness one last time before serious snow closed the trailhead. Ran on the lower Tuolumne River canyone San Francisco's Water Supply That's a nice canyon you got there. I was a little cold and wet so I just came back to the East Bay and hit a far flung park I hadn't been to yet.  Brushy Peak I also rode bikes with friends. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dab_(dance) Pt. Reyes And now you're caught up. Oh wait, did I mentioned that I'm pretty sure I cracked a rib falling while climbing into the back of my truck in the middle of the night while camping? And that I'm number four on the waitlist for Hardrock next year? Both those things happened, too.

What have I done lately? I went to DC. GIVE ME THE LIBATIONS! Let's hope so. I attended a conference on open science and visited a friend working for the Council of Economic Advisers in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Truman Bowling Alley: I'm gonna miss you, Barry. GZA and I saw Lucius at the Fillmore. They rock. I acquired some emergency earthquake/fascism supplies. I went for a long bike ride.

I went to a conference in Budapest, and spent a day in the mountains in Slovakia. Slovakia was cloudy, but I stumbled across a fun English speaking wine tasting. The conference in Budapest was disappointing, but the city itself is beautiful. Slovakia photos Budapest photos I went from Budapest to a conference at Mohonk Mountain House in the 'Gunks, and afterwards spent a day at NYU. The service at the high end hotel was absurdly bad, but it is one of the most beautiful natural hotel settings in the world, especially during peak leaf season. Mohonk photos Then I took a train to Florida and tried to preserve democracy. We'll see how that goes. Florida photos I'll leave you with this Brooklyn racoon.

After missing it last year with a cold, I was able to run my favorite race again this October: the Euchre Bar Massacre. I love it. I'm not supposed to share the exact route with you, but it's up and down the steep and deep canyon of the North Fork of the American River eight times, following written directions to a series of books hidden in the woods to act as checkpoints. Most of the downs are on trail, most of the ups are off trail. I love it. Even if it's 40-45 degrees and raining the entire day. I missed the cutoff at 1AM so I did not finish. I love it.  Photo by Sean Ranney

I ran the Plain 100. It was difficult. Plain may be the first 100-miler I had ever heard of in the sense that I actually knew anyone who ran it. My ultra/grad school mentor ZG ran it back in '04 or '05 and not only did he win it, he was the first person to finish it in several years. Plain runs quite a bit under the radar due to its length (108 miles) and absence of any course markings or aid stations. That's right, no aid stations, and no course markings. Less than a month after running a 24-hour rogaine that has the same conditions, that might not seem like a huge deal, but compared to standard hundred mile races, it is. Also note that in my rogaine, I covered a whopping 44 miles without aid or course markings. The other major issue with Plain is that it a very high percentage of the course is on motorbike trails. Motorbike trails are unpleasant to run on for several reasons: Pavement. To prevent erosion, trail maintainers lay concrete paving stones. So you're b...

Modoc. I went to Modoc. I don't have any time to tell you about it. Fine. Very briefly, Amy worked there for the Forest Service fifteen years ago, and she loves it. For her birthday and Labor Day weekend we airbnb'd a place across the border in Nevada, practiced the banjo, watched Stranger Things , hiked in the Warner Mountains, and got frustrated with George for ignoring us and chasing rabbits until he decided he was thirsty. If you're in the area, I highly recommend an end-to-end hike of the Summit Trail in the South Warner Wilderness. View from the cabin Just enough clearance Lassen across Lake Almaden