Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness
Pale light began to seep through the morning sky, throwing the Mazatzal mountains into sharp relief in the distance. It wouldn't take long for my route, sitting far to the west and blocked from the sunrise by those mountains, to be in full sunlight. I paused and stretched and looked at the…
Six weeks had passed since Charlotte was born. More than six weeks without a solo hike and the only adventures being short jaunts with the boys. I was ready for a challenge, ready to get started on the ambitious Mazatzal project, ready for sweat in the eyes and cramps in the legs. Katie gave me the…
The weekend before Charlotte was scheduled to show up was a restless affair. Katie and I had spent months working our way through massive todo lists, checking and cleaning and buying and assembling and sorting, getting ready for the new baby and for my parents to visit and judge our rudimentary…
Eating lunch with a waterfall splashing a mere arm's distance away brought back fond memories of Michigan hiking. High cliffs overhead kept the sun off me, keeping the desert temperatures reasonable, and as long as I didn't let my foot dangle too far down the rock no needles poked at me. It was a…
Light quickly flooded into the western Superstitions, changing the rock formations from a dull red to bright yellow as the sky woke above. From my perch on the summit of Bluff Springs Mountain I watched the scene unfold as I shivered and ate a hasty breakfast. It was beautiful, mountains and…
There is a valley on top of Bluff Spring Mountain. It is a long valley, carved by a seasonal creek that starts near the peak, runs between towering ridges, and then pours down an impressive waterfall. The mountain and the valley are within a few miles of Peralta Trailhead yet are not directly…
Legs singing in a cacophony of joy, I trotted down from the top of Superstition Mountain on a most welcome descent. This was the first downhill grade that I've been on for quite some time, plus the trail was wide and easy. Ahead of me the dark clouds drifted closer, threatening, yet all that…
The gray clouds hung oppressively low overhead, muting the sunrise colors and darkening the usually-bright rock formations of Superstition Peak. I ignored the clouds and continued marching forward along Lost Goldmine Trail. Behind me, in my pack, my new phone chirped and an app I've been trying out,…
Hard pellets of water smacked into my windshield and tumbled down onto the dry dirt tracks on Peralta Road. My foot quickly alternated between the gas and brake pedal, pushing the van forward as far as my headlights could see around the many bends and little rises and then slowing when the unknown…
Coming down the north side of Tortilla Peak was a hundred times easier than my climb up. A few simple hops over jagged rocks and then a long, clear chunk of bedrock sloped gently away. Man, this approach would have been a breeze. I looked back a few times at the peak, now bright under a rising…