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Los Cruzeros, Henry W. Coe State Park

I found out that Northern California's biggest state park, the Henry W. Coe State Park, is only an hour away from me. I decided to check it out and test out my new boots with an overnight backpacking trip to Los Cruzeros. The hike in was easy, but the hike back was brutal. Going in, I took Corral Trail to Manzanita Point Road to China Hole Trail to the Narrows. The Narrows were pretty awesome because there wasn't really a trail. I just followed the creek climbing over rocks and crossing to the other side when I couldn't go further. Going back, I took Poverty Flat road Middle Ridge trail to Fish Trail and then Corral Trail. Poverty Road and Middle Ridge Trail had some crazy elevation gains that were really challenging, and I probably would not go back that way again with a backpack. Other than that, I had a really great time, and it was a good introduction to the park. I will definitely go back again.

My new Scarpa boots did really well. I walked over all kinds of leaves, gravel, and wet rocks without slipping. Through all the creek crossings they kept my feet completely dry. They were a little warm for the weather, and they are definitely a little bit heavy. I did get some blisters, but I'll blame it on my socks for now. Next time I'll wear real hiking socks, I promise.

Stats:
Cost: $13
Duration: Overnight
Length: 12.8 miles
Hiking Duration: 5 hours, 38 minutes, 14 seconds
Vertical up: 3307.1 ft
Vertical down: 3337 ft
Average Speed: 2.3 mph
Water: 2 liters

Los Cruzeros, Henry Coe State Park at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Geotagging Community

Check out the Henry W. Coe park website for maps and info. Read more

REI Fall Sale

The one thing I love more than complaining about how much stuff I have is buying more stuff. I swung by the Saratoga REI today to pick up a few Fall sale items. I used my 20% off coupon on a pair of Scarpa Charmoz GTX mountaineering boots. I also picked up an Eagle Creek Switchback bag and a gorillapod from the used gear sale. When I was checking out the new Switchback bags, a guy told me they had one in the used gear sale, so I ran back and grabbed it. One of the clips was broken, but I fixed it with my knot skills. I've wanted a convertible backpack suitcase ever since I carried my old suitcase up the hill to the Bacharach youth hostel. I can't wait to test this new gear out on future trips!

Eagle Creek Switchback
Gorillapod
Scarpa Charmoz GTX Read more

I went out to Castle Rock state park for an overnight backpacking trip with my friends Chris and Devin. The hike was pretty easy after the Kalalau Trail in Kauai. It was also a lot colder at night. The wind was so strong that clouds seemed to be moving 100 miles per hour. The cold, loud wind, fast moving clouds, and almost full moon made for a perfect night of sleeping on my tarp and staring at the sky.

Castle Rock State Park at EveryTrail

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Move-Out Masterpiece Pasta

Behold, the Move-Out Masterpiece Pasta. Using the very last ingredients in my apartment, I created the most delicious meal of my cooking career. Read on for the recipe.
Ingredients

-Whatever pasta that’s left, I had Capellini and pesto tortellini
-The remainder of half & half carton
-1/5 jar of pesto
-Some Muenster cheese (or whatever cheese you have left)
-Flour
-2 tomatoes, but throw 1 away because it’s sour
-1/4 old onion of questionable edibleness
-A few cloves of garlic
-Olive oil

Directions

1. Boil pasta in a pasta boiling pot
2. Burn garlic and olive oil in garlic burning sauce pan
3. Add onions
4. Pour in whatever is in the half & half carton
5. Add some flour
6. Crumble some cheese into the mixture
7. Add more flour because it doesn’t look thick enough
8. Add tomatoes
9. Freak out because you added too much flour and now the “sauce” looks like a giant glob of ooze
10. Calm down and add some olive oil, water, and pesto until viscosity reduces to an acceptable level
11. Also try turning up heat to melt stuff more better

And that’s it, just add the sauce to your pasta and you have an absolutely delicious and possibly heart attack inducing meal. Serve with a warm beer if your refrigerator is de-icing outside. Read more

Kalalau Trail

It has been pretty busy lately, and I haven’t been able to write anything about my recent trip to Hawaii. I’m in the middle of moving right now, but I will try to add some more details later.

Kalalau Trail at EveryTrail

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Mt. Shasta and Black Butte

I had an incredible time in Shasta last weekend. Angie and I only made it up to 9200 ft, so we didn’t summit the Mountain this trip. We did make it to the top of the Black Butte, which provides a great view of Mt. Shasta and the surrounding area. Some of the other trip highlights include drinking a ton of Sacramento Headwaters water and swimming in Castle Lake. We also met a cool friend of Angie’s and had some good conversations.

Black Butte, Shasta at EveryTrail

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