Range Day: IWI Tavor X95
Since free time and weekends don't overlap, I took a day off a couple weeks ago to get in some "me" time down at the range. Back in March I dropped two grand on a Tavor X95, a bullpup rifle produced by Israel Weapon Industries, and six months later I'm just now getting to try it out. Background A bullpup is a style of rifle where the magazine well - and thus what I believe is referred to as the "action" - sits behind the trigger rather that in front of it as you'd find on a typical AR-15. This [...]
Been a While
Volunteer firefighter. EMT. Dad. New house. New job. Baby #2 on the way. Life has never been more full, and yet, sadly, I no longer have time for backpacking. I did manage to sneak in a caving trip, and I've done a couple short bike rides, but overnights (and even day hikes) aren't really on the menu for the time being. That's ok, because I'll be getting back out there before you know it. In any case, things have settled down to the point where I think I can actually pick up writing again. Topics might be a bit different, [...]
Bike Shopping
For years now I've been meaning to get into bikepacking, specifically by doing the Palouse to Cascades Trail, a 285-mile rail trail across Washington State. Having formerly been a railroad, the grade borders on completely flat and the surface is gravel (or, at the least the parts I've seen are). A so-called gravel bike makes a lot of sense. Although I have yet to pull the trigger on an actual bike, I wanted to share some notes from my research over the summer. Link to my bike spreadsheet Terminology [Note: I have a bad habit of using the term "pedals" [...]
Trip Report: Kachess Ridge
Yesterday I went for a short hike/trail run in the Kachess Ridge area northeast of Easton, between Cle Elum Lake and Kachess Lake. My modest goal was to summit both Mount Baldy and Domerie Peak, with a stretch goal of continuing further north along the ridge and perhaps making a loop out of it by heading south along Silver Creek on the return. Sadly, the mostly-sedentary dad lifestyle's terrible toll on my fitness as well as the short window of opportunity meant that I had to turn around before even reaching the three-way point leading to Baldy. Nevertheless, I did [...]
Helicopter Pilot: Signal Mirrors Work
My fire district recently had a training on how to perform a "hot load" (loading a patient into a helicopter while the blades are spinning). Afterwards I had a brief discussion with one of the pilots from Airlift Northwest about locating patients in the wilderness. He mentioned that, during the day, signal mirrors are actually quite effective when used properly but that it's usually difficult for folks on the ground to shine the light right at the helicopter, which is what actually gets their attention. Some mirrors, such as the UST Starflash, include a sort of targeting reticle which lights [...]
Book Review: Master Your Core
Last month I was invited to review the book Master Your Core by Dr. Bohdanna Zazulak, a noted sports medicine researcher who specializes in the disparity in injury rates between men and women. The central claim of the book is that, despite massively increased spending and advancements in sports medicine, high injury rates persist due to a lack of core stability. As a solution, the book proposes a four-phase system known as Core BASE which offers curated sets of activities and exercises, ranging from focused breathing to planks to squats and lunges, to strengthen and stabilize your core. I'm a [...]
July 2021 Loot!
Hoka One One Speedgoat 3 My footwear journey has arrived at its next stop: Hokas. The most ridiculously padded outdoor shoes of all time are also what my mom wears, as well as some other folks in my circle. Nobody has anything bad to say about them (at least in casual use), instead, they sing their praises. When I realized I had to give up my Scarpa Spin Ultras due to sizing, I also noted that I really enjoyed what they claimed to be an excess of padding (the Ultra in the name is for ultra marathon i.e. long distance [...]
Trail Run: Black Canyon
Looking south towards the trailhead This past weekend I checked another long-awaited destination off my list: Black Canyon, located in the hills between Yakima and Ellensburg in central Washington. Sadly, due to last year's Evans Canyon Fire it was mostly burnt out: trees lacked any leaves for shade. This was my first actual hike in quite some time and was intended as a longer-distance test of my trail runners, which they failed, although perhaps not miserably. With temperatures around 90F I opted to hike on the way in but run back to the trailhead. Gear What Worked Surprisingly, the Charter [...]
Trail Run: Cooper River Trail
After a few weeks of running along the lake shore, last week I went on my inaugural trail run along the Cooper River Trail starting from the Salmon La Sac trailhead. Unfortunately that end of the trail has quite a bit (read: a non-zero amount) of elevation gain and so I tired out quickly, turning around after less than fifteen minutes. A humble beginning. Strenuousness aside, trail running is fun, especially the downhill bits. This is going to be an exciting summer. Gear Aside from my clothing, the only piece of "gear" that I brought was my car keys. No [...]
May 2021 Loot!
After a long purchasing hiatus it's time to get back into the swing of things. Here's what I've picked up this month: Pepto Bismol Liquicaps Digestive issues can cut outings short, and I've been rescued more than once by carrying a couple Pepto Bismol chewable tablets. However, they tend to leave a pink powdery residue all over my pill container and other pills. On a recent trip to the grocery store I noticed that they were now available in gel cap form. They are slightly more expensive at around $0.30 each vs $0.23 for the chewables. ($0.30 and 1.5g per [...]