You may have heard that Knight Ridder, which owns my newspaper, has been sold and the buyer plans to sell the Mercury News, which pays my salary. My take on the situation is here.
Ed Levin County Park
See more snow
by tmangan • March 12, 2006 • 2 Comments
It snows hard on the hills around Silicon Valley every second year or so. We got zero snow last year so I figured this weekend’s snowstorm — coming this late in the winter — is about the most we can…
Hiking
Start cold
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 0 Comments
A thread at Hiker’s HQ muses on the challenges of staying dry while getting your heart rate up in cold weather. What we always do, is start our adventures cold. We strip off our outer layer, and tough it out…
Backpacking
A survival test
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 1 Comment
I scored 13 out of 17. I’m totally prepared for a bank robbery or airplane crash into deep water, but you may not want to be lost in the desert with me.
Hiking
Take your toddler along
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 0 Comments
Here’s an intro to some of those baby-hauling packs. With all of our carriers, the baby rides behind the adult’s shoulder blades, facing front. Each also had a kickstand that allowed the pack to be set on the ground with…
Tom's travels
More snow at our house
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 1 Comment
Photographic evidence here.
Tom's travels
Tell me where to go
by tmangan • March 9, 2006 • 14 Comments
So I”ve got a week’s vacation coming up at the end of March and I’m determined to take me a little backpacking trip of three to four days. There are a couple obvious trips nearby, like the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail and…
Hiking
Water-crossing tips
by tmangan • March 9, 2006 • 0 Comments
A thread at rec.backcountry discusses the safest ways to cross high water. For my money the safest way is to find a bridge; other than that, all options are less than optimal. One thing I always underestimate is how slippery…
Hikes of the world
Wanted: anti-baboon canisters
by tmangan • March 9, 2006 • 0 Comments
Seems the hikers in South Africa are being hassled by baboons with a taste for human food. After the baboons had rummaged through their bags at leisure, the hikers carried on, but 45 minutes later were faced by another troop.…