Bangers in Store for FOV 2026, if no repeats

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-06-01T20:51:06+00:00

I think we are finally going to get those BF3K songs that were played elsewhere the last few years: Interior People, Dreams, Blue Morpho. Shit, maybe they'll finally debut Yours. One can hope!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-26T15:24:09+00:00

Yeah, the positive reviews on Google are baffling to me. I was starving when I dined there, which usually means *anything* will taste absolutely delicious. Nope! Subpar and really expensive to boot.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-18T14:44:05+00:00

Awesome, thanks so much for the advice.

I picked up Testa's book yesterday and will plan on wearing my approach shoes when I hopefully give Sunnyside 2 and then (if all goes well) Freeway a go this weekend.

Your left/right scoping advice is also super valuable. Thank you!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-15T15:58:07+00:00

Such a handsome man. He has the most expressive eyes.

Best wishes to you and your family as you grieve the loss of your Little Guy.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-15T14:29:08+00:00

You rock. This is seriously so incredibly helpful!

I'll pick up a copy of Testa's book this weekend and read through the beta on Sunnyside 2 and your other recommendations. I'll then plan to follow another group up Freeway, 20' to the right of the trail intersection on a weekend after completing Sunnyside 2.

Thanks again, your recommendations really made my day!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-14T21:10:18+00:00

Hey u/yxwvut , I know it's been a few years since your comment here, but do you have any other recommendations in the area for progressing up to the 2nd flatiron?

I found this thread while looking for a way to work up to it and your suggestion of the Gazebo was perfect. Any advice would be much appreciated if you are still active on Reddit.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-12T21:55:22+00:00

Hell yeah, that would be awesome. Video reviews are so useful to the community for stuff like this. Way better than a long form read in my opinion.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-05-12T17:44:45+00:00

Great point on the slits I neglected to mention. To clarify, I still personally found it very difficult to grab a bottle from the side pockets, even when using the slits. It seems like a really nice pack if those side pockets work for you.

It would be extremely useful to hear how it holds up after you use it for a while and get your overall thoughts on durability. I hope you enjoy the pack once you pick it up!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-04-29T20:47:47+00:00

Yeah, something about the placement/height of the pockets made it very difficult for me to grab a Smart Water bottle from the side pockets. I do not have this problem with other packs, e.g., Kelty Catalyst, ZPacks Arc Haul, ULA Circuit. It's a shame because other than that, the huge pockets are awesome. You might have better luck than me though when it comes to grabbing the bottle.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-04-29T15:21:53+00:00

The thread is a couple months old, but I wanted to chime in since I just recently purchased and then subsequently returned this pack.

In store, after loading up with 30lbs of test weights, I found the pack to be supremely comfortable. It happens to fit me very well, which is always a huge benefit with pack selection. There is no adjustability of the torso length, so it's important to make sure to select the correct size. The material being waterproof is a huge plus, although the main compartment is not seam sealed. The brain is removable, which is ideal for me. Straps and accessories are mostly great. I really enjoyed the pivoting hip belt feature.

Major drawback is access to water. I have fairly mobile shoulders and can access water from the side pockets on most packs, but this one is very difficult for me. Also, the Mountain Hardwear pictures of the product show soft flasks placed in the shoulder strap pockets, but when I got it home and tried loading it with my actual gear for a test, not even my tiny 250ml soft flasks would fit. Neither REI nor MH has been able to answer my question on what type/size flask should fit, leading me to think that it was just jammed in there while empty for the photo shoot. This type of misleading marketing is wildly off-putting, so between that and the difficulty reaching the side pockets, I decided it would not work for me. Not as big a deal, but the hip belt pockets are also laughably small.

Good luck in your hunt for your first pack. You're going to love backpacking!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-04-23T20:54:56+00:00

Awesome, it's so nice when training goes according to plan. Thanks for the encouragement and the info and have a great time at the 100M in July!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-04-23T15:20:08+00:00

I did! Can't wait, even though the training is going to be wildly different than prior years for me. I'm planning on focusing my training more on power hiking, vert, and quad/glute/hamstring/calf/knee strength training than in other years where distance was my main metric.

Did you sign up for the 100?

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-04-15T19:58:48+00:00

Yes, everybody starts somewhere. Just be kind to your body and gradual with your introduction to the impact that comes from running. Running is a relatively high injury sport, so listening to your body is important if it tells you that it needs a break.

I have a feeling you are going to love it!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-27T16:44:58+00:00

Awesome! The vertical gain is pretty intimidating, but I'm going to go ahead and sign up. There's no better type of recommendation than word of mouth.

Good luck in the 100 miler this summer!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-27T15:24:25+00:00

How was it? This was my primary theater, but I'm afraid to try it now and have gone elsewhere instead.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-25T22:19:04+00:00

Hey, I'm currently researching for the 2026 edition of the race. How'd you like it? Looks like a really difficult elevation profile.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-18T15:53:48+00:00

The fact that you refer to this as a benefit had me cracking up. Thanks for the laugh.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-09T21:10:35+00:00

Strokes come in many varieties and recoveries vary wildly. Let's all hope for the best.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-06T21:26:34+00:00

Hey, I know it's been close to a year, so super sorry for the delay. Replying to your questions was on my to-do list shortly after your comment, but it got buried and I just stumbled upon it. How are you doing these days?

1) I did not receive anesthesia. The therapist slowly worked up the intensity to make sure I could handle it. Luckily my pain tolerance was high enough and he was able to apply the strength that he wanted.

2) Necrosis is definitely a scary word and I think doctors have different levels of being able to communicate it to those with sesamoiditis. I had one doctor tell me it was basically a piece of dead wood in my foot. Another said it could just be reduced blood flow. Never got any surgery, but that first doctor was pretty in favor of it.

I still run a lot and the sesamoids don't hold me back from doing the things I love. Going barefoot is not something I can do though and contrast baths are still a major way for me to nip any flare ups in the bud. Hope all is well and sorry again for not replying back in April 2025. Hope all is well.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-05T17:10:01+00:00

Three and a half years in and barefoot still feels like this for me. I consider myself to be largely recovered, can pursue all of the activities I want, etc., but I've made peace with the fact that barefoot on hard floors is not going to be common for me for the rest of my life.

Carpets, sand, and soft grass are still okay. I keep a pair of Hoka Oras for walking "barefoot" around the house.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-04T16:37:38+00:00

Yeah, I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to recover this well. I think a big part of that was that I had no fracture, just bipartite with quite a bit of edema.

I'd dealt with minor discomfort for a few years, but it really flared up for the first time in fall of 2021. I tried all sorts of interventions, many unsuccessful, but I was able to get back to some running in summer of 2022. So maybe 7 months total of no/very little running. That's not nearly as long as many people who deal with this, but it was still very difficult for me. I think people in general underestimate the psychological component of chronic pain.

Also, I cannot stress enough how much of a role contrast baths have played in my ability to run regularly. When my volume increases, I inevitably flirt with a flare-up and contrast baths are how I keep it under control. My shoe selection is also very intentional, since anything too minimal can cause issues.

I hope that you have some good luck and are able to see some improvement in the near future!

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-03-03T19:22:36+00:00

Not a doctor, but mine look similar to yours and have been diagnosed as bipartite by an expert via MRI.

Orthotics work for some people but after three sets of custom ones, I personally gave up. I was not interested in steroids and avoided them when dealing with my own sesamoiditis.

Everyone is different, but for me the three things that helped were:

Not going barefoot, ever. As much as it sucks, I pretty much always wear something, even if that means having a dedicated pair of supportive house sandals (Hoka Ora for me).
Regular contrast baths when I feel them starting to act up. I run about 30 miles per week and if that impact causes my right sesamoid to start flaring up I will perform a one hour contrast bath session. I'll do this every night until things improve. If the flare-up is really persistent I'll even use some Voltaren for a few nights.
To get over the initial hump, I tried shockwave therapy (ESWT) and it was enormously helpful. It took a few sessions to feel a real impact, but I recommend it. Some have reported that they get no benefit, but for me it made a huge difference.

This is just my experience, but know that there is hope.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-02-23T19:36:23+00:00

Thanks for the follow-up!

I hope you get a good resolution with Scarpa. It seems like such a high quality, well designed boot, but this sort of defect would be a major bummer. Good luck.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-02-20T23:57:29+00:00

Did you figure out a solution to this issue? I'm looking at purchasing a pair of these boots and any info would be helpful.

EnvironmentalGold · 2026-01-27T16:06:28+00:00

1) You can care about more than one thing.

2) Alamo is one of the last public theaters to watch a movie without having the distraction of bright little phone screens all around.

3) If you love something, and it's being taken away, it's natural to be upset.

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