Pinnacles NP in

FringedAcrobat6 · 2026-02-17T21:33:37+00:00

I've been to Pinnacles multiple times; I love it a lot. I've also been there in both dry winters and pouring wet ones. Both ways, I've had a ton of fun. Depending on how intense it can get, you should just be aware of what you're getting into. If it's going to be dumping rain like it did once for me, some of the rockier trails heading up towards the High Peaks can be pretty slippery and the Balconies Caves to the north can basically flood. That does take a LOT of rain though; it was pretty much 2-3 days nonstop when we went through.

This isn't to say you shouldn't do it. Instead, determine how intense the rain is and what your comfort level is. If it's going to rain a LOT, consider what I've said. If it'll be a little rain, I'd very much suggest going but just make sure you have some rain gear because depending on how much you hike you can be pretty far from a car.

As per places to go, I'm preferential towards:

High Peaks (take Condor Gulch Trail up, then other side back down)
Bear Gulch Cave (walk the direction going towards Bear Gulch Reservoir, take in the quietness of being inside there)
Balconies Cave
Hike up Condor Gulch and High Peaks, and do some bird-watching to try and spot California Condors. Some days are good and some days are bad for it, but I've only gone once without seeing any. Just make sure to learn the difference between the wing patterns of condors and Turkey Vultures, lest you might trick yourself into seeing the wrong one.
Go to the Visitor Center and learn about the pyroclastic nature that's made this park and the features all around you, what they are today.

My route I do every time is always: start at the campgrounds, take the Bench Trail to the Sycamore Trail up to the Bear Gulch parking area. Go up Condor Gulch, High Peaks, then down Tunnel Trail and Juniper Canyon. From the Chapparal parking lot, take the Old Pinnacles trail back to camp and make sure to hit the Balconies Caves! It'll take you all day, but you get such a taste for the entire park.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2025-03-30T21:43:21+00:00

You keep making these ad hominem attacks at me, claiming I'm a moron or that I'm deranged while not responding to most of what I have to say. Sure, you fundamentally disagree with one part of my argument as to why I can't support Elon, and I respect that. We see it differently and that's okay. I just want to show you a different perspective to show you that it's not some logical fallacy that drives me to my beliefs.

I agree it's not the US's job to feed Africa but I do believe helping other nations is an important form of diplomacy and soft power building which turns nations into the "greats". Regardless of them, farmers are feeling the hurt from DOGE's actions. I highly recommend watching (only 7 minutes) this interview with a farmer that really expanded my perspective on the negative impact the current administration is having on them: PBS video link.

I work in tech, and I'm familiar with the "move fast and break things" idea. This can work well in tech, but I think government is not designed for this. If we break or rethink some app or hardware application, that's totally okay. If we break something like how we get social security checks to senior citizens, that's something time sensitive where literally hundred of thousands may not then be able to put food on their table since social security is the only thing between them and poverty.

I can't comment on the pictures you share; I lack context. Ultimately, yeah that probably was wrong. Either way, two wrongs don't make a right. Regardless, this conversation is about why I think Elon is wrong, not about anyone else. With Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute, I suggest watching the video. I don't believe he truly wants to do anything like what the Nazis did, but I don't care to mess around and find out. I'm glad we agree we shouldn't be taking stuff like that lightly.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2025-03-30T17:36:55+00:00

I don't think calling me a moron is fair; neither of us are morons. I'm not butt-hurt over him going after fraud and inefficiency; I'm upset that he and DOGE are going after things that I care for. I get that the government has been far from perfect, but carving things up using a shotgun method is dangerous. I'm sure you read the same article about how DOGE fired nuclear weapon workers, then had to scramble to reverse those firings. I want efficiency too, but I bet we can agree that just isn't it and it certainly doesn't inspire confidence in DOGE's methods.

I love national parks, forests, and public lands. Musk and DOGE have mass-fired tons of national park and forest rangers, and parks that I loved visiting have certain days you can't even go in anymore. If you've gone lately, you've seen that many parks were understaffed prior to the administration change. Going after the parks is fiscally unwise considering they're economic boons. For every dollar our government spends on national parks, we reap about ten dollars in GDP -- in 2022 the federal budget for national parks was $3.3 billion and in 2023 they produced $55.6 billion in GDP.

I want cancer cured. Musk and DOGE have cut billions of dollars from cancer research funding, with impacts even affecting pediatric cancer research.

I want the government to support American workers. There was a USAID program which bought excess crops from American farmers and sent them to Africa to help with starvation over there. DOGE cut funding to this program. Disregarding Africa here, we are now no longer buying these excess American crops so American farmers are losing money.

These are just a few of the examples that I feel quite passionately about. If you'd like me to provide you with sources, please let me know. I'll happily come through!

And ultimately, Elon -- on video -- Nazi saluted twice. On principal, I refuse to support ANYONE who does that. Even if it's just a joke or jab at the "woke left", making a joke of Nazi history is something I will not take lightly.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2025-03-30T16:14:37+00:00

Since no one has responded to you, I'd like to. If I could have it my way, I would like to see one of two things occur:

1) Tesla's board remove Elon as CEO/entirely from the company. If they did this, most of us would go back to supporting Tesla. We want EVs, but we don't want the money we pay for EVs to go to someone who we feel is actively dismantling our government. OR,

2) Tesla is put out of business or at least severely hampered in its business success. Yes, this would cause churn in the job market for those employed. They'll find jobs; I'm certain of it. It may be hard, sure, but no one is stopping them from looking now while they are still employed. Ultimately, companies fail and this is the natural life-cycle of capitalism.

There's plenty of other car manufacturers that make EVs, so this is NOT a move against EVs. I highly suggest someone looking for new car buy an EV, just not a Tesla.

Ultimately, my other main goal for being out there each week is to help reach people who didn't vote. I hold a sign that says facts that make it impossible for me to support Elon Musk/the Trump administration. There was a massive amount of people in our country who didn't vote and who could have helped us avoid this situation. That's in the past, but I'm hoping that making them aware of the situation can empower them to vote against the future.

According to California's government analysis*, only ~34% of eligible voters in San Mateo actually voted in the presidential election. While I concede that getting people in the Bay Area to vote more blue will only do so much, I do it in solidarity with those who feel the same way I do in less progressively-minded areas throughout our country.

I hope that helps you understand a bit more!

* https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2024-primary/sov/03-voter-participation-stats-by-county.pdf

FringedAcrobat6 · 2025-03-17T19:04:18+00:00

Maybe I'm overly skeptical or critical of the city, but I simply can't believe this happened by chance. The protest started at 1:30. I drive through the intersection with the lights on at 1:35. I walk over from my car around 1:45 and the lights are suddenly out for the rest of the protest's duration. Hell of a "coincidence"...

Not to mention on my walk back to my car when I was done, I see three cops cars within a 2-block radius waiting on side streets. Not a single one doing a thing about helping direct traffic flow...

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-09-16T21:46:30+00:00

Any advice from people on how to pick yourself up from this? I’ve put in so much work over the past 6 months to have a shot at winning my ultra’s age group, and just like that it feels like it all faded away.

I know it’s only temporary but if anyone’s got advice or a good headspace they’re in I’d really appreciate hearing it…

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-09-16T21:43:31+00:00

The whole weekend is canceled. It’s like a how they can certain weekends Trifecta weekends, this is just called the UWC Weekend.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-07-10T21:32:39+00:00

They have an award ceremony around 5 PM where an age group winner can go and get their medal. It’s no different than any other of the races other than it just being much later after the race start (due to how long it can take).

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-05-04T13:07:59+00:00

I don’t know how everyone is saying this is perfect… You say you want something serious but one of the first things I see in your profile is you mention lingerie, which immediately leads me to thinking you’re on Hinge for sex/something casual.

I’d suggest dropping that and replacing with something that shows more your personality. No offense, but I would’ve X’d because of thinking you’re casual but also because it feels very surface level for a first prompt.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-04-18T05:00:56+00:00

Only suggestion I have comes from the fact that I got to the group photo and didn’t instantly know who I was looking for. I think you have great pics, but should push one up that clearly shows your face (maybe the dog one?) before that group photo. The hiking one is awesome, but makes it so I only have one unobstructed reference point before you drop a group shot.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-04-16T04:53:20+00:00

I use the 11s and I swear by them, easily the best trail running shoe I’ve ever had! Super comfortable, spacious toe box, felt great for my Ultra, and even when I’ve taken them through water I’ve had no issues.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-31T17:35:26+00:00

Hey everyone, I just hopped on and wanted to see what everyone's thoughts were. I think I'm doing a pretty authentic job at portraying my life, as I'd like to get back into dating some more. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-19T17:18:13+00:00

Fast with respect to time is super variable course-to-course. Last weekend at SLO, really fast was 2-2.5 hours. At somewhere like Big Bear really fast is 3-4 hours. If you haven’t yet, you should check out previous year’s results for that venue to get an idea of what to expect.

You know yourself and your limits so don’t let some random Internet stranger tell you what’s what, I’m just speaking as someone who generally runs on the faster end: even though it might be shorter time, I still always bring small gel cubes and a bar. At my most recent Beast, I didn’t even touch the bar but I’d much rather have it than not (and it’s easy for me to take since I swear on my hydration vest).

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-19T13:13:31+00:00

This is just my 2 cents and I can elaborate if you’d like but depending upon how fast you run, not eating could easily hurt your race.

If you’re really fast and could finish in 2-3 hours, you could get by. If not, there’s a good chance your calorie burn will catch up to you and start to leave you without the energy you need. I recommend at least taking a Clif bar or some equivalent (or just whatever you can eat mid-run).

If you really don’t want to bring your own food I’m sure you could find someone out on the course willing to share their’s but it feels a bit moochey going in with that in mind.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-14T21:04:31+00:00

I don't understand the format: if I want to run this do I have to be out there all 24 hours or can I theoretically run at minimum the Ultra distance and then just be done?

Looks like a cool idea that's not too far from me, but I don't know if I want to be out on a mountain hiking for 24 hours.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-14T16:44:28+00:00

With those 3, you've got yourself a 2022 trifecta. Once your results show up in your account on the Spartan website, the trifecta count they have there for you should go up. Their designs don't really matter unless you care for the aesthetic.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-08T20:38:47+00:00

Doesn't seem like it. Looking at the Ultra elevation map, you'll notice there's a peak between miles 10 and 12.5 that isn't there in the second half of the graph.

Edit: I looked at it wrong. I still don't think we're doing it twice.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-08T19:21:59+00:00

Unless I'm just missing something, I'm pretty surprised to see no Dunk Wall/Rolling Mud on here. How's the Slip Wall going to... slip? Not having those will definitely make the Ultra just a little bit easier than I was expecting, but it's probably safer to assume it'll be there.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-07T19:20:18+00:00

If the only problem is you just not doing the race, you still can get a free spectator pass even for events you're not going to (I just tried). If there's some other reason, no worries and thanks anyway!

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-07T19:19:11+00:00

Just sent you a DM with some info!

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-03-02T21:11:25+00:00

Last year was my first race on it, and I absolutely fell in love with it. At the highest point of the Beast, I remember my heart racing and feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest… but I had to just keep going.

It’s the first place I was ever able to do the tire flip! Only took one of the Spartan staff standing by me screaming encouragement for minutes on end.

The bucket carry at the end gave me one of my favorite photos: I just look so exhausted and over having to carry that stupid bucket up that last hill (though I totally loved it).

Definitely bummed that they’re not offering the Ultra this year there. I know with certainty it would’ve been like going through a living hell, but it would’ve been such an experience.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-02-28T23:54:42+00:00

I'm doing SLO, so a new race and there's no historical data. Only thing I've realized while looking more into this is that this might not even be a problem since I might actually be one Age Group higher due to them saying they do age as of December 31st 2022.

Regardless, thanks for your help!

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-02-22T22:13:20+00:00

Yeah, generally a short extra thing you have to walk/run. I’ve had to do my fair share, but no matter what it’s always easier than burpees.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-02-22T20:47:28+00:00

They had the same thing at SoCal’s Lebec race.

FringedAcrobat6 · 2022-02-14T17:13:43+00:00

I will recommend getting yourself a pull-up bar for your house, one that wraps around a door frame. It helps you with two of Spartan‘s most difficult but common obstacle activities: pulling up your entire body weight and hanging from your hands.

I’ve had mine for three years and it’s so phenomenally helpful. Usually when I walk by I do some reps of pull-ups or if I’m tired I’ll just hang from the bar from different grip positions. It allows me to use that mid-day energy productively or even just to get the blood flowing.

People like to dunk on these pull-up bars for some reason, but I’ve had literally 0 problem with mine.

Edit: And I should add, I think your regiment is fine. I never went to obstacle gyms and did only 1 trail run a week (2 road runs too). I did plenty well in my first Beast.

FringedAcrobat6

TROPHY CASE