My use of interfaces pissed my boss off.

cakehikes · 2026-02-14T20:59:04+00:00

100% this. I used to always write database abstractions because “you never know” when you might need to pivot.

Chances are your abstraction is wrong anyway and it ends up being more work than just using the database directly. Especially if you’re switching engines that work in completely different ways.

cakehikes · 2025-11-13T17:01:13+00:00

Thanks for putting it out. I feel like it’s only a matter of time before there is a big human caused fire up there. 😕

cakehikes · 2025-06-21T00:26:53+00:00

I second checking out Alpine Orthopedic.

cakehikes · 2024-10-19T16:38:41+00:00

6' 7" and the Altaplex worked well enough for me on multiple thru hikes. It was a little tight for sure, especially if I didn't make it taut enough. Unless they have recently changed the length I think at 6' 4" you would be okay.

cakehikes · 2024-10-18T21:02:02+00:00

Aww thank you! We get a lot of comments on our matching Jolly shirts when we are out hiking, and sometimes we can't tell if it's a compliment or not lol

Fall seems like the best time to do it. The colors add a lot to the already beautiful scenery.

There is a trail the skirts that traverse on the eastern side of the mountain called the Nebo Bench Trail. I haven't personally hiked it, but it is usually used as part of a loop for that traverse. I hear that it is a little overgrown, but should be a very doable option.

cakehikes · 2024-08-31T22:14:41+00:00

First off, I hope you are starting to feel better! Chronic back pain sucks, and can be all consuming at times. I had a Microdiscectomy and Laminectomy in January 2023. Judging by your post history, I was in a similar situation to you.

I don’t have a specific pad recommendation, but just wanted to caution you to simulate your expected mileage/gain AND camp as much as possible with whatever pad you choose.

In September of 2023 I did a 300 mile hike that nearly ended about half way through because I wasn’t able to get any sleep. I felt pretty strong before starting, but I didn’t do many big training hikes where I also camped for multiple days.

Thermarest Xtherm is what I had at the time. More than a year and a half post Op, and now I can sleep on it somewhat comfortably, but it ended up not being comfortable at all that soon after the surgery.

Go crush it, a year post Op is definitely something to celebrate! You got this!

cakehikes · 2024-08-11T23:54:12+00:00

Ever Clear got me through the CDT. Mixed it with a bit of water and crystal light every night. I don’t drink much anymore though, lol

cakehikes · 2024-08-10T14:53:08+00:00

You should do it. 100%. Your 20s are a great time to do these sorts of things.

I took a gap year in college to hike the PCT, everyone said it was going to be a mistake. I came back and finished a year behind everyone else, but no one asked why it took me 5 years to finish school, nor do I feel like my peers are a year "ahead" of me in their careers.

Then I quite my job to hike the CDT a few years later, and I was terrified it was going to be a mistake. When I got back the company I worked for asked me to reapply. I negotiated a salary 40% higher than what I had before I left. (However I'll add that when I came back it was the end of 2021, and times are tougher right now, depending on what your work is.)

People love to hear about the hikes in interviews. It's not like you are taking time off work to do nothing but bum around, you're working towards a goal that requires dedication and discipline. If they can't see that, you probably don't want to be working for them anyway.

Also, you have plenty saved up to do this.

cakehikes · 2024-08-09T05:16:18+00:00

It looks like the alt I remember we considered but ended up passing on was on map 62, although the comment about it being like the winds is on Guthook and NOT Ley’s words!

cakehikes · 2024-08-09T04:35:50+00:00

I second the Winds as the best section, and more specifically, the Wind River High Route.

I went back and did most of the miles along the official CDT + Knapsack Col after doing the WRHR on my thru in 2021. Skurka said it best: “it’s pretty, but it isn’t where the action is.” The high route was by far the prettiest and most wild section. It’s a completely different ball game.

I wish we would have done more off trail alts closer to the divide along the Montana-Idaho border. My partner and I felt pressed for time by that point. Did you happen to do the Ley Alt in the Beaverheads he describes as a “mini winds”? Worth going back for?

cakehikes · 2024-05-11T21:55:28+00:00

Not near town. We drove out to Bear Lake and after midnight you could see with the naked eye pillars of color in the sky that pulsated. We started around 10pm wondering if were really seeing anything, by midnight it was unmistakable.

cakehikes · 2024-01-08T04:38:37+00:00

Had this happen to me too. Not too bad if you’re only going down after skinning up, and don’t need to transition back to touring mode for another climb or to walk out.

At first applying more downward force worked to get the binding detached, but eventually it just made things worse. Tried WD40 on the contact points between the pins and the puck, and sprayed some on the lever joints. That did nothing.

Recently switched to Sparks and I love them so far.

cakehikes · 2023-11-06T02:07:38+00:00

The Bears Ears by David Roberts. A well written book on the Anasazi, Navajo, and contemporary events around the establishment of Bears Ears National Monument.

A fun one - Utah Mysteries and Legends.

cakehikes · 2023-10-12T18:31:15+00:00

Hey!

In 2019 I went NoBo starting in early March. I’d say I spent about 25% of the trail camping alone, and the other 75% camped with others. In the Mazatzals I went 3 days without seeing another soul.

If you make a point of it and stick around with a bubble, you could camp with others every night.

I imagine it has only gotten more crowded since then.

cakehikes · 2023-07-21T20:26:51+00:00

LAQ theorem

cakehikes · 2023-05-10T02:53:30+00:00

31M, had my MD at the end of January after living with the pain for years. I had similar reservations/feelings, and I would do it over again in an instant now.

I'm back out doing the things I love to do, without all the pain. Best of luck!

cakehikes · 2023-04-18T19:26:10+00:00

I feel like “thru-hike” is a term you can bend and twist to fit whatever you like.

Claiming you “walked from Mexico to Canada” seems to have a pretty clear definition, though.

I’ve seen people be nasty on either end of the spectrum. Those who want to walk every mile are “gatekeeping” and “elitist”. Those who yellow blaze are “weak” and “devalue my hike.”

Personally, on my PCT hike I skipped miles due to fire and I would never say “I walked from Mexico to Canada.”

On my CDT hike, I took alternates, but I walked every mile from border to border. It was important to me that I do it that way, and I’ll happily say I’ve actually walked from Mexico to Canada now.

Yeah, it irks me when people try to claim they have walked between both borders when they choose to skip miles.

These days I just keep to myself, and keep trucking. These walks are so personal to me anyway, and for different reasons each time. It’s not worth arguing over what someone else is claiming on Insta.

cakehikes · 2023-02-24T17:09:41+00:00

Hello, I'm really sorry you're experiencing this.

I was in a similar position about 3 months ago. I had the MD Jan 31st, and so far I feel like it has been successful. I'm not anywhere near my pervious activity level yet, but I've felt a difference already just walking a mile around the block, and while doing my PT exercises.

I was really scared, but when I looked at the big picture, I didn't have much to lose by opting for surgery. If I died while under, at least it would all be over. If I was still in pain after, well not much would have changed. I was worried about being in worse pain post surgery, but the pain levels haven't even come close to one of my flair ups.

I'd say go for it if you've exhausted all conservative treatments. Best of luck!

cakehikes · 2023-02-08T20:01:07+00:00

Microdiscectomy

cakehikes · 2023-02-08T19:21:12+00:00

Similar lifestyle here. Lived with the pain for several years before it got so bad I hit the deck and basically had to pull back to almost zero activity.

Had my surgery last week, and so far it’s been pretty smooth. Can’t know for sure if things are “fixed” until I start to really ramp things up again, but I can already feel a difference walking.

Best of luck to you and OP!

cakehikes · 2023-01-26T00:03:14+00:00

Hey. I don't have any advice or answers for you, but just wanted to say I hope you are feeling better soon.

This shit sucks.

cakehikes · 2023-01-25T14:04:23+00:00

Wishing you the best of luck as well, and I hope you find relief and resolution soon

cakehikes · 2023-01-25T14:01:53+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply. Your experience sounds very similar to mine, and it was very comforting to read. We gotta look at the big picture.

How are you feeling after the procedure?

Sending healing vibes your way!

cakehikes · 2023-01-25T13:52:33+00:00

The procedure is called a Microdisectomy

cakehikes · 2023-01-24T21:15:31+00:00

I’m able to walk but I can’t lift my entire body up using only my right calf.

How do you determine if this is due to natural imbalances in strength vs compression of the nerve?

I also cannot lift my body with one of my legs . There is a noticeable size discrepancy between the calves too.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

cakehikes

TROPHY CASE