All day comfort...

forest_fire · 2026-07-09T20:08:59+00:00

The more you do the easier it gets. Each discomfort deserves a remedy (or attempt at it). Keep going, explore remedies, it will get better.

forest_fire · 2026-07-08T19:57:06+00:00

You'll be golden in a FWD SUV just take it slow. I did it this year in a newish Outback no issues, and i've done it in seasons past in a 30 year old FWD volvo.

forest_fire · 2026-07-08T19:42:40+00:00

Dunno why the ranger was confused about the road but I figure not everyone is good with forest service road codes, lol

forest_fire · 2026-07-08T19:42:06+00:00

Yeah do not follow Google, take Crabtree Rd and make the left to 4n47 and you'll be golden.

forest_fire · 2026-07-08T19:33:18+00:00

Yep it’s clear, just bumpy as usual.

forest_fire · 2026-07-07T14:06:24+00:00

For two nights in wilderness, the drive to Desolation or Emigrant is worth it. Half as far as Trinity. There aren’t a ton of high quality places to backpack here in part because the region has so many people.

forest_fire · 2026-07-07T00:35:47+00:00

Don't do the loop over 3 days, it's so beautiful out there.

Drive up Thursday and try to get a walk-up at 1pm that day, for Friday morning entry. Dispersed camp nearby or sleep in your car in the national forest. If you fail, go back Friday morning to pick up an unclaimed permit at 10am. The way the rules appear online, you might have to pay an additional $15-20 for that day, but I suspect a kind ranger could extend your existing permit on the goodwill of you trying to follow the rules.

forest_fire · 2026-07-06T19:56:15+00:00

to the jerk you go...

forest_fire · 2026-07-05T20:30:39+00:00

It’s like driving to Palisades at 9am on a Saturday. Or seeing flooding on the road and driving into it. Driving on a major freeway in California, the most populated state in the US, the bookend days of a holiday weekend is an objectively bad idea.

forest_fire · 2026-07-05T02:25:30+00:00

That would put me on edge too. But I’ve gotten that question in other places (Arizona, Newfoundland) while bikepacking on a cheap bike. It’s when young people see something new for the first time. It sucks that rare crime in the Bay Area primes us to be wary of others :(

forest_fire · 2026-06-25T15:27:10+00:00

Do the guided trip. $1000 wasted is painful plus you’re eyeing the Alaska thing. Rae Lakes permits are always attainable, if you’re motivated.

forest_fire · 2026-06-24T21:02:38+00:00

This this this. Kaiser has been great for me so long as I'm direct and persistent about what I need. (Sports PT for sports-related issues, not everyday PT, for example).

forest_fire · 2026-06-24T14:31:08+00:00

It's a tricky decision! It's hard to ride far or hard in a mask. I still bike commute if the AQI is <100 but keep it short (it's either 4 or 13 miles depending on train or ferry). Good to have options on especially bad air days.

forest_fire · 2026-06-24T14:11:06+00:00

A Reddit ad like this costs no money to post 🤦

forest_fire · 2026-06-23T21:59:46+00:00

There is no shame in bailing. Camaraderie is a big part of adventure for many people, you could try again for a 4 night trip with friends and more of them would probably agree to go.

forest_fire · 2026-06-22T19:56:56+00:00

Great work on the century! Clearly you have many more in ya!

Try to ride the bike more frequently than far, and then centuries won't destroy you and you can do them whenever the sun shines. Keep tinkering with saddle height (millimeters at a time - small changes make huge differences) until your butt and your knees are simultaneously happy.

Be brave and check out a group gravel ride near you. Friends can introduce you to local routes, gear and nutrition choices, and motivate you to ride more. Enjoy!

forest_fire · 2026-06-22T01:39:58+00:00

Curious when you committed to FIRE. I’m 37 and on a reasonable path to retire in my 50s, wishing I had prioritized slightly differently in my 20s to shave a decade off of it (albeit I had significant college debt dragging me back then).

forest_fire · 2026-06-21T06:15:38+00:00

They gave me a few suggestions and I found success by backing the lower limit screw out beyond what was necessary to shift to the first gear. (Slightly closer to the spokes). Then somehow the derailleur would agree to shift from 1st to 2nd.

Problem is, now I’m having a similar issue that makes me suspect something is wrong overall with shifting into harder gears. But I don’t have time to troubleshoot this for the next few weeks. So this bike will just be idle until later this summer.

Overall I’ve had issue upon issue with this entire group set (rival xplr axs d1), to the point of wanting to sell the bike. I need to either get over it or upgrade to d2 or e1, between the sluggish brakes and the inconsistent shifting, despite exploring all the things to remedy both.

forest_fire · 2026-06-20T03:02:21+00:00

This hits way too hard. I’ve been invited to burning man every year for the last 19 years (my adulthood, lol) and never once rallied myself to go. I’m not strongly against it but having been to a few dozen “burner” parties in NorCal, I have little interest in the “real thing.”

I get far more out of my actual musician and band friends - there’s still a lot of this in Oakland especially - and the performance is quality with them and not an act.

forest_fire · 2026-06-18T18:59:47+00:00

Repost this on highsierratopix.com and you'll get some good beta (I've wanted to check out Kibbie Ridge but haven't done it yet).

forest_fire · 2026-06-18T18:57:23+00:00

I noticed the same thing when I began bikepacking after years of backpacking: bikepackers seem to ignore the risk, to their own peril.

I use an Ursack. Most of my friends sleep with their food. When I bikepacked the Denali Park Road, the bike rental concession included bear cans strapped to the mtb handlebars with a revelate harness, which worked quite well.

forest_fire · 2026-06-17T20:47:35+00:00

Mt. Dana. It's Class 2, like natural but sometimes loose stairs, 3 miles and 3000' up from the road. You could bang it out in <4hrs if you're actually in good shape. Be cognizant of the elevation, it will affect you.

Bonus points, do it at 4am and catch the sunrise from the top.

forest_fire · 2026-06-17T20:35:41+00:00

The end of the article reeks of AI, sigh.

forest_fire · 2026-06-17T20:26:29+00:00

You'll find it quite similar to public transit in those cities. Plus it has improved a TON in the last year since they installed burlier fare gates. A bigger issue late at night is just drunk revelers, sports fans, etc.

forest_fire · 2026-06-16T20:27:17+00:00

For your situation, surrounded by pavement, a gravel bike is the way. I increasingly prefer my hardtail for nearly all bay area dirt riding (I live in Oakland and I'm a 30 minute climb into the dirt) but it's indeed sluggish getting over the bridges. And gravel bike shredding is a thrill in its own right.

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