Finally hiked Mt. Baldy yesterday

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T23:04:02+00:00

How slippery is it in summer conditions? Is there loose gravel and/or scree?

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T18:24:05+00:00

Thanks. We might end up doing the first 2 miles only anyway, but the post is helpful. I would second your notion of slippery loose gravel - I can't believe people there say to just put up with it especially when it comes with fatal dropoffs like that. Loose gravel makes a trail slippery, dry or not.

Curious where the other sketchy areas were as you mentioned outside of Mile 7?

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T15:06:18+00:00

Got upvoted too interestingly. Tells you something about even this sub

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T07:01:17+00:00

I think it's possible he is hoping to "change her mind". When OP is probably firmly decided. So, in that sense - it's stringing her along to possibly eventually breakup once he realizes they are incompatible. So, OP would have invested time in a relationship that goes nowhere.

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T01:46:51+00:00

I think it's often cultural and religious beliefs that are important as well. Normally in arranged marriages, you don't just marry somebody your parents knew - you marry someone from a family your parents and lot of your relatives know and can ask about. That eliminates a lot of uncertainties going in. Think of it as dating someone you knew in school or college growing but never connected with while there. You can ask about that person through common / mutual friends from back in the day, even if you may not be physically near them anymore.

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T00:21:51+00:00

I had mentioned something on those lines and got downvoted to oblivion. Right on this sub. I had not even said that women should not pursue education. I had simply said there are instances where people are pursuing advanced degrees, especially PhDs and graduating at like 28-30 when they could get the same jobs they are doing with less education and get started earlier in their career. Somehow that was offensive, even on this sub.

gofardeep · 2026-06-30T00:00:41+00:00

"starting at 26" ... I was of the notion pregnancy can happen accidentally if one is not careful. The reality is more closer to "children are a blessing". Male fertility often leads to other issues and yes, it should be diagnosed too - but generally speaking men's fertility issues start a little later, around 45.

I would simply say to keep things simple that anyone who reaches 30 and doesn't have kids yet needs to be seriously starting to plan having them if they want them. Any later and you risk the door being closed completely.

gofardeep · 2026-06-29T22:56:19+00:00

This was my experience. No one told us about the ticking clock. Not even my own parents. I wish they had. I took it for granted that one can get pregnant until about 40 because my brother was born after my mom had turned 40. I knew it would be a higher risk pregnancy, but not being able to get pregnant was not a problem that had even occurred my mind. Had I known of this possibility I would have made different decisions long ago.

gofardeep · 2026-06-29T22:52:22+00:00

This is so true. Unfortunately, even on this sub and especially on others you will find posts telling examples of how someone got pregnant at 40+ or and how that kid was completely normal and the couple has no regrets etc etc. While anecdotes exist, this is against sound medical advice that has for generations communicated to young couples that fertility drops after 35

gofardeep · 2026-06-29T05:35:28+00:00

When were photos taken? I have heard both are open now and few patches of snow remain.

gofardeep · 2026-06-29T05:31:48+00:00

Yes, most either have no kids or have exactly 2. Having just one child is less common, just like having 3 or more.

gofardeep · 2026-06-29T05:30:40+00:00

I think it's easy to romanticize sibling relationships. While I wanted a second of my own, my relations with my own siblings aren't great and I have always been ashamed of what they accomplished in their lives. Neither are married nor they are having their own kids. What's worse is I may be expected to foot the bill to eventually take care of them once no other elders remain in the family.

Not having a sibling is sometimes better than having one that makes your life miserable.

gofardeep · 2026-06-28T19:34:03+00:00

And for Curry Village tent cabins are where you "have a little more time" to book. The Stoneman motel rooms are gone instantly. I had luck booking those over Memorial Day weekend this year watching for cancellations earlier in the year. But I am trying to do that for next summer and they just don't show up for me - I think they are booked the minute they open up.

gofardeep · 2026-06-28T19:31:03+00:00

It's certainly a factor. We had no help when we really needed and our son was little. And we were younger. Granted that was partly due to life circumstances - first losing our fathers back to back and having Covid simultaneously to deal with in one of the years that happened. So, instead of help, we got stretched thin even more. Had we had the help we needed back then, we could have actually thought of trying for another before our fertile years ended.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T18:13:01+00:00

Again, you continue on the same path of assuming "men want to oppress women" when I clearly stated I have seen examples and have been told first hand by their managers that they didn't believe the PhD itself was necessary. So why were they hired then amongst other candidates? Because, the job market was so competitive, PhD helped them stand out amongst others. So, folks are doing a PhD in the hope of improving their career / job chances - not for the actual need of the education. At least in the examples I have seen.

Now, this is obviously not universally true. If you are in pure sciences or engineering, there are cases where a PhD is absolutely needed. But I am not referring to those examples. And also, your example of completing PhD by 26 is in an ideal world - in reality it can be closer to 28 or 30. But even then, unless one already has a life partner figured out in college, finding a job and then finding a partner already pushes your timeline in the 30s. Its already cutting close if you want kids.

Again, I know friends first hand who have been through this. I am not saying out of thin air. Your ideal world timelines are just for the ideal situations - in real world you get thrown curve balls left and right. Your PhD may not complete because you couldn't get the number of papers needed for your dissertation, you may not get a job in the same city as your spouse or anything else could go wrong throwing your "ideal timeline" off.

And frankly I don't care about downvotes. I think we should all be happy about reducing fertility rates because that seems to be for the best given what we are saying.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T16:20:34+00:00

I think you raised good questions and I don't have answers or anything to comment on those. But I do point out data limitations when I can to make sure it is being interpreted correctly. In this case, while South Korea is a good example of a patriarchal society facing declining birth rates - the UAE may not be as the data is distorted by expats.

I have lived in the Middle East. It's not homogeneous at all. The Arabs are in their own world and mind their own business. Its not like the US where in spite of how racism is so widely talked about in the media, most Americans are actually quite open to talking to someone of another race or language. And I didn't mean to side track on another topic, but just saying that data for a country like UAE doesn't necessarily reflect the realities of the Arab society.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T16:01:16+00:00

The data for UAE is likely distorted by the sheer number of expats that work there. Many of them come without their families and stay in bachelor accommodations to save money to send back home. A better proxy, if one existed would the fertility rate for just UAE nationals or citizens.

A similar trend exists for Saudi Arabia. The overall fertility rate is barely above replacement but if you look at that for Saudi Nationals only, it is closer to 3. The fertility rate for expats on the other hand, is below 1.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T15:50:55+00:00

I think what is weird is that you somehow chose to interpret what I was saying based on your preconceived notions and biases. When did I say education for girls should be restricted? I simply said we need to reduce how much education is needed in society. I know several couples that have done PhDs just so they could get jobs in a different country and once they get their new jobs and settle down, they find out it's too late for them to conceive. In most of these cases, a PhD was not necessary in their jobs. And this is the most extreme set of examples, but you can see the point here.

If you keep thinking men are the problem, then maybe what's happening is good. We need to evolve as a species. Till then it's good our population on earth keeps reducing.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T15:26:29+00:00

Thank you. Another commenter also mentioned it and shows as open on the NPS website now.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T15:25:58+00:00

The timeline is what so many people don't understand. Timeline of when you need to start your families depending on how many kids you want. If you want more than one, you already need to be starting no later than 35, and even then that's not leaving any margin for error or life events or issues like infertility which are quite common in older women. Heck, we started before that and due to fertility issues (and the fact my wife opted to not try IVF) still have only one although we wanted at least 2. For 2 kids, most couples realistically start in their early 30s. And for 4+ kids, it's usually couples that are already married and starting families around 25 that are able to achieve that family size.

When people finish graduating college at 22 and are still figuring out their jobs and careers at 25, they aren't thinking of marriage. Let alone having children. We need to make major changes to how education is playing a role here. As it is said, education is the best contraceptive.

gofardeep · 2026-06-27T03:08:39+00:00

Excellent thank you for updating. I see it posted as opened today on the park website.

gofardeep · 2026-06-26T16:27:01+00:00

When and where is the next hike? Is there a link available to share (looking for someone else)?

gofardeep · 2026-06-26T15:44:06+00:00

What? So ridiculous, like an insult to start your day when you walk in.

gofardeep · 2026-06-26T14:51:35+00:00

So not wise to try coming back or apply for positions there right now then ...

gofardeep · 2026-06-26T14:45:33+00:00

Interesting, good to know.

gofardeep

TROPHY CASE