Hiding Blogger Posts

Wanted to hide many old, obsolete Blogger posts without deleting them. Blogger "help" was help-less, Google searches turned up a bunch of wack workarounds.

Actually, it's pretty easy.

Stupid Hiking Story #3

April 1976. I'm three days into a PCT thru-hike with a 55+ pound pack at Mount Laguna Post Office. The balls of each foot are one giant blister, snow is falling, and I'm cold and wet. I decide my PCT hike is over, and it's time to head home. “Home” is a couch at some friends' house in Riverside, since technically I'm homeless and jobless. I stick out my thumb to hitchhike there and figure out what comes next.

That's when my adventure really started.

Some useful data center design formulas

Ever tried to translate between IT-speak, electrician-speak, and heating-ventilation-air-conditioning-speak?  Adding to the confusion, HVAC is known as “mechanical” in the building trades.

Here are a few useful formulas and rules-of-thumb for translating units between different disciplines, along with related data center design tips.

Problems with aging Esbit tablets

Esbit tablets are popular with lightweight backpackers for cooking. Some people keep them in survival kits. Esbit claims:

When properly stored, Esbit solid fuel maintains its full functionality for many years.

I'm not sure what Esbit means by "properly stored", but I had trouble with 5 year old Esbit tablets.

Stupid Hiking Story #2

Mid-1970s, winter in Southern California, dry, warm weather in the forecast, so I decide to spend a weekend backpacking alone in Mt San Jacinto State Park, without a tent. I take the Tram to the top, and chat with the ranger while picking up my permit. He sees my giant down sleeping bag, mentions the weather forecast, and says I'll probably be sweating tonight.

Oops.

Stupid Hiking Story #1

After two hours wandering the hills trying to find a dirt road clearly marked on the map, I stumble upon it. Too late to turn around for Plan B, I forge ahead on the overgrown track, thrashing through deeper and deeper green stuff that I don't recognize.

Cue ominous music.

500 miles on the PCT – Training Trips

In August 2003, I tried to hike 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through the High Sierra in California – in 30 days.

The best way to get into shape for backpacking is ... to go backpacking. I wanted to backpack 500 miles in several shorter training trips before the big trip.

Here's what I did ...

500 miles on the PCT – Getting Into Shape

In August 2003, I tried to hike 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through the High Sierra in California – in 30 days.

Here's how I got into shape for the hike.

500 miles on the PCT – A Crazy Idea

In August 2003, I tried to hike 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through the High Sierra in California – in 30 days.

Why?

Mac mini in a data center

Mac Mini 2018 (Credit: Apple)

Apple dropped the Xserve, pushing the Mac Pro and Mac mini as server alternatives. We need to run many Mac-based applications in our data center, and we've chosen Mac minis.

How do you rack mount a Mac mini? How do you provide IEC C14 or 208V power to a Mac mini?  How do you add an Ethernet management port to a Mac mini? How do you control a Mac mini through a KVM switch?

Rocky's Hardtack Recipe

I really miss a bread-like food while backpacking, especially on longer trips. I tried many off-the-shelf bread, cracker, and tortilla variations, but they either tasted terrible or didn't last long in my pack or in storage.

Sometimes I would see references to hardtack, but hardtack is hard to find in local stores. I found a few recipes online, tried them, changed them, and came up with mine.

Don't let the name scare you, these aren't that hard (more like hard cookies), they taste pretty good, and they are easy to make for baking novices like me.

Lightweight backpacking in the early 1980s

Some people write as if the lightweight backpacking movement that started in the late 1990s was never tried before, and that all backpacking before that focused on comfort at the expense of weight.

Wrong.

100 mile Backpack Trip in Santa Cruz Mountains

You can backpack for 10 days in a loop in the Santa Cruz Mountains, between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Ocean, hiking 8-12 miles per day. This trip is roughly 100 miles, depending on which trails you take, and which maps and signs you believe!

Trip Overview
Click to Enlarge
Image from Google Earth

Staying warm on the river

On a guides mailing list we were asked for tips on keeping paddler guests warm late in the day.

Here are some of mine:

"Call and response" on the river

I've taught hundreds of boats full of whitewater paddlers how to paddle. The basic paddle commands for Class III whitewater are:

Four standard answers

A few years ago, the people I raft with started circulating the Four Standard Answers that may be used by whitewater raft guides in response to nearly any question:

• It depends.
• About 45 minutes.
• Just around the next bend.
• Chest high on a duck.

Figuring out what these answers are good for is left as an exercise for the reader.

Especially the last one. Think about it.