November 22, 2009
Snow Falling on Tamarack Pine
We're in the middle of our first real snowfall of the season. In town, we might get three or four inches. Moscow Mountain is just a 20 mile drive from here, and goes up about 2500 feet above the town's elevation. That short distance makes all the difference in the world where winter weather is concerned.
Laura, Jeff (a caving/rock climbing/mountain biking/backpacking all-star, and professor at the U. of I.) hiked up Moscow Mountain. It started as a stroll up a fire road near Cabin Trail, where I often mountain bike. A ways up, the snow started getting deeper, the wind started howling, and the snow started dumping. We walked across the "main face" of the mountain (it can often be seen as a big white field from Moscow and Pullman) where the snow was 2-3 feet deep in most places, the wind blowing ice pellets in our eyes at 20-30mph. We took a little respite from the wind in an abandoned mine, maybe 30 feet below the very top of the mountain.
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| The mine entrance, with mostly white-out outside |
The top was pretty snazzy, with some tattered and torn mountain flags. I'm told it would have a hell of a view, except that we couldn't see much more than 30 feet in front of us. The way down was also fairly harsh -- easier to hike without glasses on then with them (my glasses kept fogging, and then icing up, making it pretty hard to see). I can't say that I've done such a fun hike in a while. Soon, I've promised myself a set of backcountry skis, so I can hike up this local mountain and have a ball coming down it on something besides a mountain bike.
Hey Hemant, long time no hear from!
What are you up to in PA? How are things going?
Posted by: Reid on December 28, 2009 06:58 PMPost a comment
Further back...
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Previous Trips...
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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Stealing the Network
I first bumped into the Stealing the Network series when reading the exploits of Joe Grand, one of the book's many hacker authors.
The 'Stealing the ...' series of books follows a rather disparate group of computer hackers as they help a former NSA spook (many of them unwittingly) gather the money he needs to retire.
The stories themselves are not fantastic fiction. The writing is uneven and choppy, the characters are stereotypical and not very well thought-out. What is fascinating about this book series is the technical accuracy of the exploits (at some points *too* accurate, with screen shots and step-by-step instructions).
It's a great series to read if you're a system administrator, or just getting into the wonderful field of computer security.
Rated 
by reid
on March 06, 2011
by reid
on March 06, 2011
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Close to the Machine
Ellen Ullman is one of those authors that somehow avoided my radar. Until now...
Close to the Machine is less a book than a collection of loosely related personal anecdotes from Ellen's time as a very rare thing -- a successful female bisexual independent computer programming consultant.
In the course of her work and relationship life, she learns hard lessons about programming, running a business, being lonely, and loving the wrong people. I found it particularly poignant being a crypto-nerd with difficult times in relationships and a more-or-less NDA'd, secret work life.
This book is a must-read for anyone into running their own business, programming, or anyone dating a person that is a business-a-holic or programmer.
Rated 
by reid
on November 23, 2009
by reid
on November 23, 2009
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The Long Trip Home
I had the joy of dining with the author in Florida. We went to a little Brazilian BBQ where he spoke with our waitstaff in (what I can only assume was) flawless Portugese.
Brian Wyllie spent 1969-1971 living in Brazil working for the Peace Corps. His recent book outlines his trip back to the United States via Bolivia, Peru, and the Carribean chain, by way of bus, train, and sailboat. The format comes spattered with observations from the modern day, and makes me think, "this must be what John McPhee's journal looks like."
The trip sounded like a fantastic one, but I was left wanting more detail...where did the gun (being snuck through customs in a variety of places, no doubt) come from? And how did Geneve's hair smell? Alas, we'll have to wait for another book to find the answers.
Rated by reid
on April 16, 2009
by reid
on April 16, 2009
Hi reid,
I just ran into your blog. Idaho, boy that must be fun. When in PA or if you in PA stop by give me a call.
Happy new year!!
Hemant
Posted by: Hemant Singh on December 27, 2009 07:26 PM