Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail

Well campers, I have decided to do the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail with Doc next month! I am super excited for this. Especially since we’ve also decided to get to/from the trail using public transportation! I briefly considered walking to the Castle Rock State Park entrance from Saratoga (~10 miles) and camping at the Castle Rock campgrounds (adding an extra day to the trip), but now I’m thinking we’ll just take a cab like this guy did. I had assumed that no cabbie would agree to take us to Castle Rock from Saratoga, but apparently it has been done.

I don’t mind adding an extra 10 miles to the trip – indeed, that seems super fun. But I don’t like how cars tend to zip around those blind corners up towards Castle Rock, and we would probably be fearing for our lives walking on those roads.

So now, we’re planning on adding an extra day by camping at Alder Trail Camp so we can spend a whole day frolicking around at Waddell Beach. Getting back to SF from Santa Cruz will be much, much smoother than getting from SF to Castle Rock (not least because that is a public transit trip that I have taken many, many times before).

Unfortunately, the only bus that goes from Waddell Beach to the Santa Cruz Metro Center leaves at 5:15 pm, so we won’t really be able to spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz (I love that town). Unless any buddies will be in town and would want to meet us at Waddell Beach? Hit me up if this is the case.

I will catalog my journey here, complete with photos and memoirs. We’re only planning on doing about 10 miles per day, because we want to do a leisurely pace and maybe even take some of the side-trails to take full advantage of the trip.

The Plan:

  • Day 1: Castle Rock State Park entrance to the Waterman Gap Trail Camp
  • Day 2: Waterman Gap Trail Camp to Jay Trail Camp
  • Day 3: Jay Trail Camp to Alder Trail Camp
  • Day 4: Frolic around on the beach all day, then hop the bus back to town

Folk Metal

I got tickets to see Korpiklaani, Einsiferum, and TrollfesT in May!

When I was in college, I was really into folk metal. Like, really into it. As an extension of this, I also got into a few troll metal bands.

I’ve always really liked Korpiklaani, but I have never actually seen them live, so I am pretty excited about this show. Shame I didn’t get around to seeing them before they had to replace Jaakko (their violinist) due to health issues.

I mean, just look at this guy in the Wooden Pints video:

I cannot stop watching that video, by-the-way. It is so… nonsensical. And bad. And for this, I love it.

My synopsis: A man hacks into a stump with a hatchet. Another man pops out of an outhouse and starts playing a violin on his hip. He then periodically teleports back and forth between the outhouse and another location where the rest of the band is, including a man wailing on a single drum with a large branch. What is happening??