MikeSandy.net

2009 News Archive

Moving Back East

After 1,589 of, perhaps, the best days of my life so far, today I am moving back east to take a job in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The process to come to this decision was difficult, but, ultimately, I have decided to explore an intriguing opportunity back east.

Like so often happens in life, mutually exclusive options are seemingly perfect complements to each other. Boston is the vibrant, cultured, high-energy city full of exciting career opportunities in finance. Salt Lake City, on the other hand, offers a simple, laid-back, more suburban lifestyle with a complement of adventure in its neighboring Wasatch Mountains and nearby National Parks.

All else equal, Boston offers the opportunity to earn a higher salary than Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City offers a cost of living that doesn't require a higher salary. In nearly every way, these two places are the perfect complement to the other.

Where Boston offers the ocean; Utah offers mountains. Where Boston offers intriguing career opportunities; Utah offers what I consider to be an ideal lifestyle. Where Boston offers the opportunity to be within driving distance of most of my family... Have I mentioned that Utah has world-class skiing on "The Greatest Snow on Earth"?

I have wanted to live in Utah since I first visited in April of 1993. Eventually, I was able to make that happen, and without a couple things about it being more ideal (closer to family, better job opportunities), I honestly would never leave.

My desire to live in Utah has always been about Utah--its mountains, its skiing, its landscape--not Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City, however, is what allowed me to live here for the last 4+ years. In the end, unfortunately, Salt Lake City is what has forced me to leave. The opportunities available here in my chosen vocation are somewhat limited.

More practically, I was presented with an opportunity to improve upon a few things and sacrifice some other things, and I had to make a choice. It was difficult for me to objectively consider the professional opportunities in Boston versus the lifestyle ideals in Utah. Ultimately, I decided to make a change basically just for the sake of change. I decided that it was time to take a risk. One must take risk to reap rewards. Ironically, this tenet is the basis of finance--my chosen vocation.

Only time will tell, but I believe I made the right decision, given these particular circumstances. It may prove not to be the best decision, but I sincerely suffer from no regret. I have done more here than I ever dreamed possible. I skied amazing terrain in amazing snow in amazing weather, and in the summer. I hiked massive peaks, backpacked through the heart of the Tetons, reveled in the majesty of Glacier National Park, and hiked to a teahouse and to glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. I partied in Vegas, peered off canyon ledges in Canyonlands, and fell asleep with an open view of the stars in the desert. I walked amidst ancient Native American cliff dwellings, jumped off a cliff into Crater Lake, and journeyed to the Pacific to watch the sun set for good on the lower 48 states. I have done more than I ever dreamed possible since moving to Utah.

I also graduated from graduate school. In Utah, I've always felt that I was settling for a lackluster career so that I could live my ideal lifestyle. It's probably time to use my (expensive) education and sacrifice a little bit of my ideal lifestyle for a more promising career. After all, money's just a means to an end, but you better have means, or the fun will end.

There is so much more to say on this subject. I have dedicated page upon page in my notebooks to thoughts on this move. I feel, however, that further analysis here will split atoms and most likely bore you, the reader.

So, after 1,589 days as a Utahn, I'm now a Bay Stater, for better or worse. We'll see how it goes.

Mount Olympus Hike

Steve and I started hiking Mount Olympus at about 3:30 PM. We had planned on starting at 3:00 PM, but I was late because I discovered on my way to the trailhead that I had forgotten my water bottles in the refrigerator at home. My return trip home to retrieve my water made me about 20 minutes late.

About twenty minutes after we started, Steve passed a rattlesnake basking in the sun on the side of the trail. Immediately, the rattlesnake made a few quick rattles that startled Steve and made him jump back quickly. The snake, still coiled, just looked around for a couple seconds, and then slowly slithered back into a nearby bush. I had heard there were lots of rattlesnakes on this trail, but until this hike I hadn't yet seen one.

For most of the day, the sky was overcast, but the sky began to clear up a bit about the time we started hiking. Although parts of the valley were clear, there were still some dark clouds to the south and east that didn't look threatening, but I wasn't sure the conditions wouldn't deteriorate.

We hiked quickly, with Steve leading the way, of course. On the steep sections past the stream, he was well ahead of my pace. Despite my slower pace, I still made it to the summit about a half hour faster than suggested by the Wasatch Mountain Club-published hiking guidebook.

The evening lighting from the summit was spectacular and I captured quite a few good photos from the summit and while I climbed up and down the steep scramble to the summit from the saddle.

We hiked two-thirds of the way back down in the dark. We arrived back at our cars at 9:00 PM, and Steve followed me back to my place for some homemade pizza.

Sunset from Mount Olympus

One of the best ways to conclude a beautiful weather day is by walking up part of the trail to Mount Olympus to watch the sun set behind the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. I was particularly lucky on this day when a group of people on the trail suggested I look to the sky across the valley to the southwest. I spotted two bright streaking objects headed straight toward us: the space station and the space shuttle. Amazing!

August Skiing!

ALTA, UT — Steve plans to ski every month this year. With that goal of his, and a sliver of snow still left on Gunsight at Alta Ski Area, he invited me to join him on another summer ski day.

I met Steve at the 6200 South park and ride parking lot. The hike to Gunsight this time would be markedly easier than last July because the road up to the campground in Albion Basin was open.

Unfortunately, however, by the time we arrived at Alta a little after 11:00 AM, the parking lot at the campground was full, so we were relegated to riding the bus.

We put all our stuff together at the car, and walked over to the bus stop where we were met with odd glances by the much less "adventurous" contingent of people waiting to ride up into Albion Basin to catch a glimpse of the wildflowers.

There was certainly no way to hide the fact that I was going to attempt to ski some unseen patch of snow because my skis, which were lashed to each side of my pack and rubber-banded together at the top to look like a big letter "A", stick out like a sore thumb compared to the fanny pack-wearing baby boomers at the bus stop. To make matters worse, the bus was full and so we had to jam our packs in an odd place on the bus so they'd fit.

I do, however, derive some satisfaction from the absurdity of skiing patches of snow on 100 degree days in August. I can count on one hand the people who passed us on the trails that didn't ask a question or make a comment. And the ones who didn't just looked at us funny and then looked around for a patch of snow, only to find endless acres of wildflowers and a few unreachable patches of snow high on the cliffs of Devil's Castle.

If they only knew how simple it is: 1) put ski boots in pack; 2) lash skis to side of pack; 3) throw in a bottle of water and a camera; 4) hike less than a mile to the base of the snow; 5) walk up the snow; 6) put ski boots on feet and hiking boots in pack; 7) ski; 8) take ski boots off and put hiking boots back on; 9) walk down; 10) drink celebratory beer.

For many, that's a hell of a lot of effort for a couple hundred vertical feet of skiing on bad snow, but it's the novelty and the absurdity that makes it worth it every time. We were at least the third group to ski Gunsight that day. Those who came before us, in fact, cleaned up the run with their turns, so the skiing was actually pretty damn good. See you on the snow in September. I hope.

Here are a couple photos from Steve's camera...
* Me hiking up Gunsight #1
* Me hiking up Gunsight #2

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Avalanche Lake Hike

After a lazy day boating on Lake McDonald and relaxing on the beach near Apgar Village, Jen, Mindy and I hiked to Avalanche Lake in the evening.

The trail starts a few miles past Lake McDonald Lodge near the Avalanche Creek campground in Glacier National Park. The beginning of the trail is part of the Trail of the Cedars, a popular easy boardwalk trail amongst huge cedar trees.

The trail to Avalanche Lake is awesome. The surrounding cedar forest has this eery vibe, and the vegetation reminds me of what I imagine one finds in the Pacific Northwest. This description ignores perhaps the trail's best feature: Avalanche Creek Gorge. Avalanche Creek Gorge is a rugged, mossy gorge through which glacier-fed water violently tumbles down through the flume on its way to Lake McDonald Creek. The most rugged part of the gorge is very photogenic and the evening light provided us with a great opportunity to get postcard-quality photos of the gorge on the way back down the trail.

The destination itself, Avalanche Lake, is also awesome. A logjam at the head of the lake indicated the violent process that gave the lake its name. The lake is surrounded by the steep 3,000+ vertical foot headwalls of some of Glacier National Park's highest hanging valleys. High on many of those steep headwalls were beautiful cascades that feed the lake with snowmelt. The scene was amazing, especially for a hike of less than 5 miles roundtrip. The soft late evening lighting made it even better. We relaxed by the lake until almost 9:00 PM. (One of the great things about Glacier National Park is that, because it is so far north, it doesn't get dark in the summer until well after 9:00 PM.)

Although we weren't able to make it back to Apgar Village in time to buy some firewood to have a campfire that night, it was well worth that sacrifice to enjoy the Avalanche Lake scenery and to get some great photos of Avalanche Creek Gorge.

Iceberg Lake Hike

Mindy's cousin Jen decided to go on a full-day horseback riding trip, so Mindy and I had the day to ourselves. I had proposed doing a hike (of course) and I was glad that Mindy agreed to join me.

This hike in Glacier National Park, Montana started just down the street from the Many Glacier hotel at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. The trail is very easy and climbs very gradually and only to the tune of about 1,200 feet over about 4.5 miles.

The trail starts in a wide-open meadow that is just the epitome of the terrain you see grizzly bears roaming around in on National Geographic Channel television shows. I definitely had my eyes and ears open for bears. I didn't see any bears, but we did see a bighorn sheep on a cliff above the trail.

Next, the trail entered a lush forest. Aside from an older couple from Great Falls, Montana that we passed, we didn't see anyone else on the trail until we reached Ptarmigan Falls, which was about halfway to Iceberg Lake. A ranger-led group and a number of other hikers were resting above the falls. We took only a short break and then passed several groups as we climbed out of the forest and hiked along the lower slopes of the Ptmarigan Wall far above Iceberg Creek.

Not before long, we reached the lake. Despite being July, there were still several icebergs floating in the lake. They were a strange, but beautiful site. Combined with the clear, cold, blue water, the icebergs made me feel like I was in Alaska.

After taking some photos of the lake among a throng of visitors, we hiked to a vantage point on the slopes southeast of the lake to take some more photos. As more and more hikers arrived at the lake, we started back toward the trailhead.

About 15 minutes after we started hiking back, I heard what sounded like someone banging a stick against a rock intermittently. I found it curious, but paid no attention to the sound. Shortly thereafter, however, I discovered why someone was banging the stick: the lady was banging the stick against a rock to make noise so as to not startle an adult grizzly bear about 30 yards uphill from the trail. I questioned the purpose of banging the stick considering that a group of a dozen people had already gathered and the bear was clearly aware of their presence because we could see it occasionally look up from its digging to curiously gaze at its audience.

Our grizzly bear encounter was decidedly tame, thankfully. It helped that we didn't startle the bear. It helped that there were a dozen other potential mauling vicitims there. (I figured that there had to be someone slower than Mindy and I in the group.) The bear just wanted to dig for food. And it did so impressively with its front legs, massive claws and strong shoulders.

Word of the grizzly bear had spread quickly down the trail. People hiking up to the lake peppered us with questions as we passed them. Most were thrilled that they may get to see a grizzly bear, a few were terrified, but no one turned around.

After a couple hours of walking, we finally made it back to the trailhead. We met Jen back at the Many Glacier Hotel. On the way back to Fish Creek Campground, which is on the opposite side of Glacier National Park, we stopped to eat dinner at the Park Cafe near St. Mary. Mindy and I ate there the last time we visited Glacier. Since last time, the service had not improved, but the buffalo burger with Long Island dressing was as good as ever.

An evening drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road was a new experience for Mindy and I (and Jen who hadn't been to Glacier until this trip). The evening light made the scenery even better. We also couldn't resist stopping for a drink at Lake McDonald Lodge, where we sat by the lake for a bit and then sat in the big wooden rocking chairs on the patio. The bugs were a pain, but the setting was idyllic. A relaxing campfire topped off a very active and enjoyable day in one of the greatest places on earth.

311 Uplifter

Today, 311 released Uplifter, their ninth studio album. I suggest you pick up a copy. I think it's their best effort since 2001's From Chaos. If you buy the Deluxe CD/DVD version of the album, you'll receive two bonus tracks and a "Road to 311 Day" DVD. My only criticism about the album is that, because there is such a breadth of styles on the album, it doesn't flow very well song-to-song. Other than that minor complaint, it's a ridiculously solid album.

Here are my brief reviews of the songs:

  1. Hey You - The first radio single off Uplifter is good, but not great. It's a decent way to start the album, but it's not a highlight.
  2. It's Alright - My current favorite song on the album. The drum beat is infectious, the message is uplifting, the bass break-down in the middle of the song is cool, and the chorus is rocking.
  3. Mix It Up - A fairly average song overall, but it's executed in a way that is uniquely 311.
  4. Golden Sunlight - 311's most mature song to date. Another song with an uplifting message. P-Nut, 311's bassist, calls it "epic." I tend to agree.
  5. India Ink - A very heavy song with OK verses and an absolutely soaring, simple, yet memorable chorus.
  6. Daisy Cutter - A catchy, melodic, yet rocking song about a girl.
  7. Too Much Too Fast - A completely new style for 311. It's a jazzy Britpop-inspired song. It's definitely not a bad song, but it's not a style that I prefer.
  8. Never Ending Summer - A song that will likely become a live show staple because of its 311 chant-ready intro and its absolutely rocking heavy metal-inspired guitar solo.
  9. Two Drops in the Ocean - A chill song that is growing on me.
  10. Something Out of Nothing - A song with heavy verses and some short guitar solos throughout.
  11. Jackpot - 311's best rap-rock song since Sick Tight on 2001's From Chaos. This song is old-school style 311 at its best. It's a song built specifically for their live show.
  12. My Heart Sings - Another chill song. It definitely isn't a bad song, but there's nothing particularly special about it either.
  13. I Like The Way - A funky bonus track with one of the more surprising chorus hooks you'll hear. SA really hits the high note on this one.
  14. Get Down - A long, meandering bonus track laced with some jazzy vocals, infectious rap-rock, a synthesizer solo, and a calming chorus.

Overall, I believe the album is a huge step forward. The rocking songs rock harder, and the chill songs feel more complete. 311 took four years to write and record this album, and it shows. The material on this album feels more focused and more finished.

Belgium Trip v2.0

I'm back from my second trip to Belgium to visit Mindy, who is attending graduate school in Brussels. I had a great time, again.

We mostly hung out in Brussels, but one day we went to Paris for the day. In Paris we visited Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and we saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum. The weather was awesome the day we went to Paris--65 degrees and sunny. Me visiting Paris in the daytime helped improve my impression of the city, which we only visited at night last time.

Although Brussels isn't quite as "exciting" as Paris, it has this understated character to it that I like.

In any case, it was really really nice to see Mindy after a few months apart.

Check out my trip report for more details.

Awesome Ski Day

SNOWBIRD, UT — After a long layoff from skiing on account of the blood thinning medication I have to take, I heard that Mark Deaver would be in Salt Lake City for the weekend so I decided to ignore my doctor's orders and go skiing for the first time this season.

I planned to take it very easy, so I could stay safe; however, on our first run I decided to drop into White Diamond, a steep, but freshly groomed run sharing the same bowl with the Powder Paradise run in Mineral Basin. To my surprise, I skied the run nearly flawlessly. My turns were technically perfect. My run was both exhilerating and calming at the same time. I knew that, although I would indeed make easier terrain choices than a normal ski day, I would ski almost as aggressively as a normal day.

I repeated the same White Diamond run for my second run of the day, with similar results.

One interesting note is that I hadn't even buckled the front buckles of my boots because I didn't want pain so early in my ski day. And yet my performance did not suffer. In fact, it improved. Interesting. (I had also buckled my top buckles fairly loosely.) Perhaps the room in my boots allowed more ankle articulation, which led to turns that felt more effective, more efficient, and more complete.

For our next run, we rode the Baldy Express and skied an easy run back down to the Mineral Basin Express. Mark decided to drop into double-black-diamond High Stakes, which consists of the steep chutes below the Mineral Basin Express lift. I had decided to head back to White Diamond, but quickly changed my mind and dropped into the chutes behind him. That decision wasn't one of my best of the day. I wasn't quite ready for the challenge, so I ended up just getting down, but I didn't ski it very aggressively.

A great run down Chip's, Middle Men's Downhill Chute, and over to Wilbere Ridge got me skiing aggressively again. At the base of the GadZoom lift, we met up with Mark's friend, Bill.

I swooped down Bassackwards, and then followed Mark into Carbonate. Carbonate wasn't that great (it rarely is). The bottom part of the trail was full of big, hard bumps, which I negotiated quite well, but they weren't exactly fun.

Mark is typically up for trying anything, so I suggested he check out the Carbonate Cliffs area. I didn't intend on leading him and Bill into the area, but I figured, "why not?!" First, we tentatively skied through the trees to a spot below a cliff band that opens up to a steep bowl. From there, we each dropped in to the bowl and skied back down to the easy terrain. The conditions weren't that great, but there were pockets of good snow.

After lunch at the Creekside Lodge, we took a quick run from the top of GadZoom down Lunch Run to Harper's Ferry East so that we could cut across to the Peruvian Express. Our run from the Peruvian Express included (for me) Chip's, Primrose Gully and Phone 3 Shot (one of my favorites). I skied each segment of that run back down to the base of Peruvian very well, although my legs were finally starting to get a little tired.

Our next run took us through the Peruvian Tunnel and into Mineral Basin, and then back to the top of Hidden Peak. From the summit, we headed down the Road to Provo. I had a great run down Mark Malu Fork, and skied a bit of ungroomed stuff in Little Cloud Bowl, where I filmed Mark making some turns. Mark and I then headed down Bassackwards and Big Emma. My legs were dead tired at this point, and I had decided to make this run my last. Bill and Mark took one additional run, however.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well I skied, and I had a great time skiing with Mark. I'm sure the excellent weather and the great conditions on the groomed runs contributed to my performance, I still couldn't believe there was so little drop-off in my performance, despite the long layoff. I did stick mostly to groomed runs (something I would've done even if I wasn't taking the medication), but I skied them aggressively.

I really missed skiing, and this ski day felt so sweet. I accomplished my only two goals for the day: I stayed safe and had an awesome time. Hopefully I'll be able to get in some spring skiing in May after I (hopefully) get to stop taking the medicine at the end of April.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★