Year: 2010

What a race. A group of young folks was handing out warm, gristly bacon and Coors Light to the runners while blasting GNR’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Remarkably, some of the runners actually accepted these dubious treats and did not throw up. I did not partake. The course was beautiful — wrapping around the Panhandle, then weaving around the GGP and stretching out to the Great Highway, finally turning back at the entrance to the SF zoo. I did just fine, although I was overambitious in the first eight and a half miles (for which I paid a stiff price in the last five!) My pacer was a woman dressed up as a unicorn, complete with a floppy horn made out of felt. No kidding. It must have been very uncomfortable to run like that! By the way, I saw the front-runner, finishing up the race. Can you imagine, being…

Here’s the course route. See you all tomorrow. (and don’t rush me. I go pretty slowly.) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Thanks to Samuel for sending this in. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Too late to back out now. For starters, I’ll have to conquer a scary-sounding, hilly 13 miler right here in SF in a couple of days. Yikes. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Lately I have been getting large, smelly piles of Spam in the “bulk file” section of my Cactuseaters inbox every morning, so I need to institute a brand new policy. Spammers, please read this carefully. 1. From now on, all senders of Spam (messages starting with “dearest,” people offering me millions of dollars from fake sweepstakes, etc) will be subject to seven years of bad karma. 2. Not only that, but their teeth will turn green, their hair will fall out in ragged clumps and they will have halitosis for the rest of their lives. I don’t wish to implement this new policy but the Spam has gotten out of hand. So Spammers, please print out this message and put it somewhere close to your computer terminal and read it before you send. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Tomorrow in the Haight. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

R. Crumb’s Genesis will make your eyes bug out. I’ve heard people describe it as irreverent, while other people say its literal-mindedness is a form of reverence. You’ll have to decide for yourself. It’s best taken one small bit at a time. I don’t advise plowing through the whole thing at once. I loved At Swim, Two Birds by Flann O’Brien, nee Bryan O’Nolan. What a riot. To read this book is to find yourself caught up in an elaborate prank. Sometimes you’re in on the prank. Other times, the joke’s on you. This novel feels very contemporary, so it’s a shocker to look at the publication date. I also enjoyed Flannery, by Brad Gooch. Flannery O’Connor once said, “As for biographies, there won’t be any biographies of me because, for only one reason, lives spent between the house and the chicken yard do not make exciting copy.” She was…

Here is a compendium of frequently asked questions. I removed some out-of-date information and made a couple of additions. This has been updated slightly. I should tell you right now that this contains some spoilers so stop reading right here if you haven’t finished the book. What is your biggest single piece of advice for PCT hikers? Use a rolling resupply bucket (my book goes into detail about that) and always remember to hike your own trail. Everyone’s out there for a different reason. If people are out there to bag miles, don’t make fun of them because that’s their goal. By the same token, if you’re taking it slowly, you don’t have to feel bad about the fact that you’re only going a few slow miles a day. There’s no ‘wrong’ way to hike the trail as long as you aren’t harming the trail or the environment or other people (or…

Here is the latest schedule, and keep in mind that all these events are free. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Ok — I solemnly swear that this is the last time I will blog about this subject, but I’m getting a few emails, and links, from folks who say I spoke too soon about the nausea factor. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default