South Yuba Shakedown

On March 8th and 9th, I got shook down. With two dear friends, 22-ish miles were walked, new gear was tested, and tendons were achy. Here’s some main takeaways from a beautiful and enlightening weekend shakedown:

Body

Achilles tendonitis (tendinopathy? Idk I’m not a doctor) might be a new thing for me. This is daunting. And annoyingly, probably the result of decreasing training due to a solidly sprained ankle back in December 2024. Too much capacity too fast with more weight on my back = an angry achilles. Bummer. 

Before discovering my Achilles could feel pain. Little did he know …

Gear

I love my gear. New and old, it’s good stuff. Testing out some different variations, even just for two days, gave me a lot more confidence in it. The Durston X-Mid 1 is a fantastic tent. I will never return to a mummy sleeping bag when I have a lovely new EE quilt. Shoulder pockets on a pack are hella cool. Bottle cap bidets are the way to go. I liked using a fanny pack way more than I expected.

Not just a house – a home.

Food

Cold soaking might be for me. It’s less about saving weight and more about the simplicity. There are simply less steps involved in preparing food and that’s pretty nice. If you don’t mind having a little bit of ramen in your coffee then it might be the move.

Beer is never too heavy to pack out. Thank you Alex for carrying and sharing beer.

Other

I think I run warmer than I used to? Maybe I’ve put on a few extra pounds (probably) or maybe the cold doesn’t bother me as much. It feels like a superpower on cold nights and I’m going to relish in it.

Camping low down in a river canyon by a river where the sun barely reaches is a great way to have so much condensation on your tent in the morning that drips onto your sleeping bag. Site selection is everything. 

The mighty and majestic South Yuba.

It writes itself.