Summer Bits and Bobs

Hello there friends,

This is Skylar and another edition of The Daily Grog newsletter. There are a few new faces around, so if you’re new, welcome and thanks for following along. How are you? How’s your summer going?

I, myself, just got back to Seattle from a very special place. The most special, actually.

A few years ago when I started dating my girlfriend, Steph(anie), I was fortunate enough to be invited to her family cabin in Northern California. But from what I remember it wasn’t any easy decision for her - was I special enough to get the invite? Had we been dating long enough? Not just any mere mortal gets an invite to The Cabin. Fortunately I passed the test and have been invited back each of the last 6 summers, but I kind of think it’s so that I keep offering to haul the firewood up the hill to the shed. But hey, I’ll take it!

Days at The Cabin are simple. Waking to the sun rising and birds chirping, though sometimes a little aggressively. A brisk morning with a cup of coffee, walking down to the lake to check the boats. Lazy afternoons on the deck reading and conversing with friends and family. Waddling down to the lake for splashy activities (or my favorite, the sunset kayak). Family dinners, of course. And falling asleep under the stars. One could not ask for a more perfect existence.

I have more to say about The Cabin, but for now know that of all the places I’ve been in the world, none compare.

Other than that, I’ve been in Seattle trying to take advantage of as much hiking, camping, and city time as possible. It dawned on me the other day that this is actually my first COVID-less summer in Seattle! So as much as I am a native to the PNW, there are still all sorts of nooks and crannies up here that I’m still getting to know.

Upcoming Trips

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Generally speaking, I do the least amount of traveling during the Summer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). It’s too hot, too crowded, too expensive, and a rather unpleasant experience if you ask me. So if anything it’s local trips up and down the west coast.

Since August slips away like a bottle of wine*, I have my sights set on September, when it’s time for my international travels start picking up again. This September, Steph, myself, and a couple of our friends are headed to England to do trek across the North Yorkshire Moors. I’m so stoked because it’s the type of trekking trip I’ve been itching to go on for a while now. Plus, more pubs and cask ale? Yes, please.

The ideation of this trip has gone through quite the journey of its own. The general idea was to 1) go on a trip with our friends because friend trips are the best and 2) make walking/hiking the primary activity. But where to?

First we were going to head to the Dolomites in Italy - incredibly beautiful and many opportunities for hut to hut trekking. But there are four of us, so managing competing schedules and time off was tricky. We were only looking at a little over a week, so we wanted to minimize transit time to maximize walking time. We eventually landed on England, and a huge factor was the sheer amount of village to village trails all over the country.

After more deliberation of exactly where in England, we settled on the North York Moors. We’ll be walking for 6 days over ~80 miles with about 10,000 feet of elevation gain - not too big, but not the shortest. Each night we’ll be in a new village and staying at a pub or inn, which means we get a nice bed and a big meal. More importantly, we don’t have to carry a tent, sleeping bag+pad, or a stove. The heaviest thing we’ll carry is water.

After the England trek, I’ll be heading to Munich to see a friend and take part in some Oktoberfest shenanigans. It’ll be my third time at Oktoberfest (3.5 if you count Fruhlingsfest, Oktoberfest’s springtime cousin).

Gear

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Incoming gear nerd talk.

Speaking of gear, as I prep for this trip, I’m taking a moment to revisit my gear list. Since time is going to be split between rucking around and city travel, it gave me the opportunity (excuse) to try out a few new items. I also took a peak at serial walker Craig Mod’s recent newsletter with Ben Pobjoy for some inspiration and to see what I might be missing.

First is the ULA Ultra Camino, which is a lot of bag. It’s 54 liters and weights 50.8 oz, which is almost identical to my normal hiking backpack, the Granite Gear Blaze 60 that also weighs 50.8 oz. So why get a new bag, you ask? Well mostly because I’m me, and also because this looks like it might be slightly more functional and adapt to fit different scenarios - something that will play as well in the country and in the city. I have some plans for very extensive walking trips in the near-ish future, so I’m searching for something that’ll fit that role.

I’m also a jacket enthusiast turned hoarder. I’m pretty high on a insulated jacket I picked up from Western Rise a few months ago. It hasn’t seen extensive use yet, but from what I can during a few walks through Seattle, it’s far warmer than my trusty Patagonia Nano Puff, and more weather resistant. The general goal is to pair an insulated jacket with a super lightweight shell like the Versatile Jacket from Japanese outfitter Montbell (only 4.7 ounces, how?!).*

But rain jackets are tricky because I rarely use them, even though I travel in predominantly Fall to Spring climates - weird, right? The “usage ratio,” if you will, of a rain jacket is pretty low, relative to pretty much everything else in my travel kit. So the quest is to find one that takes up infinitesimal amount space, but can be relied on when needed. The other option is literally a poncho, but that’s less ideal against wind and you just look kind of dumb.

More random kit I picked up:

• Altra Lone Peak- - Once you go wide toe box, you won’t go back. Seriously, even if you don’t go all in on the “barefoot” shoe thing, get some with wide toe boxes and thank me later.
• A bunch of Merino gear, like this lightweight - sun hoodie from Ridge Merino- . And a collection of shirts from - Unbound Merino- and Smartwool. Though it’s not the most durable (especially over long distances with friction from a backpack and other gear) Merino wool works so well that the price is well worth it in my book.
• Some - Injinji Toe socks- are absolutely coming with me on this trip. They look absurd, but getting blisters mid-hike is more absurd.

My wallet is sad, but my heart is happy. There are a few more pieces I’ll probably pick up over the next few weeks. Maybe I should do a full on kit list for this trip specifically? Would you be interested?

Recommendations

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I Reviewed Restaurants for 12 Years. They’ve Changed, and Not for the Better. (NYTimes Gift Article) - Man, I have so many thoughts about this essay. You could easily read this as “man shakes fist at sky,” but if you truly think about how far we’ve leaned into convenience, I don’t think he’s wrong. I highly dislike QR code menus and having to make a reservation for every single restaurant. In a way, dining out has faced the same shift that long distance travel has. For many reasons, good restaurants have become more accessible and normalized (and even over-normalized) over the last 20 years. But that’s also meant the magic and allure of a night out has been ceded to reviews, homogeneity, trends, social media, and reservation gaming, all while continuing to get more expensive.

Why Didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? (Part 1) (Podcast, Spotify) - I’ve been a long time listener of PJ Vogt, back to his days at Reply All, so I was so glad when I heard about Search Engine. This is a fun episode that’s about Berghain, a legendary club in Berlin, but more broadly the techno music and post-war life in Germany. Pretty much anything that comes out of Search Engine is great, so thumb through their archives and find a few good ones.

How to Know If You're Living in a Doom Loop - Ted Gioia is ever the insightful critic of culture and media. “The algorithm is, by definition, a repeating pattern that always looks backward. It does something in the future based on what worked in the past. So the algorithm that recommends music or videos on a web platform will never deliver a totally fresh and new experience for you. It always gives you something similar to what you consumed last week—or last month, or last year. And, as the cycle repeats, the results get less interesting and more predictable.”

The Machine in the Garden - Even if you don’t live in New York, Emily’s newsletters are fun and she knows how to build a community. This longford essay departs from her typically daily newsletters, but it echoes many of my own feelings about not just Substack, but also what’s been happening across the board in the online creative world.

On Art After Risk - In a way this is related to Emily’s essay, but from a more visual arts perspective. It asks a broader question though, what happens when art isn’t allowed, or encouraged, to take risks anymore? Who is it for? Spike Art Magazine

Twenty Years Here - I’ve been really digging Chris Tharp’s writing lately. His portraits of Korea make me even more eager to visit, if that’s possible. This one about Busan is no exception. There’s a special feeling when a city connects with your soul at such a deep level, and I think he captured that feeling beautifully in this.

A Stalled American Dream - Chris Arnade is one of the most insightful travel writers out there at the moment and not afraid to get into it. I’m a little bummed his tour through the US might be cut short, but if you’re hungry for that type of writing going into this year’s election, take a look at his older work.

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Alright, that’s it for now. As always, I appreciate your time and attention.

As I’m prepping for this walk in England, is there anything you all are curious about or would like to see? Pictures? Videos? I

P.S. - Since I’ll be ending the trip in Oktoberfest, you bet your ass I’m taking my lederhosen. I got these deer hide bad boys back in 2016 so I really need to make sure I put ‘em to use.