McKay Hollow Trail

I just got back from hiking at Monte Sano State Park. The park is located at the summit of Monte Sano Mountain, and maintains about 14 miles of hiking/biking trails. I enjoyed an easy 1 1/2 mile run on the South Plateau Loop then veered onto the McKay Hollow trail which is meant for more serious hikers. After about 2 miles on the latter trail I didn't think it seemed all too difficult - it was narrow and buggy, that's for sure; but I didn't think it deserved its double diamond rating. To this point it was generally a gradual downward slope. But then, then the last half mile kicked my ass. By the time I returned to the lodge I was tired, and I was thirsty, and I was sweaty. I made a more careful inspection of the giant trail map, and the McKay Hollow trail drops 600 ft over about 1 1/2 miles, and in the last half mile it earns its double diamonds (I think it's the only double diamond trail in the park).

When I intersected the Natural Well trail I followed it (as was my original plan) for about a quarter mile but every ten steps I got a facefull of spider web, and so it wasn't fun anymore and I returned to the McKay Hollow trail. Where the latter trail ends a sign reads "Natural Well is not maintained as it has been washed out." If the park guys had one of those signs at the other end of the McKay Hollow trail I wouldn't have had to floss my teeth with spider webbing. Douche bags.

And so I bought a nice cold bottle of water and one of delicious orange soda and enjoyed them thoroughly. I discovered the park store sells cold beer. Nice to know if I ever camp up there. So yeah, I had a pretty fun hike.

Labor Day Weekend

Should be called BBQ & Beer Weekend. That is all.

Drinking Age Debate

If the legal drinking age does ever drop to 18, I'll wish I had gone to college later.  I could drive, vote, enlist, and run for office; but drinking beer is obviously too dangerous. Then again, as an underclassmen I didn't have the money to spend at bars anyways.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/08/18/college.drinking.age.ap

Olympic Hijinks

I seems there's more than meets the eye at the Beijing Olympics, what with fake fireworks, fake singers, and potentially underage athletes. The biggest surprise? Michael Phelps is actually an Atlantic salmon in a speed-o. Man, what computers can do nowadays is simply incredible.

Invisibility Jacket

We're one step closer to Solid Snake's invisibility cloak. And I think it makes for a pretty trendy fashion statement too.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/11/invisibility.cloak.ap

8/8/8

Happy 08/08/08 Day! This only occurs once like every bazzilion years.

I think I'll celebrate by drinking 8% beer, betting Spanish dollars against octogenarian arachnids in a game of Eight-ball, listening to an 8-track of 8.

Goddamn Mongorians!

Jenny and I saw Sergei Bodrov's Mongol last night - the first film in a planned trilogy telling the life of Genghis Khan. For a while we were hoping Huntsville would be included in the limited release, and though it's playing at one of Huntsville's crappier theaters (the only local cinema which seems to bring in indie and foreign films) we are pleased it finally made an appearance. Mongol is essentially an Asian Braveheart, historical inaccuracies and all - but how many Americans know the fine details about Genghis Khan's life anyways? All I have to say is: It was freakin' sweet.