Quest for WS

      Snake encounters are inevitable. In many parts of the US, including the northern Sierra Nevada foothills where I live, coming across snakes between the months of March and November is a certainty. I don't have an active count of how many snakes I've seen while running, but this year alone, the count is somewhere around nine. These encounters range from running past harmless insect-eating snakes to unwittingly running right up to large and pissed off rattlers. With these intimidating slithery creatures on the prowl in our playground, it's worth considering what role they play in the risks associated with trail running and hiking, and how much of our brain space we should allow them to consume.      To be perfectly fair, I think it's important to point out that fear of snakebites is not in any way unfounded. Venomous snakes are dangerous. Around 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes every year in the US, and many of those people suffer the effects ...

The California runner is not afraid of winter. While we cruise along trails, climbing coastal mountains in our T-shirts and sunglasses, we hear stories from our midwestern brothers and sisters of heavy layers, micro-spikes, and socks being used for unusual purposes (ask them, not me). Frankly, it is not the cold that we fear, nor is it the heat. Rather, it’s a byproduct of our ordinarily balmy climate. Despite temps regularly surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some regions (around 38 degrees Celsius for our metric friends), most Californian runners will tell you that the heat isn’t a major problem. Our dry climate makes for cool mornings, and even on the worst of days a 7 AM run merely means pushing through the low 80s. Unfortunately, the dry climate has a dark side. Months without rain means very dry and often dead vegetation, meaning all it takes is a windy day and a spark to bring trouble. Depending on where you live, this can be perilous, but regardless, all fires generate sm...