"We've reached the end of antibiotics"

[Raipizo]

I couldn't agree with this more. Well said!

At the same time this would cripple drug companies who make pills for the dumbest things. I see some of them for chronic disease yes but taking preventive care may have prevented you from getting it in the first place.

[Syn7]

If I eat right, sleep well, exercise and take the majik pill do I get to be a superhero?


Honestly, I take a balanced approach(for me). My life is more than preventing disease and injury. That balance depends on your priorities. Some people would rather take significant risks and die at 25 than live a strict regiment and live to 100. Most of us fall in the middle somewhere, yaknowhutimsayin? But there is no doubt that many need to step up their game.

[Raipizo]

Agreed, live hard and die young. I am not like that, no drugs alcohol etc. I try to eat well and take vitamins. I am not the usual young guy but hey I'm being what I want to be.

[GoldenBrain]

I'm being what I want to be

I like this statement. Too many people get bent out of shape because others are not the way they want them to be. I say scroooooem! Be what you want to be! Period!!! ***applause***

I also applaud Syn7. Balance is key! By the way, I think I've figured out why you selected, or rather were nicknamed Syn7. Either you are the musician or it's a chemistry thing. Am I close?

[Syn7]

I like this statement. Too many people get bent out of shape because others are not the way they want them to be. I say scroooooem! Be what you want to be! Period!!! ***applause***

I also applaud Syn7. Balance is key! By the way, I think I've figured out why you selected, or rather were nicknamed Syn7. Either you are the musician or it's a chemistry thing. Am I close?

Kinda. It has a chem angle but that came after the fact when some who are far more into chem than I am made the connection. It's funny how things like that can take on a life of it's own. It actually was Syntactic originally but was shortened to Syn pretty much right away. And yeah, that was a music thing, but there is some electronica cat who goes by Syn7 and that isn't me. And the seven came later on a hilariously crazy night and it stuck, but that's a long story.

I really do like taking a balanced approach. I'm not into the stoic thang. I don't deny myself life's pleasures, I just regulate them. Like most people, I'm sure I could do better. But when I look around at the people I grew up around who are the same age, that's when I see that I'm doing pretty well.

[SoCo KungFu]

I've been into Vasque and Merrell shoes for over 10 years now. I have two pairs of low top Merrell Moab Ventilators which have served me very well. I liked the Moabs so much that I bought two pairs so I could have a clean set to walk around in and one for trail running. The Merrells are priced right and can be found for under $100.00 if you look around. My foot is normal width but I have heard that they fit narrow so if you have a wide foot then choose the wide option. For a more expensive high top option I highly recommend Vasque Breeze (non goretex) and all leather Vasque Taqu (with goretex). Both of the Vasque boots will serve you well if you backpack on rugged trails, and the Merrells are perfect for trail running and light backpacking. I use the Taqus for cold weather and the Breeze for warm weather. I hike and work around the property in both of those boots. I use the Moabs mainly for trail running. If you want an all leather low top, I also own and recommend Vasque Montras. I wear the Montras around for street wear but they are also really good hiker/trail runners. I just like to keep them clean so I usually go with one of the others. I have put hundreds and hundreds of miles on all of the above except for the Montras and they have held up extremely well. The Breeze boots have seen at least a thousand miles and although the soles are half worn they are still in great shape. I plan on getting them resoled sometime this year. I wash all of my shoes regularly in our front loading washer and they hold up to that as well.

I like my Moabs. The sole is definitely the best part. Although, they held up well down south for a few years of rucking around scrub and even in swamp (which they weren't really made for). However, and maybe its been coming along and I'm just now noticing, but as soon as I got up here north and that first snow hit, they've since started going down hill. The sole is still great, but they're glued on and they're separating from the rest of the structure.

[GoldenBrain]

I like my Moabs. The sole is definitely the best part. Although, they held up well down south for a few years of rucking around scrub and even in swamp (which they weren't really made for). However, and maybe its been coming along and I'm just now noticing, but as soon as I got up here north and that first snow hit, they've since started going down hill. The sole is still great, but they're glued on and they're separating from the rest of the structure.

Ah man that blows about the soles. I agree they aren't made for the really rough stuff, but for the price you can replace them every couple of years, or gorilla glue them into submission.

I had a pair of Lowa's where the soles delaminated on both shoes at the same time. They let loose all the way to the heel, to the point that you could see my socks. It was like they just decided to fall apart on a certain milage. Planned obsolescence? I was at the halfway point on the Boone Fork trail along the Blue Ridge Pky, which by the way is one beautiful trail. My buddy and I had packs on for no other reason than for the extra weight. I was soooooo lucky that he had a bunch of duct tape wrapped around an ink pen. That's an engineer for ya, and a 180 IQ engineer at that. We taped my feet up, which looked absolutely ridiculous, but it got me out of there. We didn't see anybody up to that point but on the way back we must have passed 15 - 20 hikers. They all looked at my feet like I was the elephant man. I just smiled and duct taped my way right outta there. From then on I've been wearing Vasques for the hard stuff.

[SoCo KungFu]

I was at the halfway point on the Boone Fork trail along the Blue Ridge Pky, which by the way is one beautiful trail.

I haven't been on that one. Are you familiar with a little community called Celo, near Burnsville?

[GoldenBrain]

I haven't been on that one. Are you familiar with a little community called Celo, near Burnsville?

Oh yes, and what a beautiful place. NE of Mt. Mitchell, in the Pisgah National Forest right? Not really on the map, but more of a community as you put it. I don't really know anybody there, but I highly respect what they are about. I've hiked all over that general area. There are some amazing old growth stands to be found there. Especially if you are like me and tend to get way off the beaten path. I went through 5 or 6 years of a solo stealth camping phase where I would walk a certain milage on a given trail and at some point where I thought it was nice I would just drop off the trail and go really deep into the woods for a few days.

Are you from that area?

[SoCo KungFu]

Oh yes, and what a beautiful place. NE of Mt. Mitchell, in the Pisgah National Forest right? Not really on the map, but more of a community as you put it. I don't really know anybody there, but I highly respect what they are about. I've hiked all over that general area. There are some amazing old growth stands to be found there. Especially if you are like me and tend to get way off the beaten path. I went through 5 or 6 years of a solo stealth camping phase where I would walk a certain milage on a given trail and at some point where I thought it was nice I would just drop off the trail and go really deep into the woods for a few days.

Are you from that area?

No, not from there. There is a long standing tradition of summer birding/hiking through those parts. Great place to stage to hit up Pisgah, Mt. Mitchell, skip over to Roan, or hit up Devil's Courthouse, etc. I've only been recently going, but they (my mentor in biology, etc.) have been hitting up that little Celo Inn for some 20 years now. Lots of good hiking. And what most people don't realize, the southern Appalachians has the highest diversity of salamanders in the world. And they have the Blue Ghosts. Only lightning bugs in the world that shine that color. Sad though what's happening to that forest. Entire caps of dead stands, soon won't be much left.

Beautiful place though. And close enough to Asheville. Because Asheville has some good drinking. I totally recommend Wicked Weed. Or Thirsty Monk, if Belgians are your thing.

[GoldenBrain]

No, not from there. There is a long standing tradition of summer birding/hiking through those parts. Great place to stage to hit up Pisgah, Mt. Mitchell, skip over to Roan, or hit up Devil's Courthouse, etc. I've only been recently going, but they (my mentor in biology, etc.) have been hitting up that little Celo Inn for some 20 years now. Lots of good hiking. And what most people don't realize, the southern Appalachians has the highest diversity of salamanders in the world. And they have the Blue Ghosts. Only lightning bugs in the world that shine that color. Sad though what's happening to that forest. Entire caps of dead stands, soon won't be much left.

Beautiful place though. And close enough to Asheville. Because Asheville has some good drinking. I totally recommend Wicked Weed. Or Thirsty Monk, if Belgians are your thing.

I love Asheville! I've been to the Thirsty Monk, but not Wicked Weed (just added to the list of to-do's). The Thirsty Monk has some tasty brew, and a decent Reuben. The Reuben isn't quite as good as the one at Macado's in Boone, but it's close. Right down the road, stumble left, stumble right and you find the Mellow Mushroom…yummy!!!

Yeah, what they are doing to those forests just makes me want to cry. I know it's a renewable resource, and I have no problem with selective logging, but to clear cut a mountain top like they do there is just horrible. Have you ever been to Sugar Mt. and seen that hotel, Sugar Top I think it's called? It's like a giant cinder block plopped on top of a really beautiful mountain. At least they could have made it blend in somehow. Maybe leave a few trees to break the lines up a bit, or paint it cammo.

I've done some rock climbing at the Devil's Courthouse. You can see all the way to Georgia, TN and SC from the top. Just amazing!

Those blue ghosts are really cool. We have seen them in our yard in Millers Creek, so I don't think they are confined to just that area of the Appalachians. I was hiking around the Joyce Kilmer area one year on a solo. I left my little campfire to do my business and walked right into a swarm of these little beauties. It was like a forest full of blue glow sticks. It was pretty warm out so I went back to camp, put out the fire and just enjoyed natures light show.

Thanks for bringing that stuff up! Them's some good memories! I'll holla at you the next time I'm out that way and if you happen to be in the area maybe we can get a hike in or something.

[Raipizo]

I haven't gone hiking in awhile

[GoldenBrain]

I haven't gone hiking in awhile

Get yourself one of these beautiful creatures, and get your ass out in the woods! This is my dog Ofi (It's Choctaw for dog. Pronounced like opie, but sub the f for the p). She accepts no excuses!

[Raipizo]

Get yourself one of these beautiful creatures, and get your ass out in the woods! This is my dog Ofi (It's Choctaw for dog. Pronounced like opie, but sub the f for the p). She accepts no excuses!

I do have dogs is that a recent picture. That lack of snow disturbs me.

[Syn7]

That's a cool name. I had a cat named Cat once. It wasn't by design, I just couldn't think of a name and after like a week she was responding to "Hey CAT!" so it just stuck. That cat was nutz too. Lil curtin climbing face divebombing bastard! Awesome mouser though.

I'm gonna name my next dog Tycho Brahe. Not so much because of who Brahe was, but cause it just sounds cool to my Danish ears.