Weeknotes 2025W29

This week, I went on our third annual boys backpacking trip and had so much fun. This is usually an annual thing but I was in Morocco the last two years so it was great to dig all my gear out and take a two-night trip in Washington. Four of us backpacked to Heart Lake (via Lily Basin trail) on Thursday morning. The hike in was difficult but the view of Packwood Lake and Mount Rainier were indescribably beautiful. My pack was probably overweight for my stature and strength but I kept up. The hills in that area are steep. It was only a little over six miles but it took us almost six hours to get there because we were moving so slow.

We dropped down over a ridge and descended down to Heart Lake, immediately dropping our backpacks and jumping in the lake. We set up camp, ate lunch, and explored the surrounding area. The bugs were ridiculous but the weather was incredible.

On the second day, we decided to just hang out around the lake instead of hike further to Goat Lake. We grabbed our chairs, food, and drinks and sat on the cliff overlooking a valley with mountains in the background.

I left my phone at home and brought my Camp Snap camera for photos. I had it in my hip pocket and didn’t take particularly good care of it, just snapping photos when I felt like it. This kind of environment is pretty much what that camera is designed for and it did great. I had a lot of fun with it.

It was great to unplug for a few days after a swarm of rejections from jobs I was excited about. I’ll write a proper trip report later because there wasn’t much information online about this hike.

Links

• How secure is your Bitcoin wallet’s mnemonic seed phrase? by Tom Bennet. Really fun an interactive guide to crypto wallet seeds.
• We can’t afford to keep cutting taxes for the rich by Noah Smith. Tax cuts don’t pay for themselves.
• Return on Investment: An in-depth report commissioned by NPCA provides empirical data on the benefits of Peace Corps by Richard Pyle. Returned volunteers contribute significantly to the economy and to sharing other cultures with the U.S. public.

  We know from this study and its predecessors that we “get” U.S. citizens who are more globally aware and committed to service. The results of this study demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of the RPCVs were led by their changed perspective to solve problems in the U.S. and globally in their professional careers and public service.

• A Friendly Introduction to SVG by Josh Comeau. Great guide to understanding how SVGs are written and animated.