Meetup.com to soothe the isolation

---

I head back to Reno to pick up some packages at my UPS mailbox. As I planned I check out meetup.com and scope out some meetups. The first hiking meetup group I find in Reno is something like "Sierra Nevada Adventurers Group." Now I'm thinking this is going to be some serious mountaineering, but the next upcoming event is.. bowling. Ah well, it'll be a change of pace at least, so I rsvp.

I hang out in Reno until the event time and then make my way down the the Gold West Casino in Cardon City, and head for the Ole Ole Mexican restaurant. In the back I find what must be the meetup group- a large table with around 12 people seated. Most of the people here are, well, middle aged, at best, but I've made the trip to I will make the best of it. I introduce myself and take a seat and order. After a few drinks, those seated around me are just intoxicated enough to be seemingly captivated by my lecture on the feminine nature of the office environment. I eventually change the subject so as not to start annoying myself, and the now lighter conversation continues on until we pay the check and head next door to the bowling alley.

We bowl. Bowling is always fun no matter who you're with, and to be honest, these are all very nice people. We bowl two games, the first of which is my better, coming in at an impressive (well, to me) 130, and we all generally have a fun time. Good, clean fun.

So at that event I am made aware that Sacramento has a more active meetup circuit, so I scope out the events in that area and find many to choose from. I choose a lazy hike around Folsom Lake (near Sac) with some swimming mixed in. I have a day to burn ahead of that event, so I head up to Lake Tahoe, where the ranger at the visitor's center recommends summiting the nearby Mt Tallac, around 10000 feet. I make for the trailhead and on up the trail. The trail starts gently, and then starts a serious ascent. Most of the trail going up to the ridge is covered by snow, so I go around it by scrambling adjacent to it. The remainder is about 1.5 miles of rock hopping to the summit. The views from up here are phenomenal, with both Lake Tahoe spanned out before me to the east and the Desolation Wilderness in full view to the west. I head back down, tired and nauseous from the vente frappucino I had this morning (big mistake, but Shelby at Starbucks applied sales pressure). Other than that, I really enjoyed this hike.

Back in the parking lot, I get an email for a 6pm hike which isn't too far from here. It's about 5 past 5 now, so I think I can make it if I rush. I leave a comment at the meetup web page, something like, "Hey, it's 5:07 and I'm in South Lake Tahoe and otw, if I make it in time I'll join 703-919-5482". I head down the road around Lake Tahoe at unsafe speeds, slowly realizing that it will be harder to make it in time than I thought. Increasingly desperate, I put the pedal to the metal to beat the clock. Just when I think I'm making good time, the bane of every person who is in a rush occurs- the construction zone where only one side can pass at a time (you know, with the guy who stands holding the stop/slow sign). I wait for what seems an eternity. After finally getting through that hurdle, and coining some interesting new vulgar epithets in the process, I speed on. Eventually, the reality that there's no way I'll make it in time sinks in, and I give up. Just then, I get a call from an unfamiliar number. "Hi this is Leslie from the meetup group.. I saw your comment, I just wanted to let you know the event isn't until next week.. just wanted to make sure you didn't wait at the trailhead in vain.." I'll just end that story there.

The next day I bum around Sacramento until the hike event time. We meet in the parking lot of Gold's Gym and then carpool over to the trailhead. This group is thankfully a more diverse one age-wise. We head down the trail, which is very easy and conducive to conversation. I meet Neil, a 22 yo guy who just started his career at Northwestern Trust (an insurance company) in a sales capacity. Though he didn't think "sales" was a dignified enough term to describe his work, it sure sounded like sales to these ears. I also met Gwyn, a supervisor in the mental health care industry. We chat during the hike, where I learn of Gwyn's unfortunate fear of Birds of Paradise and clowns, until we arrive at the swimming spot and disrobe to our swimwear. The choppy water is pleasantly and surprisingly warm, with the occasional cold spot. After trying and failing to stand on a floating log, we all get out of the water and head back to the trailhead. Back at the parking lot we say our goodbyes, and Neil and I exchange digits (I know that sounded gay) since we both want to do some river tubing here in the near future.

Looking for further meetup events, I come across "Eat, Drink, and Play at Dave & Busters" and rsvp. I'm not sure in retrospect why I rsvp'd this one, since Dave & Busters is a glorified arcade, but I must have had some reason. I don't remember. Anyway, I arrive at the establishment that night, and can't find the group anywhere. I ask the hostess for information, but to no avail. After searching around in the place, I head out to my truck to check my phone and make sure I've got the right date. Yep, it's right. heading back in, I look around further, and see 3 confused looking ladies and ask them if they're with the meetup group. Bingo, they indeed are, so we sit in the bar, looking for other lost attendees. One by one, we retrieve the other errant meetup members, who are hidden around the establishment in various places ala Waldo. Poor planning on the part of the organizer imo.

Eventually we make it to the dinner table and eat and have some unremarkable conversation. There are around 9 of us. There's Pablo from Mexico, some chinese dude named Han, a pretty but hopelessly obese girl, a few older ladies, and some girl who works for the state of California. The obese girls seems pleasant enough until I hear what I'm sure was her advocating for the assassination of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The best part, if there was one, was some economic discourse with Han, where I may or may not have revealed my belief that China is on the verge of a severe economic collapse. After dinner, we get to the "play" part of this event- the arcade area. Everyone purchases their arcade tokens, but I politely decline, explaining how I have to leave early to make it to Truckee for tomorrow's hike. Plus, I don't really want to blow $10 on game tokens, since playing games in an arcade is just not my thing. I'm outta here.

I drive out to Truckee and park for the night. The next morning I meet my next meetup group for this event- a "strenuous" hike up to Castle Peak. The first 3 miles of the hike is over deep snow. Most of the group is in snowshoes, but I just go in my hiking shoes and have no problems traversing. I meet Greg, a sacramento local who to me resembles Clint Black, and Liliane from the Ukraine, and Rich the event organizer, and the rest. All are really cool people. We eventually reach a snow free part, where it's all uphill up a rocky slope. I can't help but to leave the rest behind at this point, since they're hiking at a "moderate" pace, and I just CAN'T hike slow. I make it up to the peak, and find a pinnacle there that has an easy but totally fun vertical free climb to the top that I really enjoy. I wait around for what must be 30 minutes until the rest of the laggard group arrives. In my absence, they've jokingly given me a nickname- "Mountain Goat" since they saw me practically running up the rocky trail (hey, I'm superconditioned now hiking at altitude). Rich is content to make this the turning point, but a few of the attendees agitate to summit the true peak of Castle Peak- to climb the pinnacle that I climbed. I volunteer to escort them up while the others wait. I escort three, but only one- Liliane- keeps going to the top, free climbing and totally enjoying it. However, having never climbed before, she struggles predictably on the climb down (which is always much harder). I assist her, showing her where to put her feet, and she comes down unharmed. Through this brief climb though, she's developed a real passion for climbing, and hopes to pursue it further. I hope she does. We head back on the trail, with Greg and I always on the lookout for suitable downhill slopes we can "foot-ski" down (this is really fun). Back at the cars, the group seem really intrigued by my truck setup and how exactly I sleep in it, and so forth. I tell them it's a bit of a mess, as I wasn't expecting visitors 😊 . After perusing my truck as if it's an exhibit in the Smithsonian, we all head over to downtown Truckee and go to a Mexican restaurant that Rich vouches for. After good food and some laughs we part ways, the group heading back to Sac, and me heading to wherever. This was a good meetup event.

---

Photos

Bowling with the old fogeys
Trying to figure out how this newfangled machine works.

Mt Tallac
Mt Tallac from the beginning of the trail

Me at the summit of Mt Tallac
Me at the summit of Mt Tallac

The Castle Peak hiking group
Plodding along...

Greg
Anyway, I though he looked like Clint Black..

Castle Peak
Castle Peak

Me at the windy Castle Peak summit
Before everyone else.