Engineering leader. Builder. Systems thinker.
I lead engineering teams building products that make people’s lives easier. Previously Amazon, Coinbase, DoorDash, and founder of Accelsun, a software development company.
I write about software engineering, leadership, productivity systems, and building things.
Basil hit the summit and immediately started begging for water. I had 2.5 liters — all of it electrolyte mix. A dog can’t drink electrolyte water. The look he gave me said everything. That moment — standing below the Haystack with views of North Bend and a half-clear Mount Rainier stretched out in every direction, my dog giving me the eyes, and nothing in my pack he could actually drink — was the most useful 30 seconds of the whole day. ...
The rain started somewhere around mile 3. I know this because that’s when Basil stopped investigating every fern and started giving me the look — the one that says you said this was going to be fun. It was still fun. Just wet. The lower trail. Basil still optimistic at this point. The Setup Granite Creek Trail (also listed as Granite Lakes Trail on AllTrails) is a Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley hike that most North Bend regulars know about but fewer do — probably because it doesn’t top any “best views” lists, and the trailhead is 50 minutes from Issaquah on SE Middle Fork Road. I did it on a Tuesday. No other cars at the trailhead. NW Forest Pass required. ...
13 miles, 3,400 feet of gain, a 35-pound pack, and a dog who demanded fetch when we got home. A long-overdue training hike ten minutes from my house.
Backpacking the Enchantments: What Happens When You Aren’t Expecting to Win the Lottery The Enchantments are one of the most competitive backpacking lotteries in the United States, so in 2025 I entered the lottery fully expecting to lose. But I ended up winning on my first try (Fellow backpackers, don’t hate me!) So now I had a problem. I’d entered the Enchantments lottery the way you enter a sweepstakes on a cereal box: no real plan, no expectation of winning, and that when I eventually won in a few years, I would have much more experience and training under my belt. The plan was to enter for a few years, build up a proper gear kit, and eventually do it right. Instead, I got a permit for a July 4th weekend on my very first attempt. ...