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.
My Dog Lay Down on the Trail and Refused to Move Five miles into the Chelan Lakeshore Trail, my dog, Basil, walked past me, stopped in the middle of the trail, and lay down. Not the “this shade looks nice” lie-down. The other one. The one that means I have consulted my remaining resources and we are done here. Basil has never done that before. We were five to six miles from where I’d planned to stop for the day, it was pushing 90 degrees, and there wasn’t nearly as much shade as we were used to. The nearest camp was a mile away, and the plan I’d spent weeks building needed to adapt to the circumstances — fast. So I picked him up and started walking. ...
When I set out for the Enchantments last spring, I decided to swing hard toward ultralight and threw everything in a Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 70L. The pack delivered on its promise — genuinely light, handles weight reasonably well — but by the end of the trip, my back was wrecked from chafing. The bungee back panel that creates airflow between the pack and your back is great in theory, but in practice the constant micro-movement rubbed me raw. For a trip that’s supposed to be one of the highlights of the Pacific Northwest hiking calendar, spending the last two days thinking about your back is not what you’re paying for. ...
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. ...