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Paiute Meadows 30K: The Trail That Humbled Me
Sometimes you sign up for a race because it looks fun. Sometimes you sign up because the medal is cool. And sometimes you sign up because it's close to home and think, "How hard can it be?" Spoiler alert: those are usually the races that humble you the most. The Paiute Meadows 30K was one of those races. My husband and I originally signed up because we wanted to support our local running community. We had heard great things about the race organizers and figured it would be a
Mai Smith-Trau
Jun 285 min read


Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area: Nature, Paddleboards, and the Great Life Vest Crisis
Let’s talk about Northern California—the state's best-kept secret (and no, I’m not just saying that because the SoCal folks forget it exists). This place is a total movie set come to life: trees that look like they were sketched by Bob Ross, lakes so clear you can see your regrets at the bottom, and trails that make you say “I totally work out” even when you don’t. We recently took the chaos (aka the family) to Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area—one of only sixteen of
Mai Smith-Trau
Jul 25, 20252 min read
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