Oh man, that Gregory Bald climb is no joke (I learned that the hard way too). Did a similar trip back in 2019 where I went up that way in late July and thought I was going to melt into a puddle on the trail. The water situation really is a gamble up there, I remember spending a good hour trying to find a decent flow to filter from near the campsite. But seriously, getting to the top and seeing the whole valley just spread out below you, it's one of those moments where you completely forget about the brutal hike up. The azaleas are a nice bonus, I caught them in late May once and they were just starting to pop, not quite as full as you described though. Low Gap is definitely the easier call with more reliable water but you miss out on that big payoff at the top, you know?

Nah frozen pizza is reliable and tasty, why risk a random mess when you know the pizza works.

Man, I used to be one of those guys who thought you had to retrain the shutter curtains every single time or replace the whole assembly. Thought anything less was just a bandaid fix. But honestly, seeing how many of those old Nikons just needed a proper clean and fresh seals really changed my mind. It's wild how much gunk and dried out foam can mess up a shutter that's otherwise totally fine. Now I always start with the basics before I go tearing into the curtain tension or anything serious. Saves a ton of time and keeps those cameras original for way longer.

Wait, does the air fryer bacon actually taste the same as cast iron?

Three times I've seen guys do that with a screwdriver, @the_elliot - did the guy also use his channel locks as a hammer on that job?