Remembering the old way we used to mark out a 12-foot header

Three years ago on a job in Toledo, we were still using chalk lines and a framing square for the whole layout. Last week, the apprentice just pulled out his phone with a laser level app and had it done in ten minutes. Anyone still keep the old methods in their kit, or is it all digital now?

Can we talk about stabilizer wire popping out during a build

Had a Durock V2 wire pop clean out of the housing while I was clipping it in last night. I had to bend it back into shape with some needle nose pliers, but now the key feels a bit off. Anyone have a better fix for a warped stabilizer wire?

Can we talk about the Colorado Trail's Collegiate West loop?

I was sure the extra 80 miles and higher passes were just a flex for hardcore people, but my buddy talked me into it last fall (starting at Twin Lakes, you know). The views from Hope Pass were so wild I actually stopped to take a picture, which I never do. Anyone have a favorite section on that loop they'd do again?

Used to eyeball my counterweight setup until a near tip in Tacoma last month, now I always do the math first.