Looking Ahead to 2015
· hiking
Mount Washington Observatory in Winter, credit silentlandscapes.com
The new year typically means a time of reflection and a time of resolutions. I’ve made my share of resolutions, but they always seem so history-focused. I try focus more on the now, or at the very most the near-future. I’d much rather consider some goals for the upcoming year than try to set empty promises to correct my societal-based, self-perceived, personal issues. As I hinted in my look back on 2014, I like to set my sights on extreme adventures which push me to stay on target on a daily basis.
For example, if I tell myself I’m going to run four times a week and cross train once a week, I will get bored with the regiment in a month and stop doing it. On the other hand, if I focus on running a marathon in May, I’ll start training for it 8 months prior and religiously stick to the aforementioned training schedule. Big goals work for me, not pointless behaviors.
With that in mind, here are some of my goals for 2015:
- Complete my first winter hike of a New England 4000 Footer
- Possibly related to the above, I’d like to snowshoe to the top of Mount Washington on a clear day
- Complete the New Hampshire (13 remaining) and Vermont (1 remaining) 4000 Footers
- Attempt the White Mountains Hut-to-Hut Hike in 24 hours
- Attempt a solo, 1-day Presidential Traverse or a moonlight Presidential Traverse with friends
- Do a multi-day summer hike with friends in the Adirondacks
- Hike Massachusetts’s Highest Point, Mount Greylock
- Hike some of the Sierra Nevadas while on the west coast for work training
Some of these goals are unlikely (Mount Washington being clear on a day I have off in the winter) or just crazy (Hut-to-Hut). But, I like to go big because if I fail I still achieve something great and learn a lot. I also realize that I have to be in great shape if I hope to accomplish these goals. That’s why I’ve started Hal Higdon’s Novice Supreme marathon training even though a marathon is not on my list of goals for 2015. My training end date is the Summer Solstice with the goal of being in marathon-shape for some of my crazier goals.
Finally, I would also like to continue to write blog posts for the duration of 2015. My goal has been to write a post a week to make sure I continually produced content for you, my readers. Hiking logs are easy for me to write. With nearly 60 mountains hiked last year I have plenty of content in that regard. I’m curious what people are interested in seeing in my posts that are not specific to hiking a particular mountain. Gear, trail food, instructional posts, balancing work/family/adventure?
Hit up the comments below if you have some ideas and thanks for reading in 2014 and I hope you continue to visit in 2015.