2013 Plans

Great time of year to evaluate 2012 and look forward to the longer days…

I started 2012 chomping at the bit on BPL last New Year's mainly on the Philosophy discussions and although I liked the do not buy chat I failed this year at that…more on that later.

2012 Highlights included:

– After a long slog on the skiis up to Balfour Glacier in January in a whiteout, I redeemed myself on Mt. Field in February on an absolute blue bird day with perfect avy conditions…it was perhaps my best powder day ever.

– In Feb, I took a couple friends up a long sought after (for me) multi-pitch ice classic in the Ghost – The House of Sky, his 3rd climb and her 1st climb…spiritual area for sure.

– A buddy and I got aggressive and went rock climbing on March 9th in Stone Hill Montana…that is the earliest I've climbed this far north…and it was 18C…needless to say our backcountry campout was warm but ice climbing was done for that weekend.

– Easter road trip to Moab with my 9 yr old daughter. We camped in the snow in Montana, then had 80 degree weather in Salt Lake. Moab was warm with a swim in the campground pool the first night then snow in the Arches campground. Maybe a week or two early but the start of something. We got on the mountain bikes and spent an incredibly clear night in Arches by the campfire.

– In April, I got out for a weekend of rock climbing in Skaha and then Revelstoke before bailing on skiing at Kootenay Pass due to warm weather

– I started following Dave Chenault's blog http://bedrockandparadox.com/ and had plans of doing the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open but got stymied a week before due to the boss denying the holiday because a client wanted to meet…nothing came of it so its on the agenda for 2013

– This year was supposed to be the year where I "got good" at whitewater kayaking, previous years I had dabbled up to Grade 2…I found what turned out to be my season buddy and we started in May and ended up self-guiding ourselves on the Red Deer River Grade 3 by July and in the interim paddling most of the Grade 2/2+ rivers in Southern Alberta.

– Getting out in the sea kayaks at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on July 2nd with my Mom…a trip long time coming and hey the south side of Lake Superior was warm so I honed my roll (6 for 6!). That night was perhaps the best thunder and lightning storm display I have ever witnessed in a tent (a guy died in northern Minnesota that night when a tree fell on a tent)…this was the heat wave which we avoided by being close to the lake.

– Getting up Mt. Athabasca and Mt. Lefroy on consecutive weekends in early July which led to 2 more 11,000ers in the Indian Summer of September and I'm hooked.

– Considered thru-hiking the Highline trail in Glacier/Waterton in mid-July but the ranger on the phone thought I was crazy and wouldn't give me a pass until I proved I could do the hike…

– I finally broke down and sold my Laser 2 sail boat after hauling it back and forth between Alberta and Lake Superior for the past 5 years. Turns out a guy in Cleveland bought it and so my Dad and I went for a road trip…a long road trip and drove the loop around Lake Erie (first time) in 36 hrs or so.

– In August, I joined a long time climbing and adventure buddy to ride in Revelstoke. We rode 2 classic trails (Frisby Ridge & Mt. Sale) in the 35C heat and then drove south to Nelson overnight and took in a hot spring in Nakusp on the way. The plan was to climb an alpine route Mt Gray in Kokanee Provincial Park but without any beta we bailed and instead got back on the bikes to ride the classic 26km Seven Summits in Rossland. Decent weekend.

– And September long weekend meant a family canoe trip on the Red Deer River through the Badlands…it was excellent except that when I went to pull the canoe up the stony embankment, I slipped and landed on my tail bone…thought I was done for and had nausea like nothing before…turned out after a week or so I recovered fine.

– September meant more scrambles as the Indian Summer continued, then Oct. 6th hit and it was winter snow waist deep. Some ice climbing in December and here we are.

The lack of ice climbing and skiing (and little scrambling) in November meant I was shopping online. I justified it by saying that I was replacing old gear and reducing as I sold off any redundant stuff. I committed to the Dynafit TLT Carbon boots to replace both bad ice climbing plastics and uncomfortable alpine touring ski boots – golden. I replaced an old avalanche air bag pack with a new one that is lighter and far better designed. I also bought some Cayenne battery heated gloves on Cyber Monday as my hands are always cold and it takes away from my pleasure. Add a brand new Kokatat GFER dry suit for $200 on Craigslist and I was done. And a month later I truly feel done for goods. I have what I need and I can clear the slate for doing rather than acquiring. I just recycled pretty much any redundant gear I have left and I'm ready for 2013.

2013 Plans (besides finishing my basement after doddling for 4 years so we can rent it and use the money for family adventure)…

– teach my daughter(s) to surf and stand-up paddleboard, and then ride down from Haleakala in Maui

– Thru-hike Highline Trail in Glacier to Waterton, Berg Lake in Mt Robson, and maybe the John Muir Trail

– Do at least one canoe or overnight family camping trip

– Ski from the Asulkan Hut in Roger's Pass, Bonnington Traverse in the Kootenays, Mt Andromeda and ponder a trip to North Twin and Twins Tower on the Columbia Icefield

– Get up more 11,000 ft peaks, maybe down to Granite Mtn and Borah Peak

– Do an easy ice climb on the Weeping Wall

– Whitewater kayak more Grade 3s and shoot a small (I mean small) waterfall in Kananaskis

– Drive to the Arctic Circle and Alaska with my Dad (a dream of his)

– Do the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open in May and maybe convince a few others to join me

– Boulder V5, and work towards the ultimate goal of climbing 5.13a, get my daughter climbing on the competitive rock climbing team at the gym

– Get up Mt Assiniboine, Sir Donald, and to the Wind River Range

– Mountain bike each of the trails that make up the Trans Rockies multi-day race, teach my daughter to ride cross country

– Take a trip rock climbing in North Carolina combined with some kite surfing at Cape Hatteras (need to get my butt out on the snow kiting before)

– turn 40 feeling fitter than I've ever felt

1. More winter camping

2. Tahoe Rim Trail – all of it.

3. PCT Trail backpacking on the section I helped build (from scratch) in 1980.

4. More backcountry skiing in Nevada and Colorado.

1] 2-3 short backpack trips (2-3 nights each). Buffalo Peaks Wilderness, South Fork of the Conejos River loop, Indian Peaks Wilderness are just some of the locations I am looking at.

2] Hike/Climb another 8-10 Colorado 14ers (Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, Kit Carson, Challenger Point, Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Point, Maroon Peak, North Maroon Peak…..)

Priority is on Item 1

As I get older I find that I am not an Ultimate Hiker as Andrew Skurka puts it but prefer the style of trip where I put 8-10 miles between camps and allow some extra time to explore around the camp, have tea, enjoy my surroundings etc..

I did most of the Colorado Trail in 2011 and finished the last little bit in 2012. I don't really have the desire to do another long trail, kinda been there done that. I want to focus more getting into remote wilderness areas then simply hiking long distances.

My plans if things work out (and they might not are)

-Take my cousins backpacking on the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas.

-Meet my family in Colorado and help with logistics and younger siblings so my parents are freed up to do a really cool backpacking trip together.

-Take my 14 year old brother Joseph hiking in Colorado

-Explore the Yellowstone backcountry with my brother Daniel.

-Do a 10 day trip with no resupplies and no road crossings in a big wilderness area. Probably a big loop through the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Take a real vacation with my wife this year.

Hiking related goals are…

1. Recover from recent surgery and get back into shape for…

2. GoRuck Challenge with my son in Austin, TX, May 4th.

3. Section hike a portion of the AT in VA around Sept or Oct.

Happy New Year!

Party On,

Newton

— Do first winter overnight trip
— Do a hiking trip with My Dad
— try out tarp camping
— take 4 and 2 year on overnight trip
— get 4 year old up to 5 mile hikes
— go to yosimite, hike half dome, go to disneyland
— do more 1 night trips
— Simplify and reduce food cost.
— organize gear better so it is easier to get out and do trips

#1. Wake up every day above ground.

#2. Go camping more often with my wife in the tent trailer. Last couple of years I have done a lot of day hikes, when we could have gone camping and hiked from our campsite. This wasn't fair to my wife.

Finish nursing school, find a job, start paying down debt.

Run a marathon.

Start planning for PCT 2014!

Find my bliss, again.

Had it once.. then it slipped away.

Found it again.. got away under my very eyes.

Third time, held on too tight.. slipped away.

Gotta find that bliss…

1. Get a lot stronger and compete in a power lifting meet. Lifting heavy has helped my hiking more than any LSD (long, slow distance)training.

2. Organize my gear better so I can grab and go.

3. Explore winter backpacking.

1. Finish NH 4k's 5 to go.. no problem

2. get GF back out on multi day hike.

3. work on Terrifying 25 list http://www.trishalexsage.com/p/the-terrifying-twenty-five.html#uds-search-results

4. Climb more/harder. '12 was not good since i hiked so much.

5. ride enough so i can still hang with the fast-ish Thurs night group ride

6. possibly do the northern 300mi of AT as a mini thru

My #1 goal for 2013 is to successfully rehab my shoulder so I can get back to my active lifestyle at the level I'm used to. I tore my labrum in my left shoulder in the fall of 2012 and am trying to determine whether I can live with(in) the injury or get surgery (and then more rehab). So far, the injury places some limitations on my abilities but not nearly as bad as I initially feared. Few more months of testing the waters before I need to make a decision…

Otherwise, lots of general goals and a few specific goals:

– More winter snow camping trips. Start pushing the conditions a little more (more snow, colder temps, longer duration, etc).
– Learn to fish Tenkara (got set up with a Tenkara rod, line and some flies for Christmas).
– Start pushing more miles and more ambitious trips on my normal 1-2 night local trips.
– Experiment with some multi-modal trips (eg, bikepacking, maybe a packraft?).
– Get a few more Sierra trips in during the summer, perhaps even try to knock out a JMT thru-hike in late summer/early fall.
– If my shoulder will allow it, get back to racing in open ocean paddleboard races; maybe return to the 32-mile Molokai to Oahu and Catalina Classic Races this summer.
– Attempt to finish our local underground triathlon: 10-mile ocean paddle, 26-mile beach/trail run, 38-mile mountain bike ride.

This should be enough to keep me busy for most of 2013!

I didn't get out in 2012 nearly as much as I would have liked, but it was still a great year because:
1. I discovered backpacking light and knocked about 15 lbs off my base weight
2. I started dieting and running regularly and knocked 50 lbs off myself

So my goals for 2013:
1. Go on at least 4 multiday trips
2. Run a marathon
3. Get a packraft for fishing the high lakes (already replaced my old pack with a ula epic)

The first nine months of the year are filling up fast:

Jan-March: ski and ride my fatbike a bunch, I've got a half dozen multidays in Glacier lined up already, and the BPL Montana rondy at the end of March

April-June: transition to hiking and packrafting at lower elevations and skiing up in the high peaks, with the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open at the end of May

July-August: besides catching lots of trout, the main objectives are a full traverse of the continental divide in Glacier (S to N, staying with in a straight line mile the whole way) and a route in Glacier linking all the 10,000' peaks in one push

September: wilderness elk season, goal is shoot one deep in and pack it out totally human powered

Since moving to the US a year ago I have got out backpacking with members of Bpl 5 times (out 10 trips in total) I hope I can improve on that figure in 2013.

GGG in January-Thanks Ken

Ski with the family in Winter

5 day trip to Desolation Wilderness in late June/July

Hike the JMT in late August into September

Trinity Alps in late October/November

Win lottery an retire

Loose 20 lbs

Go to more concerts

Hike the Appalachian Trail End to End with Margo (Ann). Visit Morocco when We are done. Relocate to ???

I have been waiting for this!

Live more
Work less

…

That sounds painful Roger.

I'm gonna try to get out more weekends this year, especially when it warms up a bit. Also planning on doing the CT this summer (or JMT if that falls through). Super excited for it all.

I really plan on getting back out more this year. I spent last season really tied up with an organic pastured poultry farm, and my time was spent chasing chickens instead of trails.
This year we already have a week planned in the Winds, and my wife and son are both excited to get out as much as possible. I want to explore more off trail gems in the Sawtooths, and I want to hook up with some other BPL'ers who might find themselves in Idaho

My wife and I are hiking the John Muir Trail starting July 8th. I am so incredibly excited.

We're doing this as a final "we're financially and morally free!" before we start trying for a baby toward the end of the year.

Unfortunately the entire summer is going to be eaten up by yet another vacation in sunny Afghanistan. Hiking opportunities abound there, but they aren't exactly relaxing.

Sigh.

BUT I do have a 6-day permit for the Grand Canyon in March. That's what I'm living for now.

Then for my "pre-deployment" leave I'm taking the family on a Disney cruise, and we'll also stop and visit my parents in Florida.

No plans beyond that. I need good ideas for October-ish…

"No plans beyond that. I need good ideas for October-ish…"

2 good candidates for mitigating an Afghan hangover would be a trip into the southern Sierra, say the Upper Kern Basin, or a trip thru the Enchantments in the Central Cascades after October 15, when the permit reuired season ends. Either would go a long way toward cleaning out some of what is likely to be mucking up your psyche by then.

I want to hike the full length of the big sur river some time in summer. Lot's of canyons to swim through and beautiful little areas.

I want to hike up to the window again in spring.

I plan on doing the JMT using old technology, like canvas and wool. No synthetics. That has been a goal of mine for a while. This would be sometime in July. Getting the gear together for that should be really fun.