Where are you excited to go in 2015?

Honestly, the wilderness. My plan for this year is to get out for at least a weekend a month and to do a minimum of three longer trips. Doesn't really matter where, as long as physical activity and the great outdoors are involved.

I've got a 30+ mile ultra run with a friend of mine planned for April on the Foothills Trail in SC.

I've got a three-day hike planned with another friend for February on the Florida Trail through Ocala National Forest.

I've got the Fifth Annual Florida Hang (group hammock hang) to bike down to next week.

I'm going to be biking and camping on my way out to St. Augustine in March with my girlfriend.

I haven't gotten to May+ yet on planning, but I'm sure that it'll be fun!

This year I am very excited about two Wallowa loop hikes in OR a Goat Rocks overnighter and some coastal exploration south of Rialto beach.

I've always wanted to check out the Alvord desert in OR as well.

When you arrive at a certain age, you are excited just to wake up in the morning.

It beats a dirt nap.

–B.G.–

Everywhere. I'm always excited about this stuff. This year I want to hike in more states, as long as they hold something of interest.
-Continuing frequent trips to my local favorites, and the Cumberland Plateau in AL, GA, TN, KY.
-Overnighting the Wild Azalea Trail in LA when the azaleas are blooming with a friend who lives there.
-Panthertown Valley in NC(waterfalls galore!).
-Part, or all, of the Foothills Trail in SC.
-30yr flashback to Scouting with a 26 mile stretch of Natchez Trace in MS.
-Checking out Falling Waters SP with FL's "tallest" waterfall(into a sinkhole) while on a beach/deep sea fishing trip.
-Mt. Rogers in VA. State's highest peak, and I haven't hiked in VA before.
-A week or so in the Trinity Alps in CA and/or:
-Northern Loop at Rainier in WA
-Maybe something like the Eagle Rock Loop in AR's Ouachita National Forest if I have a couple of vacation days to spare(~8hr drive).
Edit:
-Dolly Sods Circumnavigation in WV. 10hr drive, but think I can knock it out in a 4 day weekend.

Since I received my new passport…I got my ticket last night :)

Now it's maps and dreams of places like these that I visited last time:

Fählensee

Berner Oberland

Graubünden

I'm going to Switzerland along with Kat and others. Just to confuse passport control.

Leaving for New Zealand in 2 days.

Let's go Katherine. I will switch passports with you on the way back. The line for citizens is much quicker;)

[…]

Not sure yet where 2015 will take me.

At minimum, I'll get out for a few trips around Los Padres NF and a couple of Sierra trips. Hoping to team up with Adan from BPL for a snowy winter trip or two. Really though, nothing in particular on the to-do list yet as far as specific hikes or destinations. There's a chance of a late summer or early fall road trip out to the four corners area; if it pans out, I might sneak away for a night or two somewhere along the way.

@ Rodger Dodger- while the other Channel Islands are technically smaller than Santa Cruz Island, some offer better opportunities than SCI. For example, Santa Barbara Island is tiny, but it's arguably the most remote and has some of the best diving and sea caves. Santa Rosa Island is about 80 sq mi (compared to 96 sq mi for Santa Cruz Island), but all of Santa Rosa Island is open to the public (as compared to only ~20% of SCI) and there's opportunities for backcountry beach camping at certain times of year. San Miguel Island can't be beat for marine mammal watching. It also has a unique windswept desolate beauty different from the other islands. Anacapa Island is easily done as a day visit unless you plan to dive/kayak or like to bird watch… although watching the sunset from the west tip of the island can be pretty amazing.

My big trip is to go hike the first 65 miles of the JMT in mid-July. Beyond that, it's going to be a lot of smaller weekend trips, many of which will help me bag the NC 100 Waterfall Challenge.

I have to make a serious effort to get out for a few weekends in the Uintas. Once work gets busy the summer just slips by. My big trip at the end of summer will be to the Winds. If I am feeling perky I hope to have a go at the high route.

I'm pretty hyped about my little trip next week to SMNP. I chose this time of year because work has finally slowed a little and i hate crowded trails. For my Summer trip i'm pondering the Sierras or Wind River Range. We'll see what happens.

"I'm going to explore stuff close by on my own, instead of traveling farther afield to meet up with others.

Mt. Hood
Three Sisters"

Katherine, please, please, please post a pre-trip and post-trip report for Three Sisters if you end up going there. Complete with lots of photos. I've been through that area a little bit on a couple motorcycle rides, including some of the forest service roads. What an incredibly gorgeous area. I'd love to find out more about the hiking/ backpacking trails there. :) And the Enchantments would be a blast, but I for sure want to hit it during fall season, so I'm debating not going for a permit and instead waiting for the permit-less day in what is it, the second week of October?

As for me, I'm planning another Sierra trip this summer, and still deciding where it will be. My ideas so far are;
1. Cecile, Iceberg, Catherine lakes loop (same route I planned last year and bailed out early on)
2. Red Spur Lakes (this would be a long one, might even try it from the east side instead of the west)
3. Evolution Basin from South Lake.

I'll only do one of those, but they are at the top of my planning list so far. I also have a motorcycle tour to Colorado coming up this summer. I'm excited since I've never been to Colorado. I could use some good mountain road suggestions, but I'll start another thread in Chaff for that.

PS- David, I'm insanely jealous! New Zealand!!! That is right at the top of my list of places in the world I'd love to go. I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and that country scenery is spectacular. Please take lots of photos. If you ever snoop around on the photography-on-the.net forum, in the "landscape" subsection, there is a Kiwi who takes phenomenal shots of his scenery. I mean absolutely jaw dropping stuff.

Oh yeah, and I'm also going to the Swiss Alps with Doug…

And Kat.
And Katherine.
And Ken.

Doug– I will for sure do a TR after Three Sisters. I'm set on that plan unless there's some reason that comes up. Years back I wanted to do it as a last-hurrah pre-motherhood trip, but there were some forest fires burning at the time.

I'll probably put in for a mid-sept Enchantments permit (in mid Feb) to keep that as an option. I would love to do both that and ONP High Divide in Sept., but will probably only have time for one or the other.

The weather's probably more predictable in Mid September, but are you guaranteed of getting the Larch trees in their fall colors? My biggest fear of getting a permit is that with my luck I'd get all the way there and the trees wouldn't have turned. And that is the exact reason I'm so fascinated by the area…yellow pine trees…how cool is that. :-D

good point re the larches. I'll think about that. I've only sketched out my trip calendar through August.

I normally don't plan more than a few days ahead of time

I got this idea of Pole Creek, East side of Sisters, Golden Lake, Rim Lake, over Broken Top ridge, Green Lake, pass above Green Lake, cross country to Camp Lake, over to west side, around North and Middle Sisters, back to Pole Creek.

I love that area south of Broken Top and the pass between South and Middle Sister.

Green Lake pass to Camp Lake – not sure whether to do route above Carver Lake (type 2 fun) or the "trail" that goes below.

Jerry — I'm hoping to do the pass between South and Middle, per your field guide.

How tricky would the steep snowy part after Camp Lake be for someone who's had just a little bit of snow travel experience? How much trouble would I be in if I slipped on that? (Though I don't intend to.) Is there a forgiving run-out? Would microspikes be overkill or worthwhile?

My plan is to start the trip in the North (Lava Lake TH, I think), and take the usual loop counter-clockwise. Take a side trip up Pole Creek, then at Camp Lake make a decision to either go over the pass and back on the West side or, if it looks to risky, just go back down to the East side and complete the regular loop. I figure that pass would be more fun than the burn section.

My snow experience is limited to one steep, snowy pass in ONP with a guided group.

That steep part above Camp Lake just depends on when and how much snow there was.

Easier to go up.

Good run-out at the bottom so you probably won't die : )

Good plan to go to the base, start up, if you don't like it turn around and do a different trip.

I wouldn't probably worry about traction devices. Hate to bring them for the entire loop for one, 100 foot long stretch.

Maybe a treking pole or you could just pick up a sturdy pole.

Look at trip reports just before.

great, thanks. I'm a trekking pole user, so I'll have those. Sounds like I won't be in over my head.

"Oh yeah, and I'm also going to the Swiss Alps with Doug…"

How I know I'm spending too much time on BPL? I had thought of that before I noticed your post.

7 day traverse of the Ritter Range in the Sierra, hitting lakes like 1000 Island, Ediza, crossing the JMT a few times. Out of Devils Postpile and Reds Meadows. My daughter and son are going, two of my JMT 1971 hiking partners, one of their daughters, several other friends.

7 day bike ride with "Cycle Oregon", 70 mile per day rides, and the company transports your camping gear and feeds you at the destination camp ground. Some 2000+ riders. I have not done this before, so it will be an adventure.

As many 3 day weekend backpacks as I can fit in.

Hiking the Swiss Alps looks like fun. Please write trip report with photos.

Trinity Alps is my goal this summer. I've got some time off in August, which should be good for wildflowers. And more time in Jefferson Park.

I snowshoed into the Enchantments (crossed the boundary!) briefly in December. The forest service office in Leavenworth said your best option for permits is getting reservations in February. Day-of permits much more difficult to get.

Kelly