1. Take 10 new hikes: I got up to nine, and then things conspired to prevent me reaching 10. If I counted hikes of less than four miles, I would have reached 10. For example, I took three hikes in Cape May, NJ, that totaled more than four miles, but any one hike was less than four. Here is my list -
Great Dismal Swamp - a wonderful and unique place to see, plus I saw four otters
River Bank Trail (Staunton River SP) - This park is off the beaten path and worth walking in.
Prince William Forest Park - the highlight was seeing the 17 year cicadas
Shackeford Banks - the ocean, wild horses, and great sea shells? Who could ask for more, other than some shade and drinking water?
Mount Judah - This hike had spectacular views, plus I got to hike a few miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Old Indian Trail - This hike was in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and had great Lake Michigan views.
Savage River Lodge - I did three nice hikes here, and the orange loop was just over four miles.
Buck Hollow Loop - this was my only hike of the year in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and was all uphill or downhill.
High Bridge Trail State Park - Great walk along a "rails to trails" route
2. Hike in two states that I didn't hike in during 2013. I hiked in five states in 2013, and three of them were not ones I hiked in during 2013: California, North Carolina, and Maryland.
3. Hike in one state I have never hiked in: I hiked in two, California and Maryland
4. Take two backpacking trips. Fate conspired to make me miss this goal. I did the Shackleford Banks trip for two nights (and 26 pounds of water carried), but I missed my planned hike to Virginia's "Triple Crown" when work interfered, and I had to cancel a solo trip to Matthews Arm in Shenandoah National Park when I hurt my back stepping off an unseen step.
5. Keep this blog going: Obviously, I succeeded with that.
6. Explore other writing outlets: Nope, didn't happen.
Stay tuned for 2014 (yes, 2014 - can you believe it?) goals.
You did pretty good. : ) Not meeting some but surpassing others.
ReplyDeleteThose footprints in the snow showed no claw marks at all. Just those three clear marks. I've looked up all the suggestions and nothing looks like that. Ken is going to put the stealth camera in that area. Maybe we can get a picture of what animal it is.
All in all, I feel good about, and had fun trying. Had either of my backpacking trips that I missed happen, I would have made two more goals.
ReplyDeleteI am mystified by the tracks.