100 Hikes in 2014
It's done, it's finished.
It feels weird to not have hikes hanging over my head and I have to admit, I'm a little down now that it's over.
When I set out to do 100 hikes in 2014, I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was. 100 hikes works out to about two hikes per week which is totally doable right? However, previously unforeseen challenges presented themselves throughout the year: it was hard to motivate myself when the weather was less-than-ideal, many times I didn't have anyone to go with and I broke my wrist and had surgery because of hike #51.
Eventually, I overcame these things and crossed the invisible finish line with unmeasurable glee. After my heart stopped fluttering, my next thought was, "now what?"
Of course, it felt great. People congratulated me, my parents gave me a lovely note and gift card to commemorate and my fiance took me to dinner. People who I didn't even know were paying attention to my constant photo-posting told me how inspiring they thought it was.
I accomplished so much more than the hiking because of this goal. I saw more of Oregon, my home state, than I'd ever seen. I learned the value of silence, of nature, of my health, and of time. I discovered how much I enjoyed my own company and became less-reliant on social interactions to feel fulfilled.
Several people have asked me, "what's next year's goal?" and for awhile, I didn't have an answer. This goal was stressful at times and I was worried about creating an even loftier one only to fall short. A few days into 2015 and I am already itching for a new adventure.
So, here are my 2015 goals:
-Hike 400 miles in 2015. I like this goal because the longer hikes will add more than the shorter ones I did for most of 2014.
-Discover and conquer 10 new challenging hikes in Washington, Oregon, California and Costa Rica. This will include some bigger ones like the South Sister and Mt. McLoughlin.
-Compete in at least one race. Let me make something clear, I hate running. My hatred for running is part of the reason I hike, hiking gets my heart rate up without having to run. Despite my loathing for cardio, I did actually run with my dad a few times this year and realized it wasn't quite as bad as I thought. So I figured, what the heck? I signed up for a run in 2014 but didn't actually go through with it (who knew you had to pick up your packet the day before and couldn't do so the day of?). In a way, I'm recycling this goal from last year but I am fine with this. If anyone has a good race they think I should consider, please let me know!
There it is. Large? Yes. Doable? Abso-freaking-lutely.
Finally, I want to say again how thankful I am for the support. Getting others involved was probably the only thing that kept me from giving up on my 100 hikes goal. The people who came with me or suggested other hikes were wonderful, but even the little comments, the folks who said they liked my photos or mentioned how proud they were, made a huge difference in my motivation and my life.
Thank you all. You helped me make 2014 a great year for me. Come hike with me in 2015!
Here they are, all 100 hikes from 2014:
