To Do in 2021

donkiluminate said:
* Mt. Adams. Thinking of getting into mountaineering.
* Outer Rim Trail - Big Bend.
* Something in the Grand Canyon.
* Part of the High Sierra Route. A buddy of mine got 3/4 of the way through last summer and wants to finish. Gonna tag along.
* Escalante River Trail with my 8 year old.
* White Rim trail with my 8 and 6 year old. My wife has panic attacks at Lagoon so the White Rim is definitely a no go for her.
* Take the fam to Coyote Gulch.

Wish List
* Uinta Highline. It's been on my list for years and something always comes up.
* Mt Wheeler via Highland Trail.
* Death Valley.
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Pretty bad report card for me. My wife had major reconstructive ankle surgery over the summer.

Of my list I only hit the Grand Canyon and White Rim. Although I give myself some extra credit for Mt Whitney.
 
  • Take the entire family out backpacking at least once, and hopefully twice (twice)
  • Train my kids to do more of the backpacking chores (setting up tent, filtering water, digging catholes, etc.) so I don't have to do everything (this year was better, but this is still an area for improvement...)
  • Do at least five backpacking trips and two car-camping trips (only did one car-camping trip)
  • Either do my first technical slot canyon, or do my first hike requiring crampons (would love to do both but that probably won't happen)
  • Learn a knot
  • Learn a bit of wilderness first aid (I'm totally clueless in this area) (I watched a couple of youtube videos but didn't do as much as planned... yet)
  • Spend some time in the Eagles Nest Wilderness and/or Holy Cross Wilderness
  • Don't gain weight (I'm about where I started, but maintaining over this next 10 days during the holidays will be tough)
  • Don't fall off my mountain bike (I failed this one each of the past few years) (Uggh. This was such a great year for mountain biking---I definitely rode more than any other year, and didn't fall off a single time... until last week, when I crashed and did some damage to my ribcage)
  • Organize my gear; get to the point where it doesn't take me so long to get out the door (more improvement needed, but our basement is much more organized now)
Writing these down at the beginning of the year actually helped me focus my attention on them. My goals for next year will be very similar.
 
Now as for myself, 2021 has been a pretty Good Year. Yes I did retire in March. Also did sign up for my Social Security. It is Great! But instead of hiking in the Absarokas for the summer which were my plans, other things happened. In the summer after signing up for my Social Security, went up to Alaska with traveling out to the Aleutian Islands and enjoying Alaska. In the fall did come down to Southern Utah. Now being retired, just hike, bike, and bird each day. Have to get out and see the sun. But all in all, Yes 2021 has been a good year!
 
- standard SE Appalachians stuff for spring and early summer (with and without kids)
three different trips (Smokies and Grayson Highlands) with my kids in the SE and an overnight trip by myself to Big South Fork

- early/mid July - family trip to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Badlands,...
Great trip, trip report coming soon

- Late July/Early August, I'm thinking of driving to the Winds and doing a couple back to back 7-9 day trips
ended up going to the Winds in Sept, a 4 nights and a 5 night trip and then 5 nights in Yellowstone with @scatman and @TractorDoc

I took a leave of absence for the fall semester and I'm not coaching soccer for the first time in 7 years so ... ended up helping coach soccer so limited fall
- Hoping for a September Sierra trip - did this at the beginning of August

- Some non-standard (for me) fall and early winter Appalachians stuff
4 nights on the AT in the smokies, 2 nights bikepacking in BSF, 2 nights Cumberland Gap, 2 nights kayaking on Fontana Lake (all since beginning of Nov)

- Maybe some longer road trips (8ish hours driving vs 4ish) in the fall to different backpacking stuff that is normally out of reach given my teaching schedule Nope, my wife is understanding, but not that understanding :)

I think I have 43 bag nights (7 with kids) for the year, a record for me. Makes me realize that I have a very understanding wife :)
 
1. Complete my 2020 Winds TR by the end of winter!
Winds2020

2. Recover from a mid-Dec (2019) tendonitis injury -ugh...
After months and several tests turns out it ain't tendonitis - Baxter's Nerve Entrapment. either live with it or surgery + 6 months recovery

3. Finally catch a golden trout in the Winds (yeah, I say that every year)
Got closer this year!! Hooked one but it came off. Saw several, good sized fish jumping 10-20' from shore. Had to give up due to building T-storm

4. Wind Rivers - early Sept. (have to book soon - airfares expected to jump) (not the Cirque or Titcomb!)
Had a great trip - 2 backpacks with my nephew. Big bonus was having @Bob join us for one.
Still haven't done a full TR, but Bob did a great TR for the Lee Lake loop:
Lee Lake Loop

5. Add 4 or 5 NH 4K peaks to my list - Celebrate a friend's 48th (delayed last year due to virus)
Added just 1 - was being careful of foot until I knew what I was dealing with. But did make it my friend's 48th on Zealand

6. Long weekend backpack to the ADKs (another 2020 canceled trip)
Didn't happen!

Had to give up on Big Bend in March/April. Virus still rampant, and it's really crowded then. Maybe late Feb next year?
Made this one - last 2 weeks of October with my girlfriend. Guadalupe, Carlsbad and Big Bend - 1500+ miles of driving. Complete with finding a black widow a foot from my face one morning in the backcountry. TR to come. Lots of planning to see as much as possible - hard part was finding a spot to camp near/in national parks.
 
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Janice said:
I enjoy reading about your various plans. It's strange for me - normally at this point I'd have a detailed list for the upcoming year that I'm excited about. But not this year. I love planning trips but have realized that I only like to plan trips I actually can take. Once we get our pokes in the arm - hopefully sometime soon - we'll be more willing to get on a plane and have adventures in the grand West. Maybe Wind River Range that we had planned to hike last summer? Instead of spring break backpacking in Utah, we'll hope to visit our young adult sons whom we haven't seen in many months. Or go visit our aging parents on the East Coast. Etc. The only thing we've got a specific plan for now is a February x-country weekend we can drive to near Lake Michigan. That will be nice, but I'm a bit melancholy at the moment. I know we are so very fortunate to be healthy and not struggling day to day, and I will make myself focus on those positive thoughts instead...
Click to expand...
Well, we did end up doing some great trips in 2021, despite my doom & gloom a year ago. Hooray for beautiful places to enjoy and celebrate!

1) Cross-country ski at Sleeping Bear Dunes and the VASA trail near Traverse City, MI - this was beautiful and the perfect antidote to my pandemic-worsened winter blues
2) Old Rag in Shenandoah, VA - so pretty to see spring waking up
3) Manistee River Trail in MI - much-better-than-expected short and sweet trip
4) Day hikes in Boulder, CO, and Indian Peaks - so glad our son is living there now and we'll get to return often
5) Car camp & day hike at Sleeping Bear Dunes - always beautiful
6) Big trip out West - one day Uintas (thanks again @Jackson!), one day at Fossil Butte, 2 day hikes in the Winds, plus 6 night backpack in the Winds - so gorgeous and such a fun adventure :)
 
SEAlpine said:
I'm optimistic that 2021 will be more conducive to travel for us. In 2020 we had to cancel our planned trek in Peru and we haven't left Alaska since July 2019-which seems crazy! I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday, so 2021 is looking up.

April- Floating the Grand Canyon over 16 days. 14 and 11 year old kiddos are pretty pumped on this one.
July- Family backpack trip in the Wrangell's.
August- Reserved for Dall Sheep and Caribou hunting.
October- Kids have a week off of school. Maybe Southern UT or check out the Redwoods?
Winter Break- Would love to go somewhere internationally. Jamaica, Cambodia,??
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2021 ended up being pretty decent. We floated the Grand Canyon over 16 days in April and over the summer we spent 4 days in the Wrangell Mountains on a family backpack and then my son and I spent 8 days back in the the Wrangell's on a Dall Sheep hunt.
 
I'll report that I got to/thru SE Utah 3x this year, went to Bend/the redwoods/OR Coast, to Yellowstone/Grand Teton, and to S. Arizona including meeting up with @Titans along the way. Not all of those were bag nights, although most were. Also I learned what hotel to NEVER stay in in the Tucson area. PM me for deets on that one.
 
As to my plans/aspirations for the coming year:
1 - hunker down for the winter in my hermit hideaway, likely foregoing the routine Caribbean spring.
Done - it was a gentle winter in the Northeast

2 - drive west in mid to late April exercising strict isolation protocol.
Done - isolation protocol somewhat relieved by timely vaccine access

3 - explore and backpack Four Corners New Mexico for the first time.
Done - barely, just - 2 night backpack and 1 day transit

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness 4/19-21/21

The season opener for my 2021 backpacking was a pair of nights in the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico. After a visit to some Wyoming badlands last summer I’m coming to a strong appreciation and enjoyment of these terrains. So stark, so harsh, so quiet, so elemental. After a bit too much driving, I...
backcountrypost.com
4 - explore and backpack Southern Utah for the second time.
Done - spent May and first 2 weeks of November in Utah - 7 backpacking trips totaling 27 nights

5 - fly fish a lot, had a Tenkara rod for years, but just started with the trad rig last season. No comparison.
Done - fished the Grand Canyon - around 10 days wade fishing in the Pinedale, WY area - fished multiple Wind River Range lakes and creeks

6 - explore and backpack the Divide Basin for the second time.
Undone - did not happen

7 - explore and backpack the Winds for the 19th year. Do another trip of at least 50 nights without seeing a trailhead.
Partially Done - did do a long Winds backpack but only 29 nights out

—Unplanned Bonus - 7 night backpack Grand Canyon NP
—Unplanned Bonus - 4 night backpack Gros Ventre Wilderness
 
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Dreamer said:
As to my plans/aspirations for the coming year:
1 - hunker down for the winter in my hermit hideaway, likely foregoing the routine Caribbean spring.
Done - it was a gentle winter in the Northeast

2 - drive west in mid to late April exercising strict isolation protocol.
Done - isolation protocol somewhat relieved by timely vaccine access

3 - explore and backpack Four Corners New Mexico for the first time.
Done - barely, just - 2 night backpack and 1 day transit

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness 4/19-21/21

The season opener for my 2021 backpacking was a pair of nights in the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico. After a visit to some Wyoming badlands last summer I’m coming to a strong appreciation and enjoyment of these terrains. So stark, so harsh, so quiet, so elemental. After a bit too much driving, I...
backcountrypost.com
4 - explore and backpack Southern Utah for the second time.
Done - spent May and first 2 weeks of November in Utah - 7 backpacking trips totaling 27 nights

5 - fly fish a lot, had a Tenkara rod for years, but just started with the trad rig last season. No comparison.
Done - fished the Grand Canyon - around 10 days wade fishing in the Pinedale, WY area - fished multiple Wind River Range lakes and creeks

6 - explore and backpack the Divide Basin for the second time.
Undone - did not happen

7 - explore and backpack the Winds for the 19th year. Do another trip of at least 50 nights without seeing a trailhead.
Partially Done - did do a long Winds backpack but only 29 nights out

—Unplanned Bonus - 7 night backpack Grand Canyon NP
—Unplanned Bonus - 4 night backpack Gros Ventre Wilderness
Click to expand...
" only 29 nights out" :)
 
Low expectations lead to easy achievements

Hoping to make it to our grand Yellowstone adventure that was postponed from this year. We'll see how it plays out.

And We do have plans for the southern part of AZ and NM this spring---again, if it pans out.

Otherwise, playing it by ear in these uncertain times,

You can add to those things, a few days in the following places:
Cerro Alto--hiking on the coast for a few days
Santa Barbara--ditto, with a morning exploring pictographs
Sequoia--4 days of day hikes in the Big trees
Kings Canyon--Four days of day hikes out of Cedar Grove
Some trail crew work
and backpacking trips to Buckeye Canyon, Gibbs Lake, Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne --all in or near Yomemite
And a last minute cruise on the Danube in November
 
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