To Do in 2024

This is a great opportunity to engage in fanciful thinking. My wife is turning 65 and I am turning 75, both early this year, so we better get some miles in while we still can. Possibilities floating to the top of the list include:
• a x-country trip to the Sierra to traipse through previously unvisited Blackcap and Crown Basins and to bag yet-to-be determined SPS peak number 100
• another Sierra trip via Sawmill Pass, our only significant unhiked east side pass remaining
• a 6 to 7 week spring loop trip to southern Brittany, France to complete the GR 34 and walk the Nantes-Brest canal path
• the loop around Three Sisters in Oregon to complete another volcano circambulation
• hopefully get back to Utah: maybe walk the Paria from Cannonville to the Colorado or explore the Trachyte
• maybe a birding trip: Mongolia?
• several local 3-5 day backpacking trips at Coe, Marin County, and the East Bay
• hopefully at least one all day day-hike per week when we are home
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
I've got the calendar mostly sorted - but destinations and specific inspiration are eluding me a bit. That said, I'm starting to put things together...

Family Trips:
  • We're heading to eastern Africa in late June for a couple of weeks - very excited for this opportunity, but it did require changing some of what I'd started planning for 2024.
  • A few frontcountry trips to the GYE - definitely at least one backcountry trip in Yellowstone proper mixed in there, too.
  • Convinced a few old friends to bring their kids up in late July for a low-stakes backcountry/fishing trip - similar to the Silas Canyon trip my son, brother, and I did in 2023. Maybe the southern Winds again - maybe something in Colorado.
Longer "Goal" Trips: (realistically not all of them, but haven't narrowed it down yet...)
  • Return to the northern Winds - would like to approach the glaciers differently and maybe do some peakbagging. Looking at a route that might accommodate a mix of comfort levels - I'm hoping to have some company on this one, including my brother. Maybe grab a peak or two in the AM and then hike some miles each afternoon.
  • Beartooth Traverse - have a fun route drawn up here that I keep putting off, but I think this is the year. Possibly the rare shuttle trip (for me) on this one.
  • Early season Absaroka trip - depends on the snow this winter, but hoping for something in early June. Might be a gnarly one.
  • Bob Marshall - after my trip with @travel2walk I drew up another, longer route that avoids the horse/CDT trails even more. Might try to squeeze this in after The Rut 28k in September, if I think my legs can handle it.
  • Brooks Range, Alaska - this was supposed to happen the last couple weeks of June, but it looks like Africa has supplanted it. If I can re-schedule I will, but might be bumped to 2025.
  • I also still have a trip to "The Trident" in Yellowstone drawn up that I'd really like to do - all the talk about Hidden Creek on one of @TractorDoc's posts reminded me of a route I have through that area (including Thunder Mountain); maybe I could loop it?
  • And the traverse of the high peaks of the Central Absaroka still eludes me, but it's on the list.
Personal/Smaller Goals:
  • Trying to do some more running this year - planning on a flat-lander half marathon in Fort Worth (February) and The Rut 28k (September) at least. (Thanks to @Jackson for accidentally introducing me to The Rut. :cool:)
  • Going to do a lot more skiing this year, too - mostly looking forward to the x-country variety, but my kids are starting to get the downhill bug so looks like I'll be doing more of that as well. Should be up in Gardiner at the end of January - looking forward to that.
  • Climb the Grand Teton and/or Mount Moran - another conditions dependent one; have to line up my schedule, my buddy/guide's schedule, and the conditions. We'll see.
Might also make it out to the Sierra this year, but no plans as of yet. And my wife wants to do another short backpacking trip w/ the boys out east - haven't done an overnight in the Appalachians since my oldest was less than a year old.

Not as focused a list as in prior years, but certainly not due to lack of options! Should be a good year.
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I may have booked a flight to Alaska for 8/26, so will have to see where that goes. Lol
 
I got a brand new TITANIUM knee in mid-December. I capitalized it because hikers love titanium. :) Now I’m working on getting my knee rehabbed enough to be able to go hike in Yellowstone. I’d like to go just about anywhere, but I’d like to join Scatman and wife at Grebe Lake, and I’d like to get to Beulah Lake, and Shoshone Lake, and Pebble Creek, but I’ll take just about anywhere. It’s only been two weeks that I could manage to stumble out the door on my own. Oh, and get back IN without help.
 
LOL ...... and, and ......... take it easy till you're back up to strength !!!
 
  • Hike another section of the JMT; currently permitted for Onion Valley to Whitney, mid July.
  • Bechler River trip. I've been wanting to get back out there for a while, have a group of 5 this time, planning for mid-August
  • Try to finally make it to Glacier, I've not had much luck with the backcountry lottery in previous years. Trying again, for early September
  • Slough Creek trip. Planning to be out there in June, hoping to do at least 4-5 days.
  • October trip to Colorado. Still not sure where we're going, maybe back to Flat Tops or Eagles Nest for a few days.
 
Hope to achieve full retirement this year, maybe by August, and just beginning to think/plan beyond my weekend warrior backpacking trips. So far I've got these plans-
- An April weekend car camp trip to Red River Gorge (KY) with the 'Gents' hiking group. It's only 2.5 hours away from home.
- An April father son trip to N. Carolina. My son has hired a fly fishing guide. Always wanted to try that.
- An April long weekend 20 mile section of the AT with the Patio Boys (www.patioboys.com)
- In May, camping and hiking Zion, Bryce, Kodachrome basin and then on to the Grand Canyon with two other couples. Convinced the wife not only to camp, but to backpack (her first) to the bottom of GC and stay for two nights. She must really love me! The training for us flat-landers has begun.
- Late June reunion with my college theater friends in Wisconsin. Take in a couple of shows at the American Player's Theater https://americanplayers.org/plays. Hike, bike, golf as time allows. Full disclosure - I took up hiking because of golf. I found I spent all my time in the woods while golfing and decided I liked it there better.
- Late July, a week long trip with the 'Gents' to the GrandDaddy Basin in the Uintas.

Haven't planned beyond that yet. Would still like to get to Acadia. Had to skip that last year due to work.
would like to find a South Eastern winter hike to do.
 
Hello, fellow Easterner! Hope you have a great time with all these adventures.
Tarp Boy said:
backpack (her first) to the bottom of GC and stay for two nights
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Where will you be camping at the bottom of GC? We have loved being down there. Hopefully you'll get to see lots of cacti blooms in May! I hope your wife will enjoy the trip. Training with a loaded pack ahead of time will be critical to her enjoyment - and whether she'll ever be willing to backpack again!
 
What a hike to break the wife into backpacking......
 
Janice said:
Hello, fellow Easterner! Hope you have a great time with all these adventures.

Where will you be camping at the bottom of GC? We have loved being down there. Hopefully you'll get to see lots of cacti blooms in May! I hope your wife will enjoy the trip. Training with a loaded pack ahead of time will be critical to her enjoyment - and whether she'll ever be willing to backpack again!
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We snagged a permit for the Bright Angel camp ground. I'm betting she will be 'one and done' with backpacking.
 
  • Angry
Reactions: Bob
Time for a reckoning! Just about had a clean sweep this year. The Salt River Range didn't happen, though it's hard to complain when I had so many other fantastic adventures. Also snuck in a Ouachita Trail hike during the Solar Eclipse and a yoyo of Isle Royale, as well as a bunch of shorter trips. Great year.


LarryBoy said:
Long Distance Hikes:

Desert Winter Thru-Hike (800 mi) - done!

Backpacking Trips:

Ruby Mountains, NV - done! Finally, after what seems like a decade of planning
Salt River Range, WY - nope. Ended up doing a lot more backpacking in Colorado and didn't make it up to the Salt Rivers.
Canyonlands packrafting trip - done! With @PaulMags

General Goals:

Go on at least one backpacking trip every month of the year - done! Another one of those 'been on the to-do list for a decade' goals
Go packrafting at least 6 times - done! Not all on overnight trips though. Have plans to do more packrafting in '25
Visit the Maze. I've lived in UT for years and never been there! - done! Also with @PaulMags
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Hmm... my year didn't quite go as planned, but I'm gonna call it a success anyway. :lol: Lots of fun, but plenty of 'meat left on the bone' for the coming years, too.

TheMountainRabbit said:
I've got the calendar mostly sorted - but destinations and specific inspiration are eluding me a bit. That said, I'm starting to put things together...

Family Trips:
  • We're heading to eastern Africa in late June for a couple of weeks - very excited for this opportunity, but it did require changing some of what I'd started planning for 2024. Phenomenal trip! I might have underestimated how much it would affect the rest of my plans, but well worth it.
  • A few frontcountry trips to the GYE - definitely at least one backcountry trip in Yellowstone proper mixed in there, too. We - as a family - killed it on the 'frontcountry' camping side of things in 2024. Nothing out of the ordinary necessarily - aside from watching the solar eclipse from Ouachita NF - but lots of irreplaceable family time and memories made.
  • Convinced a few old friends to bring their kids up in late July for a low-stakes backcountry/fishing trip - similar to the Silas Canyon trip my son, brother, and I did in 2023. Maybe the southern Winds again - maybe something in Colorado. Not only a success, but looks like another one in 2025! This is a tradition I'd love to continue - despite some pretty intense weather on Day 1, the kids all did wonderfully.
Longer "Goal" Trips: (realistically not all of them, but haven't narrowed it down yet...)
  • Return to the northern Winds - would like to approach the glaciers differently and maybe do some peakbagging. Looking at a route that might accommodate a mix of comfort levels - I'm hoping to have some company on this one, including my brother. Maybe grab a peak or two in the AM and then hike some miles each afternoon. Done! Trip Report: Northern Wind River & Bastion Peak (Bridger/Fitzpatrick Wilderness) - July 2024
  • Beartooth Traverse - have a fun route drawn up here that I keep putting off, but I think this is the year. Possibly the rare shuttle trip (for me) on this one. Nope. We were all set up in Red Lodge to get started, but had to make a 'day of' adjustment due to weather. Gonna try for earlier in the year in 2025. (Had a fun trip in Yellowstone proper instead - no trip report on that one yet.)
  • Early season Absaroka trip - depends on the snow this winter, but hoping for something in early June. Might be a gnarly one. Didn't have the time before Africa. But did get out w/ @Nethos in the Pecos Wilderness instead. Trip Report: Truchas Traverse (Pecos Wilderness) - June 2024
  • Bob Marshall - after my trip with @travel2walk I drew up another, longer route that avoids the horse/CDT trails even more. Might try to squeeze this in after The Rut 28k in September, if I think my legs can handle it. Nope. :(
  • Brooks Range, Alaska - this was supposed to happen the last couple weeks of June, but it looks like Africa has supplanted it. If I can re-schedule I will, but might be bumped to 2025. Well, the trip didn't go remotely as planned, but it was a grand adventure and I did make it back to the Brooks Range. No trip report yet, but one I'll probably write up later.
  • I also still have a trip to "The Trident" in Yellowstone drawn up that I'd really like to do - all the talk about Hidden Creek on one of @TractorDoc's posts reminded me of a route I have through that area (including Thunder Mountain); maybe I could loop it? Knew it was a long-shot for 2024, but an almost certainty for 2025. Exact route plan in progress currently.
  • And the traverse of the high peaks of the Central Absaroka still eludes me, but it's on the list. Need a partner for this one. Might do part of it in conjunction w/ 'the Trident' trip in 2025.
Personal/Smaller Goals:
  • Trying to do some more running this year - planning on a flat-lander half marathon in Fort Worth (February) and The Rut 28k (September) at least. (Thanks to @Jackson for accidentally introducing me to The Rut. :cool:) Done and done. Have really enjoyed getting into running more over the past couple years.
  • Going to do a lot more skiing this year, too - mostly looking forward to the x-country variety, but my kids are starting to get the downhill bug so looks like I'll be doing more of that as well. Should be up in Gardiner at the end of January - looking forward to that. Another success! Could've done a bit more x-c skiing locally, but the Yellowstone winter trip was a success and my kids are fully hooked on downhill at this point.
  • Climb the Grand Teton and/or Mount Moran - another conditions dependent one; have to line up my schedule, my buddy/guide's schedule, and the conditions. We'll see. Haven't been able to line this one up the way I'd like. Probably on the 'back burner' for now.
Might also make it out to the Sierra this year, but no plans as of yet. And my wife wants to do another short backpacking trip w/ the boys out east - haven't done an overnight in the Appalachians since my oldest was less than a year old.

Not as focused a list as in prior years, but certainly not due to lack of options! Should be a good year.
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Got in a spring trip to the Colorado Plateau and did in fact go on a proper backpacking trip. So, not a hugely exciting year for travel but a couple good trips.

The backpacking trip was actually the first one I'd done since 2019. I'll admit that I was a bit undecided during the hike if I still wanted to do more backpacking trips, but now that I've sat on it a while I'm very much ready for more. Hopefully 2025 has some backpacking trips in store for me.
 
I kind of wondered if there would be a reckoning of all the hopeful talk the group posted last year.

Our list was posted on January 4, 2024:

This is a great opportunity to engage in fanciful thinking. My wife is turning 65 and I am turning 75, both early this year, so we better get some miles in while we still can. Possibilities floating to the top of the list include:
• a x-country trip to the Sierra to traipse through previously unvisited Blackcap and Crown Basins and to bag yet-to-be determined SPS peak number 100. done: a fine solo walk in early September, but I did not bag peak 100
• another Sierra trip via Sawmill Pass, our only significant unhiked east side pass remaining. not done, but: a different trip was taken to the Yosemite Sierra with a summit of Vogelsang, SPS Peak 100
• a 6 to 7 week spring loop trip to southern Brittany, France to complete the GR 34 and walk the Nantes-Brest canal path. done: a very fine 45 day walk taken March through May
• the loop around Three Sisters in Oregon to complete another volcano circambulation not done
• hopefully get back to Utah: maybe walk the Paria from Cannonville to the Colorado or explore the Trachyte unhappily no Utah trip this year
• maybe a birding trip: Mongolia? nope, not this year
• several local 3-5 day backpacking trips at Coe, Marin County, and the East Bay. no such luck this year; but we did get to Coe three times for long day hikes
• hopefully at least one all day day-hike per week when we are home. yes; just about one per week when we were home including a few on local trails we had yet to walk, which are getting difficult to find

and we added something not on our radar in January
• an opportunistic autumn 16 day walk between Pittsburgh and Washington DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Path

James (and Amy)
 
Well, I did pretty well:
Reached Full Retirement in October!!!!
Completed - An April weekend car camp/ day hiking trip to Red River Gorge (KY).
Completed - An April father son trip to N. Carolina. My son has hired a fly fishing guide. Always wanted to try that.
Venue Changed - An April long weekend 20 mile section of the AT with the Patio Boys (www.patioboys.com). We went to the Big South Fork in TN instead.
Completed - In May, camping and hiking Zion, Bryce, Kodachrome basin and then on to the Grand Canyon with two other couples. Convinced the wife not only to camp, but to backpack (her first) to the bottom of GC and stay for two nights. She was amazing, spent 9 nights tenting overall.
Completed - Late June reunion with my college theater friends in Wisconsin. Took in a couple of shows at the American Player's Theater https://americanplayers.org/plays. Managed to get in a short hike too.
Completed - Late July, a week-long trip with the 'Gents' to the GrandDaddy Basin in the Uintas. Spectacular!

Bonus - a second trip with the patioboys to the Big South Fork. We were going to do part of the AT in North Carolina, but the hurricane had other plans
2nd Bonus - Did a week on the Pinhoti trail in Alabama in November.
 
Completed interesting trips with the Scat group...... Teton Wilderness..... The Jay Creek and Hidden Creek Expeditions.
 
1. A week in Acadia NP and Cutler SP in Maine - About 60 miles, 10K' gain in Acadia
2. 5 weeks in WY, mostly in the Winds - 100+ miles in 3 trips. Rough weather last 2 weeks -no goldens this year.
3. Weekend winter backpacks in MA and NH - 2 completed in MA. Only did a few day hikes in NH, one in winter.
 
wsp_scott said:
My big plan is to introduce my oldest kid (15) to the wonders of the High Sierra. I wanted to do it last summer, but summer schedules made it impossible. So this is the year. Done - 3 nights near Pear Lake in Sequoia NP, not exactly what I had planned, but we had fun

It looks like there is going to be a family trip to Northern California to see the redwoods. And I might get to do a couple nights on the Lost Coast Trail. Done - great family trip, the Lost Coast did not happen, but that was a low probability chance so not unexpected

Then I'm hoping for 10 days in the High Sierra, possibly starting at Taboose Pass again. Nope - Instead I spent 6 days in the Winds and then 6 days in the Teton Wilderness

Hike at least once a week. Nope - but I never really expect this to happen :)
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It's easy to do everything that was planned when not much was planned :)
 
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