To Do in 2025

Not a bad year. No fourteeners, and I spent a lot of time in the San Juans at the expense of the Raggeds and Flat Tops, but still a good time. Squeezed in ten backpacking trips thus far, and hopefully one more next weekend.

Day adventures:

Climb a fourteener
After-work XC ski - 3x
Flat Tops day hike or backpacking trip
Ouray Perimeter Trail

Backpacking:

Week-long Uintas trip
SE Utah trip with friends
At least one overnight packrafting trip
A section of the Colorado Trail
Raggeds Wilderness trip

Car Camping:

SE Utah trip with friends

Random goals:

Swim in a lake above 12k
 
SEAlpine said:
2025 is starting to come together.

March- Road trip in Colorado to visit colleges with my son (Durango, Grand Junction, Gunnison).
April/May- Headed to Bhutan for a few weeks, planning to explore a bit but the primary focus is the Laya Gasa Trek over 12 days
Summer- Mostly spent at home in Alaska. Send our oldest off to college:(
October- Cedar Mesa?
November- Japan to enjoy the fall colors and to do either the Nakahechi or Nakasendo Way trek (anyone done either?)
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Checked everything off of my to do list! We also backpacked the Tombstones in the Yukon and ended up doing the Kunisaki Trek in Japan. Oh and in July I retired at 51yo, very happy with that decision.
 
Seems like lately all my yearly plans end with me being injured. I'm not quite sure how to take that.

In July, completed a five day backpacking trip in the Salt River Range with Bob, @wsp_scott and son, and @Chuckwalla. The only trip this summer that was relatively pain free.

August found me completing another five day trip, this time along the Gallatin Crest and the Skyrim Trails with @Bob and @TractorDoc . Originally, we had planned a longer Trident trip, but time schedules didn't quite work out to pull that one off.

I managed two trips in September. The first with @TractorDoc and his crew, plus @Bob for a day, in Yellowstone with a day hike to Otter Creek, Violet Springs, and Hayden Valley, and then a five day trip that took in Buffalo Lake, Boundary Creek, waterfalls galore and the Bechler Meadows. While my knee did reasonable well on the Gallatin trip with the exceptions of some downhill portions, my knee really started bothering me on this one, pretty much at all times.

My second trip in September was to Ice Lake in Yellowstone. This one was a three nighter, and included day hikes to Wolf and Cygnet Lakes. This one was a pure grind as my knee had had enough by this point. The hike back to the trailhead from Cygnet Lakes was absolutely pathetic as I limped the entire way back.

I also managed a summit of Deseret Peak on my 61st birthday, and I did manage up until October to get out and do my weekend hikes to various locations near my home.
 
scatman said:
Seems like lately all my yearly plans end with me being injured. I'm not quite sure how to take that.
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Didn't you also injure your wrist, or was that last year? If you would just eat more jelly bellies, it would make your bones a bit more flexible. That's my secret, anyway.
 
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Rockskipper said:
Didn't you also injure your wrist, or was that last year? If you would just eat more jelly bellies, it woudl make your bones a bit more flexible. That's my secret, anyway.
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That was last year. Going seven weeks on crutches flared it back up! :mad:
 
We were fortunate in getting to spend some quality time outdoors this year. We took five backpacking trips. This included three four day local trips: one in Marin, one in Henry Coe State Park, and one in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We also took two longer foreign backpacking trips: a 46 day walk in Spain and a 28 day walk in France. We also took about 35 all-day day hikes in our local area. Unfortunately, we missed getting to either Utah or the Sierra this year.

We will see what happens in 2026.
 
kwc said:
I think there’s a correlation between @scatman ’s various injuries and his consumption of those wretched circus peanuts.
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I think you’re onto something. All those weird little indentations in the peanuts probably make your bones more porous.
 
kwc said:
I think there’s a correlation between @scatman ’s various injuries and his consumption of those wretched circus peanuts.
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Rockskipper said:
I think you’re onto something. All those weird little indentations in the peanuts probably make your bones more porous.
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Are you kidding me? Circus Peanuts are loaded with protein, and have calcium and vitamin D for strong, dense bones! :D

It's my understanding that the Circus Peanut evolved along with mankind. Why I'm pretty sure Napoleon carried one with him at the gates of Moscow. And Jim Bridger consumed one just before being the first white man to gaze upon the Great Salt Lake. And I know for a fact that each member of the Allman Brothers Band ate a few while jamming at the Fillmore East that gave us the best live recording by a rock band ever recorded. And I had a few as I made my way through the Yellowstone carcass dump.

I don't understand why no one has written a book (hint, hint @Rockskipper) about the magnificent nut.

The Circus Peanut is almost at the same level as the grapefruit and a plate of nachos - Food of the Gods. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Now as for 2025, it did not turn out like I had thought it might. But it was a Great Year with lots of adventures. It turned out that I did not make it back to the Thorofare unfortunately, but did get back to Jackson Hole.

This year was Great! I ended up going to 4 primitive skill gatherings ... Wintercount in Arizona in February , the Acorn Gathering in late March in Southern Coastal California, Fire to Fire Gathering in Utah in June, and Rabbitstick as usual in Eastern Idaho. This year in my traveling visited 10 of the 11 lower 48 western states, all except Colorado. And starting again in Mid August biked down the West Coast to Southern California. From Seattle / Port Townsend in Washington to Santa Barbara, Ventura in Southern Ca. Which was Wonderful!! Again those Coastal Redwoods in Northern California are sooooo Incredible! Visited southern and central New Mexico last spring which was a a surprise but also a treat. While there visited the Gila area and visited Bosque del Apache Refuge which is a fabulous birding spot. And up in Montana last spring which also was a surprise and a treat. Finally was able to visit the Three Forks area with such a history to the place. And some in the summer back in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton Park, home, between various adventures. Right now instead of like usual in Southern Arizona, am here in Central Utah staying with a friend, working on getting all of my old hiking journals scanned and digitized for just just possibly a future book.

Life is Great! There is still so much out there to see and experience everywhere!

Maybe next year will might just make it back to the Thorofare again.
 
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Like Scatman, my year turned out pretty different from what I had hoped/planned/expected. Here's what I posted a year ago: And what really happpened.

After doing the Camino Primitive in Spain in 2023, my daughter and I are looking at the Lycian Way in Turkey in 2025. Didnt' happen, as she had work issues and could only get away for a few days.

I'll also do a few weeks of trail crew work ..first one planned in the Mokelumne Wilderness, but there will be more days and weeks of that. I did spend some 20 days doing trail work and volunteering, but nothing in Mokelumne, as their funds (to pack in the tools and food) got cancelled.

And I have hopes of doing either the Tehepite Valley or the old Emigrant trail near Sonora Pass, depending on who wants to join me and what they want to do. Nope, but I did get in a few shorter trips with my wife to Yosemite and John Muir Wildernesses.
 
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