Today was my last day of the year I had available to hike, and while the weather was chilly I had no idea just how cold it actually was. The forecast said the low was -6 and the high was 5, but there wasn’t supposed to be any wind so those temperatures seemed doable to me. I got up and drove to the trailhead, just to discover it was negative 36 degrees outside. I didn’t realize it could even get that cold in Colorado!
I sat in my truck, willing the temperature to rise for a good half an hour before it didn’t and I decided to drive home. I felt -36 was just too cold to make an attempt. In fact, I was even a little scared to turn off my truck because I wasn’t sure it’d start again in those temperatures. I was bummed the weather forecast had been so off, but enjoyed the solitude on the drive there and back. Since this was my last chance to hike I can now re-cap my 2019 goals and reflect on how I did:
Hiking related 2019 goals:
Help someone climb a 13er or 14er, or any hike they didn’t think was possible for them. Done. Started them on Sniktau and kept going from there.
Complete 4 highpoints outside of Colorado, with at least 1 being above 10,000’. Done, I did 7, with 3 above 10,000’
- Black Mesa – OK, 4973’
- Guadalupe Peak – TX, 8749’
- Reno Point – DC – 409’
- Wheeler Peak – NM – 13,161
- Mt Whitney – CA – 14,508’
- Boundary Peak – NV- 13,180’
- Woodall Mountain – MS – 806’
Complete 21 Centennials (I’m currently at 76, so this would bring me to 97). Done, I completed all the Centennials.
Complete 5 winter 14er ascents (duplicate peaks are ok). Done. I completed 10 winter 14ers and 4 winter 13ers, summiting a couple (Quandary) more than once.
Climb 80 peaks. Done. 80 ranked, 18 unranked, for a total of 98
Hike on 50 days this calendar year. Done. I hiked on 71 days, not including my treks up the Manitou Incline and down the Barr Trail or local hikes.
Attend 12 Happy Hour meet-ups. Nope. I attended 10.
Try 3 new types of Whiskey (yes, this is hiking related, and not a stretch goal considering the point above). Done, done, and done. I stopped counting at 8.
Keep track of miles hiked. Done, 839 total miles hiked, not including my Manitou Incline hikes, local treks without a summit, or daily treadmill time
Wild Wanderer 