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I suspect many of you include hiking-related items on your list of new year's resolutions. with the new year upon us, what are your goals? hikes to accomplish, mileages to beat, peaks to bag, routes to find, gear to acquire (and..injuries to avoid)?

just curious what you crazy hikers have planned for the coming year!!

Since 2004!!! That is just bizarre, the fact that they couldn't find him. Very sad, too, of course. Poor little guy... I'm glad to hear you are going to continue the search. I assume a lot of other people have been looking every summer?

I'm going to be attempting an AT nobo thru this upcoming summer. So that.

Maybe get a down underquilt or something of the sort gear wise. Ooh, and a bigger tarp. And better shoes. And maybe toughen up my feet a bit more so they don't crap out after 15 miles in my vibram KSOs.

What's a nobo?

northbound, as opposed to sobo.

What about a hobo? ;)

I'm going to try to be less elevation obsessed. Not that I planned on being so during the last 2 years, but I would like to do what I do and not care if I break 200,000 feet in 2010. I might and I might not, but I should try to enjoy the ride more and care about the totals less. Besides, I don't think I'll ever beet imike, so why bother.

I don't know if I'll get to high mountains or not this year either, and I have no plans to leave the 48 contiguous to do any crazy 5000 or 6000 meter peaks (unlike my friend in Anthem), so if I get a few 4000 meter peaks I think I'll be happy. Maybe, this is the year to do more in the canyon? I was thinking of going to Colorado or California in January or March to take in a high peak or two, but I need new gear and can't justify spending the money this year. The only real plans I want to do are something in the G.C. in March and an over nighter on the Dogie Trail when the creek is running.

jhodlof wrote:I'm going to try to be less elevation obsessed. Not that I planned on being so during the last 2 years, but I would like to do what I do and not care if I break 200,000 feet in 2010. I might and I might not, but I should try to enjoy the ride more and care about the totals less. Besides, I don't think I'll ever beet imike, so why bother

I agree there is more fun to be had with the focus on the trail instead of the stats... 2009 was an oddity for me, with the trails goals accidently clocking up the elevation. Those harder workouts are fun, though. I hope to return to that style of training in 2012 and see if it might be possible to crack the 1m level.

enjoy your year!

Hats off to the elevation monsters. A steady focus on maintaining or extending your up and down capability makes everything easier.

All in jest Mike. It must be nice to have the time to top 500,000 feet.

jhodlof wrote:All in jest Mike. It must be nice to have the time to top 500,000 feet.

Oddly, it is less an issue of time than of motivation... over the years as I have trained ultra-endurance athletes in various disciplines it has always come up that the reason the individuals do so well is that they put in so many hours training, and that is true, sort of... the underlying motivation that allows them to show up day in and day out to clock those hours is the true measure and reason for their accomplishments. Recently, thinking about clocking that one million feet of elevation in 2012 I sat down and charted out what my days might look like if I did decide to vest such a year. Oddly enough, I could log a simple five hour training day (4am 'till 9am) for three days, with every fourth day off... and manage to accumulate the million feet over the course of a year's time. The five hour effort would be relatively easy, and allow for a full time work schedule... but the real question I'd have to ask myself would be about motivation. Don't really have that answer right now, but 2012 is a few years away...

When you look at the exponential levels of increase in mileage and elevation within this group it becomes clear that the potentials are limitless. Just got to remember to make sure it all stays fun.

I'd love a year without an injury to see what I can actually accomplish.

nickfraley wrote:I'd love a year without an injury to see what I can actually accomplish.

x2

To get some of you lame HikeAZ types to join me on a hike (no offense to the one or two smart folks who've ponied up)...

Hike Patagonia in South America
Hike Camelback - somehow this never happens for me
Hike Piccacho Peak -- this too never happens
HIke Quartz Peak - more of above...
and more hiking - i am sure I will go places

writelots wrote:To get some of you lame HikeAZ types to join me on a hike (no offense to the one or two smart folks who've ponied up)...

It is YOU who shall have to join US...

When I hiked the infamous cave trail back in the early 90's with no GPS or mapping software using nothing but a map and compass we were able to find the dotted line and take the hike. Now that I've used the GPS and TOPO looking forward to doing that trail again and mapping it to just see where I wander. After that its time to see some of the Mazatals and find a few trails up there. As long as I can take a hike someplace, sometime I'm happy.

I have about a million ideas for hikes I'd love to do. Looking back on 2009, I had some goals early in the year that I accomplished (climbing Fremont Peak, Humphrey's via Inner Basin, Humphrey's via Dutchmen Glade). I also set my sights on reaching 100,000 feet of elevation. When I bought my dSLR last month, my focus suddenly turned to going to photogenic places, and less on getting elevation (the snow and the distance I have to drive to get away from it also deters me). Now, with the busy week of Christmas approaching, I've broken 90,000 feet, but definitely will not make it to 100,000. I'm okay with that, it's just a number. However, I can also feel that I am not in as good of shape. I think I'll go for a balance next year: get out to some great places to shoot photos, but maintain a consistent level of exercise. I'd like to not worry so much about numbers, but about staying in shape, improving my photography, and enjoying every moment to the fullest when I'm out hiking.

Another unaccomplished 2009 goal that also involves arbitrary numbers was my goal to climb a 14er. I'm still going to list this as a goal for 2010, however arbitrary the 14,000 foot mark is. I'd like to look at it more as the next step since there isn't much that I haven't done on the Peaks.

For 2010, I would also like the continue exploring areas outside of Flagstaff/Sedona. In 2008, I hiked strictly in the Flagstaff/Sedona area. In 2009, I've done a couple hikes in the Valley, a couple hikes in the Grand Canyon, a trip to Southern Utah, a trip to Colorado as well as a few Geology fieldtrips to various other places. In 2010, I hope to broaden my horizons further. There are too many places to list, but I hope my mini-map has plenty of fresh dots across the state by this time next year. On a similiar note, I'm pretty proud of my 58 unique trips logged this year.

hippiepunkpirate wrote:a trip to Southern Utah

You're more than welcome to tag along on one of the two I've got brewing.

PageRob wrote:You're more than welcome to tag along on one of the two I've got brewing.

Thanks! I'd love to. However, I haven't yet been able to make the jump into backpacking (another goal I could add!). Most likely I'll get up there in May like I did this year, just after school gets out.

Jake, if you get a backpack you can use for several nights, I am currently planning on a trip to the Unitas in Utah. I'll climb some 4000m peaks, but no 14ers. July or August is the time frame.