How are things progressing this year? In keeping with the idea that you are only as good as the numbers you post, I'm up to 61,436' of elevation for the year and a modest 132 miles.
Added August 2019: Looking back 10 years later, I honestly can't think of anything more offensive or unhealthy to say about one's hiking, than the above statement. Thats was my OP in 2009. Hiking should never just be about the stats recorded.
January 31, 2023: Have at it.
Last edited by Jim on Dec 31 2023 8:54 am, edited 16 times in total.
SpiderLegs wrote:I don't even want to look at mine. Started the year strong but then let the siren song of a woman pull me away from the trails. (not that I'm complaining)
Hey I see you guys do some Nature Trails pretty often.
Kidding, I am glad you are happy!
Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
Jason Cleghorn wrote:Hey I see you guys do some Nature Trails pretty often.
I found a woman who wants to learn how to hike. Got pretty lucky. On our second date I took her hiking and told her that whenever we bag a peak, there's a good chance that there will be beer in my backpack. Then pulled out a nice chilly one for her. She was hooked.
I found a woman who wants to learn how to hike. Got pretty lucky. On our second date I took her hiking and told her that whenever we bag a peak, there's a good chance that there will be beer in my backpack. Then pulled out a nice chilly one for her. She was hooked.
I'm happier than I've ever been, but my stats are way down. Lots of kayaking this year. Got my road bike fixed and refitted, going to start riding it more when I move back to the desert in Nov. I do have a GC 5-day backpack on my calendar this month, too!!! I don't want to worry about stats. It gets too obsessive. It may even take some of the joy out of hiking. I only want to be happy.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
@azbackpackr What I am learning about myself is that its OK to be obsessive about hiking, but gets weird when I get obsessive about stats.
My wife says that I am obsessed with being outdoors and I take that as a compliment. I've actually gotten a ton of positive feedback on my outdoor photos (phone only, so obviously no Arizona Highways here) and I've actually started to enjoy my hikes/experiences more when I slow down some, take the photos I want instead of obsessing over keeping a 4MPH pace.
I also have never been 40 before so I'm beginning to prioritize things differently. I know my days of being the best, fastest, raddest, toughest, etc. are over so I enjoy things more for what they are than what I wish they could be!
Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
I don't fault someone for not wanting to be interested in something, but I always find the condescending attitude, or bitterness of someone who hates something that others are interested in, to be a rather abrasive quality. I have my personality that many have found tiresome, just as I find many others to be, but I do try my best to never, ever tell anyone else what they should not be interested in doing, be interested in, or obsess over. Now, Liz is not doing that, but there are member here who hate those that are interested in their stats. There is nothing wrong with being interested, just as there is nothing wrong with not being interested.
That said, I'm happy with my stats. My year is heavily carried by 3 or 4 months in Tucson this spring, but overall I would still be OK had I managed to live elsewhere and maintain about 20k+ a month during those some months where I was over 30k feet. Stats for me, merely reflect my getting out and being active, so I want to have higher numbers as that shows me living. July was a bad month, August slightly better, but I feel like I am back in the game recently, so I'm happy. My arbitrary goal of reaching at least 270,000' for the year has more to do with me want to get out and hike stuff I enjoy (even if Humphrey over and over) than simply meeting a numerical goal. I have no shame in that.
Pretty happy with what I've got going considering this will be my first full year of hiking, and I didn't really start tracking ALL of my miles on HAZ til about May. MapMyHike (which I used before HAZ to track my miles) puts me at 868 miles total, but around 100 of those miles are from "jogs" on the elliptical or treadmill when I can't go hiking. I was hoping to hit 1000 miles jogged/hiked by the end of the year and at my current rate I should have no problem doing that.
At the end of the day though, stats are mostly just for fun, for me. I like data, and it can help you become more aware of what you are good at and what you may need to improve on, but enjoyment is always #1.
Has anyone ever considered shifting their yearly goal focus, provided that they even have one, from miles to AEG or AEG to miles? Or perhaps shifting to some other thing, like unique hikes, peaks summited, or who knows what?
Having never gone over 1000 miles in a year, I would be interested in trying to achieve that, but I suspect it is harder for me than getting some level of AEG, since in general I have shown a clear preference to relatively steep, but short mileage hikes. Besides, being constrained by a variety of factors, I do not really want to even attempt to achieve what some people have put up in recent years, the 400,000'+ set, and after achieving my long sought after 300,000'+ in 2013, I'm good to have more modest numbers, provided I am getting out and staying active on a reasonable level.
Also, I'm very happy with where I am now, in terms of AEG. I should hopefully very easily make the higher 280s, perhaps somewhere in the 290s, but I have no aspirations of the 300s and do not want to go out to hike for that purpose, since I am really working hard at hiking for enjoyment. It's hard, to hike for enjoyment, so I have to work at it.
My first hike this year was the Phoenix Seven Summit Challenge, and that definitely has ended up directing a good bit of my hiking this year. I tend to gravitate towards peak bagging, especially on my solo hikes. Something about the sense of accomplishment and views at the end of the trail make motivation much easier. I noticed after about a month and a half that I had more unique peaks so far than anyone else on the site, so this lead me to search out more unique peaks. The majority have come on my usual Tuesday afternoon hiking schedule, once nice thing about driving to Tucson every week for work opens the potential for hikes all the way from the Old Pueblo back to Phoenix, and the back way through Florence and the Supes. I am getting down to the nitty gritty now, most of the peaks left are either a big drive, or something that will take longer than 3 hours (winter daylight stinks!). I am sitting at 63 different peaks right now, if all goes well I hope to crack 70 before the year is done, maybe even a few more. I have already beat last year for mileage and AEG, life is good. It will be kind of nice to hit familiar trails a bit more next year, but I sure feel a lot better about my route finding and bushwhacking skills after this year...
Jim_H wrote: It's hard, to hike for enjoyment, so I have to work at it.
Can you clarify a bit on this statement, because that's pretty much the ONLY reason that I hike other than the given health benefits...? I'm struggling to understand that POV.
Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
@Jason Cleghorn
I don't know what Jim's point of view is, but sometimes I don't like day hiking. It feels like a chore. I like backpacking. I also really like a destination where I have never been before.
But if I "have" to train up to get in shape because I have a big Grand Canyon backpacking trip coming up, sometimes I get grumpy about it, especially if, for convenience's sake, I go to neighborhood trails I'm tired of. I may be in some sort of mood that actually gets worse, not better. Sometimes the mood improves, other times not. It's nice to have a companion, but I rarely have one. I think I get tired of my own company. The training pays off, of course, and makes the backpacking be much easier. My 5 day solo R2R last month was one of the happiest trips I've ever been on.
I try to liven things up by riding my bike and kayaking, in addition to hiking.
Sunday I have a hike posted in a local meet group. I came up with an easy hike with a great destination (Topock Gorge). So, I'm actually excited about it--I think I will like that day hike.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
For me, hiking (day hike or backpack) assumes the role of gym, church, and psychologist. I love the alone time to think through my problems of the day, or some days it is nice to just have the headphones in and ignore the real world problems for a while. This has become one of those things I think about quite a bit, I really look forward to those couple hours a week on Tuesday and the occasional weekend. Almost makes me feel like a junkie, always looking for my next fix on HAZ... ;) Recreation was the driving factor for me to start hiking more regularly, but there have been quite a few other side effects along the way.
@Jason Cleghorn I struggle with that POV as well... And I can also struggle and work like crazy on a hike yet always find immense enjoyment as the payback.
CannondaleKid wrote:@Jason Cleghorn I struggle with that POV as well... And I can also struggle and work like crazy on a hike yet always find immense enjoyment as the payback.
I'm nowhere near FOG or Joe's level, obviously, but even I am getting to the point that if its not difficult/scenic/etc. I don't enjoy it as much. But I ALWAYS enjoy any hike, at least some, LOL...
Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
It's always nice to change things up, but I just like to walk. I'm happy hiking the same trails two or three times a week like I've done hundreds of times.
I don't know what is going on in the AEG world these days, but some of the people who are in the spots below me just seem to have stopped hiking, and then spots #8 and #9 are lingering below 300,000', and sure are taking their sweet time getting there! Also, with less than a month left in the year, it appears totals for AEG are down over previous years. Any idea why? Actually, just last year, so maybe not really. I can't speak for everyone, but I know I don't care to best either of the last 2 years. On a purely personal note, I have hiked or recorded hiking more unique hikes than any previous year.
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