Hello Hazers,
Another year winding down. I would love to here how your year went and what Hazolutions you have for 2016. I hope you had a good year and 2016 is even better.
I had a fun year but an injury put a damper on part of it. I still got to do some awesome hikes and a lot of hikes with my son which I really enjoy. My miles are way down but I still enjoyed the year. Thanks to all the Hazers I got to hike with and the triplogs of the ones I didn't. The triplogs alone can perk you right up.
LiLD got married and I have a new awesome Daughter in Law and two awesome grandkids! Heather's doing good as well. When the kids are happy dad is happy .
I want to do a few new hikes this year and maybe get around to some new areas for me. Maybe get down south a little more. Try to get LiLD in the Canyon. Meet some more Hazers and hike with some old ones.
Cheers to all you Hazers and may it be your happiest year ever!
My would be 2016 Hazolution was just successful fulfilled!
While hunting coues deer this past weekend I saw my first mountain lion!! Friday morning my buddy and I start glassing at first light. As the sun started to cast its golden glow on the mountain side we were looking at we spot 2 bucks. Then I hear him saw, "I think I've got a Lion! Look 50 yards above the bucks." Sure enough there is something glowing gold sitting on its haunches above the deer. As we watched, it finally started to moved and without a doubt confirmed what we were looking at. My buddy had a lion tag so he quickly made the move to try and get a shot while I stayed and kept an eye on it. As I watch, the lion ignored the bucks and made his way left on the mountain. He was on to something and within a few minutes made a half-assed attempt at a few coues deer! The body of the lion was larger than any of the deer. It then slowly made its way back towards the bucks which was when my buddy was ready to shoot. He ended up missing the 3 shots he was able to get off at ~700 yards before the lion made its way over the top. I was stoked to finally see my first lion! The first 15 minutes of just watching it do what they do was absolutely awesome!
Perhaps my 2016 goal is to get a good picture of one
Well I'll be hitting a monumental birthday at the tail end of 2016, so my biggest goal will be to run a 50K ultramarathon by the end of the year. In addition, spend time introducing my new hiking partner to all my favorite trails.
Happy to report that I have not yet violated the resolution I made 40 years ago this month, in 8th grade, at Cumberland Elementary in Whitefish Bay, WI.
http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored.
Too lazy to look up 2015:
Back to Forbidden Zone
More mines, broadening my horizon
More little spots on the Topo maps
A few more cabins in Death Valley area
More remote Chaco outliers
Backpack soon in either Death valley, trek to Skeleton canyon, maybe back in the Galiuros
A peak bag I've been looking at a few years now. Road may be a problem now.
A crater and a possible wild goose chase near the Chiricahuas
Whatever else peaks my interest and I am physically able to do
I just finished writing up my year-end entry on my blog and was surprised to see how many different kinds of things I did in 2015. In addition to the usual hiking and backpacking, I got out canyoneering, kayaking, rafting, and even did a bit of horseback riding. I also got out of Arizona and hiked in Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. Here's the link: https://desertsirena.wordpress.com/2015 ... k-at-2015/
I got a new puppy, Roscoe. He's a five month old rescue and looks like a chocolate lab mixed with a bunch of other breeds, can't wait till he's old enough to go backpacking!
Unfortunately, I slacked on recording my activities on HAZ. I always enjoy years that I've kept up on my triplogs and will try to be better about it in 2016. I so appreciate this community- it's a never-ending stream of inspiration for me to get out and explore.
I am particularly excited about 2016 because I have decided to section hike a line from Lee's Ferry to Pearce Ferry through the Grand Canyon. It's a project I'll be working on for the next few years- some on the north side, some on the south side. I have a Gems permit for the spring and possibly a trip in Marble Canyon, but what I'm most excited about is that I am taking the month of October off to get a big section done.
January started off with snow on Sawyer Peak, luckily very little. Late January jj, Sam & I went over Weaver's Needle. Pretty sure that classified as exciting. Feb Bruce & I hit up a new area in the New River Mountains. Met Scott and knocked out Babo in April with a fun group. Bruce and I explored Fools, Jesus & Treasure Canyons in March. Liked it so much I went back with Karl! A June classic with Stiller and Wally...
JJ and I hit up my fav Reavis Gap, Fireline & Campaign Creek Loop in July. Still amazed it didn't break 80! Lots of fun in Big Bear California. Ray, Bruce & I hunted down Elephant Arch in the Sierra Ancha late August. Took Karl back as I figured he'd enjoy and we connected the dots for a loop. Finally conviced Bruce to hit up Squaw Peak in September, along the way we marveled at Goat Spring Canyon. Back to the Elden Super Loop for foliage with CHUMS, B & Dave and saw ol' man Doc Fraley!
Hackberry in the Supes got my attention for the first time in Nov, despite a previous trip in 2008. Hells Half Acre was an unexpected treat early December.
Hope to get in a temple or two in 2016. Dare I say 2015 felt a tad hollow without a memorable backpack. I look forward to being inspired by some great triplogs from fellow members! It would be great to meet some new personalities too!
If you need a year end quote, pick any two...
It hurts to hike a mountain and fall. But what is more painful is when the mountain falls on you.
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it does not come back, hunt it down and kill it.
May your journeys be filled with awe inspiring vistas and memorable moments.
3. To get a better photo of a bufflehead. The ones that I have this year were garbage.
4. To hike Go John and Cave Creek in the evenings until I find enough critters to satisfy my curiosity.
5. To get my girlfriend to see her first rattlesnake and gila monster and to get her to hold a gophersnake. She's afraid of snakes and doesn't like lizards. That's all going to change by April.
6. To photograph a mountain lion (I'm due to see another one).
7. Teach my mom photography (not that I'm an expert) by finding snakes and other animals for her to photograph. She got a camera for Xmas.
8. Fix my herping spot in CA or find another one.
9. Photograph a massasauga.
10. Return to Snake Road in October, possible with my dad, and find a timber rattlesnake and a red milksnake there.
I have reconsidered my hazosolutions, and I would like to greater increase my forum presence in 2016. Also, I will post more pictures, mostly of the same thing, but shot in a slightly different way and some will be just out of focus. These will also be for hikes I have done many times before and are probably very popular themselves, and so I may already have several sets posted and they are likely to have dozens. I want to increase the number of long winded diatribes or rants I unleash, and I want to use more words that just don't get a lot of usage, in our vernacular. Lastly, I will probably talk a lot about AEG, or maybe not tracking AEG, or maybe tracking miles instead of AEG, but I'll probably just hike and track my AEG and talk insistently about it. I may ask if someone else is doing something related to AEG, just to bring up AEG, perhaps in a thread about weather.
Jim_H wrote:I have reconsidered my hazosolutions, and I would like to greater increase my forum presence in 2016. Also, I will post more pictures, mostly of the same thing, but shot in a slightly different way and some will be just out of focus. These will also be for hikes I have done many times before and are probably very popular themselves, and so I may already have several sets posted and they are likely to have dozens. I want to increase the number of long winded diatribes or rants I unleash, and I want to use more words that just don't get a lot of usage, in our vernacular. Lastly, I will probably talk a lot about AEG, or maybe not tracking AEG, or maybe tracking miles instead of AEG, but I'll probably just hike and track my AEG and talk insistently about it. I may ask if someone else is doing something related to AEG, just to bring up AEG, perhaps in a thread about weather.
Normal...
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"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
2015 was one of those years...lots of hard times, lots of good times, it was EXHAUSTING. Spent a total of 3 months living outside - this year promises almost as much.
My new job recruiting volunteers for trail work is working out to be a perfect match, and I hope to see even more HAZers out there!
Like @autumnstars I'm on a Gem's permit for March...this time (3rd attempt) I WILL make it happen. Logistics will not stop me this time!!!!! (I'm at the end of the month.) This will complete the Tonto/Beamer/Royal Arch line for me...Huzzah!
Biggest goal for 2016: finish the southern portions of the AZT (1-19). I'm almost there...just a few more pieces to plug in.
Wishing everyone health and lots of water on your trails...remembering everyone who have gone into the next level of adventure without us...and hoping that the world will embrace kindness.
----------------------------------- Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.- Barack Obama
I have been trying to think what my HAZolutions might be, but I don't really have anything specific, on an annualized basis anyways. I am not one for bucket lists or the like, but I would like to crack 20 minutes on Squaw Peak sometime in my life, as well as hike something like Cactus to Clouds (been thinking about that one as of late). Perhaps I would like to do more off trail, scrambling type hikes this year, as I really enjoyed Bull Mountain in Kingman and Sugarloaf outside Laughlin. On a non-hiking related note (but slightly climbing related, though I am not a climber), I have taken interest in the one arm pull up. I would like to be able to do one sometime in my life. Everything mentioned above could change, depending on life perspectives and circumstances.
2016:
a dozen new peaks
a dozen new hiking partners
will actually hike less, walk and bike more from home during the work week
would like to get stronger, explore more, and experience some new areas
goldfields, eastern supes and sierra anchas come to mind
want to go camping by myself - never have
canyonlands and arches in april, and hopefully another sierra nevada trip
any backpacking a bonus
that should entertain for the year
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