Well, I should have declared 2025 as the year of hiking, since I went to Arizona, Utah, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Colorado just to hike. Did I have fun? Absolutely. Will this year be different? Safely! Do I hope to have as many adventures as I can? Absolutely!
This post is inspired by Kelly Flord’s post «Your hiking New Year’s resolution is doomed. Try this instead.» https://thetrek.co/your-thru-hiking-new-years-solving-is-doomed-to-fail-try-this-instead/?ref=slider
What do I hope to achieve this year?
I’m planning on doing at least 200 miles of the Arizona Trail (THAT) for spring break. I’m going hiking and rock climbing in Colorado during my summer vacation in July. After…. I’m not sure yet. It depends on where life takes me once the school year ends. So I’ve developed some goals this year to help me with my financial decisions, as well as my hiking decisions.
My ELEGANT goals for the year
S-Specific
M- Measurable
A-attainable
R- Relevant
T-time
Budget for the trail
As a teacher and crafter, I find it difficult to save money since I almost always find new things for my class and my hobbies. My goal is to save at least $500 a month in my savings account. I’m not Thur-Hiking, but if something happens, saving an extra $500 a month will be a huge help.
Training for the trail
While getting in shape is helpful, I’m going to go further. I’m going to continue my 3 days at the climbing gym, continue my 4 days of strength training, do some cardio, and do some backpacking trips on the weekends. I hope to go to the local park and run on some nearby trails to help build endurance and speed.
during the walk
During my walk through the THATI hope to not only see the beauty in the Arizona desert again, but also have clarity about my future. This will help me decide what I will do in the fall, once the school year is over. The challenges you might face, besides the obvious ones of being in the desert and not having enough water, could be the motivation. Although it will be April, this will be my first time hiking alone on the West Coast. While it’s always difficult on the first day to go on a solo hike somewhere new, I can always remind myself that I’ve done it before, just in a different place. I can remind myself that I can, in fact, do hard things and persevere.
Post-trail
After walking the THATI will have one day to travel before immediately returning to work. While that’s not the most exciting thing, I know I still have things to look forward to. I have a hard time getting off the road after 2 weeks, but I’ve found that planning things to do when I get back has been very helpful. I also always have my fiancé, Preston, who I look forward to when he comes home.
What happens after going to Colorado?
Well, as I mentioned above, I’m not sure what will happen in July after driving west to Colorado for 2 weeks. It all depends on whether I keep my job or leave it at the end of the school year for a few months. If I leave, I will 100% finish the second half of the Appalachian Trail (IN) and I will finally have achieved my dream of walking all the way IN. Would I like to be able to go through it all at once? 100 times yes. What the future holds for me when I return from completing the Appalachian Trail remains to be discovered. I hope that if I walk through it INI will have clarity about what I want to do with my life.
Stay tuned to see what Crayon does next!
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