Goals for 2011
A year-length bucket list, if you will. I made a similar list in summer, but I only accomplished 4 of the 12 goals. I never really expected to reach all of them—some of my goals are easily attainable, while others are difficult (and some are just plain fantasies). Anyways, here's my list for this year. Hopefully I'll have a better success rate this time around!
- Go back to school for Environmental Biology/Zoology. This one's pretty much in the bag, unless for some reason MSU declines my application for readmission. I've been looking at programs for the last year and a half, and it finally became feasible.
- Keep riding the veggie train. I always feel healthier when I stick to a vegetarian diet. This was one of my summer goals that I met—been going strong for about a month now. (Which isn't so easy when you live on an Angus beef farm.)
- Keep riding, period. This is critical to weight loss, and to getting faster, which leads me to...
- Get faster. I want to improve my Ore to Shore time by at least 15 minutes, and actually finish Iceman this year.
- Travel to more places with better hiking than Michigan. Because I want to climb a freaking mountain, not a hill! While I love biking in Michigan, the local hiking leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit family out west again, and take in some sweet hikes in the process.
- Save money. This will be difficult with goal #1, but it involves a 2012 goal: attending a mountaineering course at NOLS.
- Volunteer more! I started doing volunteer work in the wildlife department of the Michigan Humane Society this fall, and hopefully I can find time to step it up a bit with another organization.
- Actually hike the Porkies. This was in my summer list, but I never got around to it. There was always some excuse—weather, races, my job, the list goes on.
- Tour Michigan's microbreweries by bicycle. Another from my summer list. Pretty self-explanatory, no? Who's with me?
- Race more. Entering my first race was one of my summer goals, and I ended up doing 3 in 2010. I want to increase that in 2011—aiming for 6.
- Ride to one of the Great Lakes. Probably Huron, because it's closest.
- Hike Isle Royale. I planned on going with the wolf and moose study exhibition in 2010, but it coincided with Ore to Shore. Clearly, Ore to Shore won out for me. I won't have the funds to participate in the study this year (see #6), but I'd still like to hike the whole island.
Oh, and one of the things I'm hoping for is more snow. I finally got my snowshoes (I decided on a pair of MSRs) and all the snow melted. What the hell, Michigan? It's not supposed to be 45ºF in January!
Labels: beer, goals, hiking, NOLS, Ore to Shore, school, snowshoeing, vegetarian, winter
posted by Carrie at
4:06 PM
3 Comments:
I can probably help with #7, as Addison will likely need a bit of trimming. :)
Re: #10, any parameters? You could probably get to 6 easily by July 1 if you include the LOHS races.
I know I want to do the new Grampian Challenge race, and at least one six hour+ race, but from there I'm not too sure.
I was talking to the guy at the Grampian Challenge booth at the expo on Sunday, and he was telling me about an adventure race in Ortonville they're putting on...I'm thinking I might rope someone into trying that with me.
I should also add "tour the wineries of Traverse City/Old Mission by bicycle" to this list.
Hi Carrie, I really enjoyed reading your blog this evening. I’ve got a road bike that's been hanging on the wall in my garage, un-ridden, for a couple of years now. I think you may have inspired me to get back into it. I also liked the fact that you've set some hiking goals for this year. Nothing better than getting out on the trail and gaining some altitude!
Next time you're out visiting family in Oregon, you ought to head a couple of hours north and check out Washington...tons of great hikes if you're looking to roam the BIG Mountains. July is when most of the higher peaks become accessible and things get really interesting.
Hope you hit everything on your list this year!
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