Where To Next?

Lots of tantalizing options

A year ago January 1st, my work situation changed for the better. After years of toiling for a mere 2-3 weeks of vacation per year, I was presented with an opportunity to work better hours, make the same amount of money, AND earn 10 weeks of vacation! It was a no-brainer, and my partner and I took it.

So we get to the end of the year (last year) and it turns out I still made 20% more than I did the year before. That was nice, but at this stage in my life I’m not interested in making that extra coin, I’m interested in freedom. So this year, I scheduled TWELVE weeks of vacation. Twelve. Weeks.

We plan our vacation weeks out a year in advance, and I almost didn’t even know what to do with this newfound surfeit of “riches.” I took a week for graduations, a week for a Spring Break beach trip, one for my son’s college swim championship meet, another for a family trip to Bermuda, and yet another for a family trip over Thanksgiving. That left 7 weeks. And by cleverly bribing my wife with a couple of mother/daughter trips, it looks like all of those remaining 7 weeks are MINE. And that means hikes.

I’ve already used the first one on the Florida Trail. What to do with the next 6?

In large part because it’s close to where I live, most of my hikes have been section hikes on the Appalachian Trail, and I enjoy them a lot. Plus, at this point I’ve banged out about a third of the total miles, so I might as well keep pecking away at it until completion. Therefore, a couple of these hikes will be AT section hikes. The first of these- in mid-April- will cover the Virginia Triple Crown. That would be McAfree Knob (featured photo), Tinker Cliffs and Dragons Tooth in central Virginia. A pretty rugged 50+ mile section. And then I’ll knock off the section south of there to Pearisburg in November.

That leaves 5 more hikes. The available weeks are June, August, early October, early November, and December. And the goal is to get out of the “green tunnel” to do special hikes. Epic journeys.

June is tough. It’s a little bit too early (especially in a snow year like this one) to get into the high mountains out west. It’s too warm and humid, not to mention too crowded, on most of the AT sections. And it’s WAY too hot for any desert action. So I’m choosing a shorter journey of 30 miles on the Art Loeb Trail in North Carolina. From what I’m reading, it’s rugged in places but gets into 6,000 foot elevations with some balds, and I love me some balds. Aside from the one developing on my head.

Now August could be a great time for some high country hiking out west, but I ended up choosing something different- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. I had wanted to do it in April, but then I learned that it’s probably still snowed in then. But by August, the black flies will be fading and it should be really nice. And something totally different.

I had already planned a bucket list trip for the first week of October with a couple of friends- the Trans-Zion Trek in Zion National Park, along with a pair of long day hikes including Zion Narrows. I am so looking forward to this one. But for damn sure I’m not hiking out to the top of Angel’s Landing. My fear of heights precludes such foolish things. But I’ll creep close enough to it to get a good photo.

In November I’ll take on that other section of the AT. Hopefully Mule can join me on that one too. It’s a great time of year to be on the AT, as the weather isn’t too cold yet and the crowds have thinned. Also the leaves have fallen, so you get great views.

Ah, now December is the time to hike in the desert, something I’ve never done before but have longed to do. I had planned to hit Big Bend for the Outer Mountain Loop last month but the wall-infatuated shitgibbon in charge shut the government down and I couldn’t go. We’ll make that trip up at the end of this year.

This one has everything- the high Chisos Mountains, canyons, and a desert crossing- but water caching and careful water management will be crucial. I can’t wait.

I’m already looking ahead to next year, and it’s quite possible I’ll up things to 14 weeks of vacation (yeah, I suck) and take several two-week trips. I’ve had my eyes on the Collegiate Loop in Colorado, the Uinta Highline Trail in Utah, the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Maah Daah Hey Trail in the Dakotas for a while now, and with a little luck I’ll bag a couple of them next year. Gotta make tracks while I still can.