2020 Wish List

On By coloradochelseaIn Uncategorized

Happy 2020!

A big thank you to everyone who has been following along with me as my blog has grown immensely over the last year. You’re all amazing and I’m so glad to have you around!

At the beginning of 2019, I posted a list of all the things I wanted to do here. I definitely didn’t complete everything (which is totally fine) but it was interesting to see how my priorities changed throughout the year.

2019 Recap

2019 was a tough year for us and our close friends & family. It seemed to be one thing after another; family members passing, rough breakups, the deaths of pets. We went to the vet more times than not, and as our dogs are getting older, they’ve developed a number of expensive and potentially life-threatening medical conditions. But some good things happened too. Both Kyle and I started new jobs, I made a handful of new hiking friends, and we fostered tons of dogs & puppies, bringing joy & poo to our home.

Here’s a recap of what I wanted to do in 2019 and what I was able to accomplish:

  • 52 Hike Challenge
    • Completed! And far surpassed.
    • One component of this was that I wanted to document my hikes consistently for the first time ever. I didn’t have individual blog posts for each hike; some were grouped into one post, and some were repeats so I didn’t blog about them at all. But I kept track of everything on a spreadsheet. In 2019, I hiked 436 miles with 97,722′ of elevation gain in 94 hikes.
  • 10 new 14ers and 25 new 13ers
    • This was a tough one for me. We had a very short summer this year so my window of opportunity was very narrow, plus I encountered numerous other issues that prevented me from reaching this goal. But I DID climb 14 new 13ers, which is still pretty awesome. And I attempted 6 other 14ers & 13ers but had to turn around due to weather, trail conditions, cut paws, and mystery stomach issues. But I learned a ton from all these attempts (I don’t like calling them failures) and I think I can have a much more successful year next year!
    • I had also wanted to do my first Class 3 route, which unfortunately didn’t happen BUT there’s always next year 🙂
    • Another interesting thing I was looking at was climbing a peak in each of the Colorado mountain ranges that I hadn’t yet climbed in. I didn’t hit all 5 ranges that I had left, but I did get 2 new ranges! Elk, Gore, San Juan, Sangre de Cristo, Sawatch
  • Miscellaneous
    • Hike to a hot springs. 
    • Finish the Poudre River Trail in Greeley. 
    • Continue plugging away at the Colorado Trail. Kyle and I did one new segment this year, 12.8 miles. Now we have 369 miles left!

I might not have done everything I wanted to do in 2019, but I sure did a TON of fun stuff. On top of the above list; Kyle and I completed our very first state high point (Nebraska), hiked in 3 states (Colorado, Arizona, & Wisconsin), and ultimately just enjoyed every moment we could. Now I have new goals for 2020, and I think it’ll be the best year yet!

2020 Wish List

  • 300 days outside (hikes, dog walks, etc.) – a picture from each day will be posted on my Facebook & Instagram pages, only hikes & more exciting adventures will be posted to my blog.
  • 500 miles walked, 100,000′ elevation (including walks & hikes)
  • Reach state high point #5 with Kyle (we have 1 so far)
  • Go to 3 new national parks with Kyle
  • Complete 1 more segment of the Colorado Trail with Kyle (Segment 8 is next, 25.4 miles)
  • Reach 14er #15 with Kyle (we have 10 so far)
  • Reach 13er #50 (I have 29 so far)
  • Finish all 8 of my redemption hikes – these are hikes (not including 14ers & 13ers) that I’d started within the past 2-3 years and couldn’t finish for some reason (weather, dog/partner issues, trail conditions, physical ability, etc.)
  • First Class 3 route (13er or 14er)
  • Climb a peak in the remaining Colorado ranges: Elk, Gore, San Juan
  • Hike to a hot springs

I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings! I look forward to sharing all of our adventures with you ❤

Chelsea

32 thoughts on “2020 Wish List”

  1. Chelsea–Great post! I’m really excited to hear about your experiences with the 13ers and 14ers especially. My boyfriend is super into mountain climbing!

    I’m on the east coast, so not as many tall mountains, but I am climbing Mt Washington in New Hampshire this month so stay tuned for a post about that!

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  4. Thank you for your like on my first post of the year on Peregrinations (although I have no idea how you found me so quickly – I do exactly zero to promote the site and have been inactive since my last long haul hike in 2016). Good luck with your 2020 bucket list – I will be sure to follow you on Instagram (which I have just been introduced to by my children). Best wishes to you and your family – humans and quadrupeds and have a marvellous 2020 outdoors.

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  12. Congrats on completing the 52 Hikes Challenge. You crushed it! This one is on my list of things to accomplish in 2020. Your list for 2020 looks quite ambitious. Looking forward to reading all about your new adventures.

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  15. I would love to see you map out some of your hikes. On our road trips from South Florida, we hike around Steamboat Springs area a lot. Any recommendations for trails there? Good luck on your 2020 goals.

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  16. Pingback: Colorado Chelsea – 100th Blog Post – Colorado Chelsea

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