Let’s talk a little about 2019 goals.
I am not talking about resolutions or intentions or little things I want to change about myself. I am talking cold, hard goals. SMART goals. Things that I am going to do everything in my power to achieve.
My 2019 Goals
Here they are:
- Hike the Pacific Crest Trail
- Hike the Colorado Trail
If everything goes correctly that would be over 3,100 miles of backpacking!
I get so excited just thinking about it.
The Pacific Crest Trail
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), it is a long-distance hiking trail that travels 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington.
Michael and I have a permit to start hiking on April 18, my 32nd birthday. We hope to finish the PCT in 120 days, estimating that we’ll probably take about 14 “zero” days (days that we don’t hike) and average 25 miles per day on the days that we do hike. It might be a little aggressive, but I think we can do it!
The Colorado Trail
The Colorado Trail is another long-distance trail. This one starts at Waterton Canyon, southwest of Denver, and travel 486 miles to Durango, Colorado – a shorty compared to the PCT.
We will start this after we finish the PCT and get back to Colorado, probably around September 1. Right now we don’t have a specific time goal for the Colorado Trail, but it will probably take us 3-4 weeks.
Initially Michael just brought the Colorado Trail up as a joke, but the more we joked about it the more serious we became and soon realized that it was a great idea.
We’ll already have the time off of work. We’ll both be in really good hiking shape and have all the gear we need. Monsoon season will be over and we’ll get to hike through peak fall colors.
Sooo… give me a reason not to do it.
Training
I am planning to post training updates here on Just J. Faye, not necessarily because I think you’ll be interested, but rather because I think posting my training will help hold myself accountable.
Ideally I would my weekly training would include a solid mix of running, hiking, other cardio (elliptical, rowing, stairmill, etc), strength training, and stretching.
Other Things
Of course I do have some resolutions and intentions and small things that I want to change about myself too. Would it even be January if I didn’t?!
- Stretch more and do yoga at least twice per month
- Learn calligraphy
- Journal on a more consistent basis
- Do a better job at reaching out to / catching up with friends and family
- Spend money smarter, AKA only on things that I actually need
Follow Along!
I hope you follow along during the training, planning, and hiking! You can follow me on Instagram here and you can follow Michael here. His pictures are way better than mine.
We’ll also be posted periodic articles on The Trek. You can check out our latest about this 2-for-1 thru-hiking experience here.
What are your goals/resolutions/intentions for the year? Please share!