January Goal: 30 Hikes, 30 Days…
2023 is the year of twelve monthly goals. Each month, I hope to participate in a 30 day goal (February gets a pass, 28 days will have to do!). The January 2023 30 Day Goal? 30 Hikes in 30 Days (no trail repeats). It was an experience! Coincidentally, my hiking partner in crime, April, also wanted to kick start the year with hiking every day in January. Thank goodness, I had an accountability partner, a co-planner, and a motivator for those days I might have wanted to sit at home reading a book or binging Netflix.
I started my thirty days of hikes with an easy and short neighborhood trail and worked my way through sunrises, sunsets, waterfalls, rock climbing, sand, mud, rain, paved trails, new to me trails, and overgrown trails and ended the month long adventure at my trail nemesis: Koko Crater Stairs. The trail I vowed to only set foot on once a decade…
I found this first monthly goal/resolution to be both a mental and physical challenge. Scheduling, homeschooling my eleven year old, and managing life, were part of what made this thirty days of hiking more than just trying to catch my breath on those steep inclines. It was an exercise in prioritizing. It was an exercise in creativity and juggling. I was delighted that on several of my thirty hikes, my youngest son Zach was able to join in—-lessons in nature for Homeschool!
Other challenges were fitting in hikes while traveling, having family visitors, and just generally being middle aged. The muscle creams, massage gun, and the occasional glass of red wine were definitely needed to help soothe my weary, aging muscles. (Although, I didn’t mind that red wine remedy.)
Lucky for me, my “backyard” has what feels like an unlimited amount of trails to be explored (for the first time or for the hundredth time). That was the easy part, the accessibility. Between April and I, we took turns driving and choosing trails to meet our mileage, elevation, or views expectations for the week. It was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. On weekends the family would join us on our escapades and in addition to hiking some new to me trails, I got the added bonus of learning all there is to know about Pokémon (thanks Chloe!).
A few of my favorites from this month of hiking include:
1. Crouching Lion: we pushed further up the trail towards the summit on uncharted territory for us both
2. Sunset Hills: a new to me trail that has lots more to explore at another time
3. Koko Crater Stairs: (say whaaat?) we slowly conquered the devil trail after 29 other days of hiking
4. Kamehame Ridge: we witnessed the most gorgeous of sunrises and I felt strong hiking the incline
5. Manoa Falls: an old, (usually) uneventful trail that showed off and surprised us with a bountiful rush of water that I rarely see on this humble trail.
The Stats: (if my math is correct…I’m a better hiker than math-er)
Days Hiked: 30
Miles Hiked: 102.5
Steps Taken: 261,752
Floors Climbed: 470
Trails Traveled: 32
Family Dragged Along: Zach, Isom, Tonya, Bill, Kathi, Jim
Trail Buddies: April, Chloe, Jennah, Lena
Sustenance Provided By: Hiking Hawaii Cafe, Dunkin Donuts (😮), Jolenes, Mana + Pua, Seven Brothers Sharks Cove
Injuries: None (unless tired, sore muscles count)
Shoes Thrown Out: 1 (the sole of my long time Salomon hiking shoes ripped clean off)
Leggings Thrown Out: 1 (ripped a hole in one of my favorite pairs…they were unsalvageable)
Pictures Taken: whoa, I can’t count that high
Lessons Learned: Countless
Memories Made: Priceless
I hope that setting a new goal for each month will keep me interested and excited for physical, mental, and emotional challenges in 2023 and beyond. I hope this is my Eat, Hike, Love year (you know, like that famous book by a similar name). I hope that with each month, I re-discover consistency, commitment, and appreciation for the people and things I hold dear in my life. If this first goal is any indication of the year ahead, then I am already grateful for 2023. It will be a year of wonder, limit pushing, learning, nature, and passion——some of my favorite things.
I hope you will follow along on my twelve monthly goals adventure in 2023. I’ll do my best to hit each goal and share my progress along the way. Until next month…Namaste~ (your clue for my February goal)
“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” ~John Muir
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