Brendan over at Semi-Rad and Rebecca of Calipidder fame both shared some of their favorite moments from the past year and it inspired me to sit and ponder mine. With literally hundreds popping into my head, I thought I would share ten of those outdoor related moments that stick out, fittingly as my last post of the year.
1. Gazing up at the endless sea of stars from the mouth of a pitch black cave in Havasu Falls, surrounded by a great group of people.
2. Playing on a ropes course in Garmisch, Germany with my niece and watching her absolutely crush the hardest obstacles with no fear- just total joy.
3. An early morning run on an empty Stinson Beach with Lola, listening to the waves crash onto shore and feeling the sun and wind on my face.
4. Standing at the top of a super fun 9 pitch climb in Italy with one of my great friends, looking down upon a castle and over at Mt. Blanc.
5. Enjoying the peaceful silence of a snowy forest in Hyalite Canyon.
6. Standing on top of my first multi-pitch ice lead with two amazing women, knowing we had already cranked out a steep, classic multi-pitch ice climb, then went shopping and had coffee all earlier that day.
7. On my mountain bike, discovering a beautiful new trail close to my house that climbs through endless Redwood forest.
8. Giggling like a school girl riding the Whoops Trail in Bend, a trail that scared me at first but I ended up riding twice.
9. Watching the manatees swim up to my paddleboard in the crystal clear waters of Three Sisters Springs in Florida.
10. Sitting atop "La Jonction", eating my very French lunch surrounded by the Bossons and Taconnaz glaciers.
I hope to continue to measure my life in these moments. I will always remember my favorite sunrise (Mount Sinai) and sunset (Yosemite) but will easily forget the best document or power point I ever created. All through playing outdoors, I have met many great new people, gotten to know people better, and plan to do more of the same in 2013. Happy New Year!