At the Trailhead of a New Year

2018 introduced me to snowshoeing with a solo hike on the Fish Creek trails in Grangeville. It also introduced me to new friends on a day hike up Rapid River in Riggins. I got to explore Breckenridge, Colorado with my family while on vacation, and returned to hike the Windy Ridge Trail with The Clearwater Trekkers. Amanda and I made an attempt at Crystal Lake in July, and a few of us did lunch together on top of Coolwater Mountain in August. I learned how souls grow while serving as a wilderness therapy field guide. And finally, we brought the season to a close with an overnight trip to Stanley Hot Springs.

I am beyond grateful every time I get to step out into the wild, and I truly appreciate all of you who share the adventures with me both on and off the trail. Whether you follow us on Facebook, simply enjoy reading about our adventures on our blog, or join us on the trail, thank you for being a part of The Clearwater Trekkers!

Tonight, we stand at the trailhead of a new year. What’s around the bend and just over that rise?

Will we climb Fenn Mountain? Go ridge running from the Coolwater Mountain Lookout? Will we overnight it at the Cold Springs lookout cabin? Or will we get crazy and float down the Clearwater River this summer? Maybe we’ll plan a trip to McCall, or meet up with some other hiking groups to explore new areas. Whatever we do, I’m looking forward to sharing the adventure with you!

If you’re checking us out for the first time, be sure to stop by our Facebook group page, The Clearwater Trekkers. You can see what we’ve been up to on our Adventures page here, too. And I am hoping to fill up our Calendar with all sorts of adventures being planned and shared by fellow Trekkers. I’d really love to see our first Discovery Trek on the calendar this year, too. I’m excited to see where that path will lead.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” We have 4 million acres of National Forest to get lost in. (That’s a lot of self-discovery!) How much of it will we explore in 2019?