Happy New Year!

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Our John Muir Trail journal is now complete.

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The girls and I have hiked a bit since we did Monroe on the 22nd, but we've kept to low and flat trails so we could include our dog.  Our border terrier doesn't like deep snow or frigid temperatures, so any canine winter hiking must be done on trails in the valleys.

Ski lessons will dominate our free time during the next six weeks, so the girls probably won't ascend another mountain on foot until late February.  I personally will continue hiking mountains, since I usually hike solo once a week, but I almost never post trip reports when it's just me.  When I go off into the woods on my own, I don't like to take many photos.  Documenting hikes with the girls is a pleasure.  Documenting my solo hikes (beyond posting a New England Trail Conditions report) feels like work.

I am not yet sure if we are hiking a long-distance trail this summer.  We will use our Terrifying 25 list to prepare for Idaho's Borah Peak, and we have a non-hiking trip planned, so I don't know if we are going to have the time or the funds to fit in a thru-hike.  We shall see.  I should know what we're doing by the end of this winter.  We have ideas....we just need to see if we can make those ideas work in terms of time and money (we pay for all our trips 100% out-of-pocket...the charity money we raise goes directly to the charity, not us).

If I don't post again until mid-February, then I hope you all have a wonderful start to the New Year.  Happy hiking, and be safe.

--Trish