My Outdoor Adventure Resolutions for 2015

My resolutions are below along with what I plan to (hope to) do to accomplish them.  Now I tag you to take up the challenge too!  And I'd love to hear about your resolutions so please leave comments  at the bottom.

My Adventure Resolutions for 2015

Do something that will challenge you, cause you to grow, and become stronger

Every big trip we do as a family in the wilderness or backcountry challenges us and causes us to grow.  Some of the big trips being planned this year are a family winter ski trip into Lake O'Hara to stay at the Elizabeth Parker Hut and a summer family backpacking trip on the Icefields Parkway to stay at the Bow Hut. 

Noah has never skied 11km before so the trip to O'Hara will be a big challenge.  And the 8km trip to the Bow Hut is always a brutal slog for me so I can only imagine how hard it's going to be with kids on the final scramble up to the hut.  (not to mention, we have to somehow get all the kids over the big chock stone in the canyon - without losing any of them over the edge!)

We are skiing to the Elizabeth Parker Hut in Lake O'Hara this April

Do something that scares the pants off of you

I want to try running an intermediate Class II river this summer on my stand up paddleboard. I find the Bow River through Calgary to already be a challenge and apparently it's only Class I, so I have my work cut out for me. 

A short paddle on the North Saskatchewan River last summer - hopefully to be repeated this summer

Do something new that will require a lesson or learning a new skill

I would like to learn to kayak this year.  Not sure if I will take lessons or not, but it's a new skill for sure.  Noah is also learning to kayak so we'll be learning together.

Learning to kayak

Do a trip with friends you haven’t seen in a long time and rekindle the friendship

I am determined to plan a trip with our friends that live in Saskatchewan this summer, even if I have to travel to SK to do it! 

Best friends should be seen at least once a year!

 
Do a trip with your best girlfriends or your best guy pals

Next weekend I am going on a girls' ski weekend with 27 other ladies.  I'd say this counts for this resolution!

Make a new outdoor friend! Join a meet- up group, form a club, connect!

I'm hoping to get to know some new friends better this year.  

Last year we had 8 girls.  This year we have 28 girls for the annual girls' ski weekend!!

Travel someplace new (even in Alberta)

We are staying at the Rampart Creek Wilderness Hostel on the Icefields Parkway this month.  It will be our first time visiting this hostel and our first time exploring this part of the Icefields Parkway.

Exploring the Icefields Parkway in winter

Discover a new trail, campground, or park that you’ve never been to before

I really want to camp at Wasa Lake in British Columbia this summer.  The campground has a warm lake, a bike pump track right in the campground,  and we've never camped here before.  We're hoping to actually spend a whole week in the Columbia Valley.

We love the Columbia Valley in BC

Try an outdoor activity that you have not liked in the past (there’s always room for change)

Rock Climbing.  My husband loves it, my son loves it, and I find it boring to tears.  But, I'm gonna have to learn to like it. I even got a new helmet for Christmas to show my intention to learn to appreciate it a bit more.

More climbing in 2015!!

Inspire a child or a family to get outdoors (maybe your own family)

This one is easy for me.  I do this every week with the Calgary Outdoor Playgroup Community as a leader and a major trip planner.

Inspiring kids to get Outside and Explore

Check something off your bucket list! (dog sledding, cat skiing, a multi-day canoe circuit…)

I did this last year with dog sledding and the Mount Norquay Via Ferrata.  This year's big bucket list item is to do a fall backpacking trip to Egypt Lake from Sunshine Village.  I've been trying to plan this trip for the past three years and the trip always falls apart at the last minute!  I'm determined it will happen this year!  AND, we're going to bring the kids since they are now old enough (or we certainly hope they are old enough to make the 12km distance to the lake.)

Last year's September backpacking trip took us here!  Hoping for another spectacular trip this year

Take a trip into the backcountry (if only for a day) and get off the beaten path

Easy peasy for us.  We've got 10 wilderness trips planned this winter between all members of our family. We'll ski into Lake O'Hara in April, hike into the Bow Hut in July, and hopefully hike into Egypt Lake in September.  We're also planning an overnight paddling trip this summer and might plan an overnight family backpacking trip in June.

We hope to hike here to the Bow Hut for two nights in July

Learn to… (ski, mountain bike, paddle…) – or teach a child to do something new

Noah and I will both be working on our mountain biking this summer.  We started riding at the same time and hopefully will keep progressing together.  (Until Noah passes me in ability.)  Other than that, every month is an opportunity to teach Noah new things outside.

Learning to mountain bike together

Try… (stand up paddleboarding, rock climbing, horseback riding…) Anything!

I'm addicted to trying new things so I have no doubt that I will be trying new things this year.  As will Noah!  

A typical weekend for us of trying stuff

Embrace… (what are you afraid of? What do you fear? )

Here's me admitting something big:  I actually enjoy the planning more than I do the actual trips much of the time.  I love the anticipation and the organization involved in putting a trip together.  Once we get to camp or get on the trail though, reality sets in and we are dealing with weather that may be less than ideal, a child's mood that might be far from ideal, and challenges that were never planned for (such as freezing cold weather or monsoon rain that causes us to cancel a trip.)

My goal for the new year is to improve upon embracing each moment out on the trail, at camp, and on the adventure.

Hoping for more moments like this in 2015

Buy a new guide book and aspire to check off at least 5 trips in it this year

Thee are no shortage of awesome guide books for hiking, biking, paddling, etc. 

Aiming for lots more biking in Banff this year

What's on your Adventure Resolution List??