2020 – what a year 🙂 No need to go into too much detail as I am pretty sure that everybody feels the same 🙂 But I am doing it! – next year 😉
What am I doing you ask? (did you ask? if not please do it now)
Well, first a quick resumé of my 2020:
In March 2020 I managed to get the last plane to the US before the airplanes from Europe were banned from entering the US.My plan was to hike the Arizona Trail, which I then had to cut short because the Grand Canyon closed down, so I only got to do 300 miles before deciding to end it(before getting to the GC).
And I still haven’t edited my last section video – for some reason i can’t find the time, and whatever other excuses I can come up with 🙂 some day.
Then my boss turned insane and expelled everybody at work with crazy conspiracy theories, that has ended in lawsuits which are still ongoing so can’t really talk about that yet.
Now I had to find a new job in the middel of a pandemic, but thankfully that went pretty smooth and I got a new job in another camera store – that lasted for 2 months when I decided that I was not really happy – so “just like that” I got another job (it’s pretty crazy how lucky I have been in that regard).
And even though I have been working in a store and been in contact with people all through the pandemic, been in a few different airports, and a bus ride from San Diego to Tucson, I still haven’t been infected. That’s kinda crazy in itself.
So all in all an insane year with some pretty hefty ups and downs.
OH and I also managed to fit 3 pinball machines into my tiny apartment so I have no room for boredom now (see what I just did there? no room? get it? hehe)
What is next for me?
Hiking and travel wise I have decided that 2021 will be a year where I just save up, and there is a few reasons for that.
My new job doesn’t pay as well as my old job, so my initial plan of completing the Arizona Trail in April 2021 will be postponed, as it would mean that the rest of my future plans would also have to be postponed.
On a positive note, my new boss has already agreed to my hiking plans in advance, so that part is already taken care of.
That means that in 2021 I will not be going anywhere exotic. Probably not anywhere at all unless it’s dirt cheap 🙂
The pandemic is still raging on and even with the vaccine around the corner I don’t think that going to Arizona in April – or anywhere for that matter – would be wise, even if I could afford it. Also I feel pretty thankful about my new job so I decided that I will just skip my Arizona hike and save the money.
I am doing it!
BUT next year (2022). I will thru-hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) or at least that is the plan right now, a lot can happen in a year but I am hoping that the pandemic will be “under control”.
Or at least the vaccine is widely available so we dont have to be too worried about human contact – I really wanna experience the trail angel and other social aspects of the long distance hikes as well.
Money for the trip
Money wise I should have saved enough money to do it, the boss has already accepted that i will take 6 months leave to do it and 2022 will also be the year that I turn 50 (november) so that is a pretty cool gift for myself 🙂
Gear for the hike
Looking back at 2020 I realise that I after I got back from my Arizona hike I haven’t spend any time looking at hiking gear or actually any hiking related stuff, it all sort of just fell into the background during all this crazy stuff happening.
But I also realise that since I went crazy buying stuff for my thru-hike of the PCT nothing much better has been made 🙂 But I reckon that later this year I will probably start researching again and see if there is any cool stuff I NEED for my next hike 🙂
For the next couple of months I will just enjoy playing with my Pin Balls 😉 and wait for the winter to be over – DAMN it is getting cold.
Hopefully I will get some mental free time as well so I can edit the last of my Arizona Hike video and maybe even get around to editing my Thru-hike of Kungsleden back in 2019.
What are your plans?
What are your plans? going anywhere this year? If you are deciding on doing the CDT in 2022 maybe we can hook up and do a section together 🙂
/Boss
