Well, it’s more than halfway through January, and I noticed I haven’t written since Thanksgiving. Oops. Looking back at 2014, my heart is warmed to realize all that I accomplished, and I am so grateful to have hiked over 30 different trails, traveled to various parts of Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, New York, Texas and Hawaii, try brand new things (mountain biking made the top of the list!), share laughter with friends new and old, and – of course – cook a ton of delicious food. Thank you to all who made 2014 an incredible year!

Now it’s on to 2015, and it has proven there’s no rest for the wicked! New Year’s Day wouldn’t have been complete without a frozen waterfall hike to Triple Falls, and the next days were kept full with whale watching attempts, snowboarding, bouldering, and lots of new recipes! Over the past few weeks, I’ve been pondering plans for the next 365 days, and without further ado, they are as follows (in no particular order):

• Hike Mount St. Helens – Yes, I’m a native Oregonian and have NEVER been to the iconic PNW mountain. Shameful.

• Hike Dog Mountain
• Solo backpacking trip
• Learn to cook paella
• Teach a cooking class
• Hike in the Grand Canyon
• More mountain biking!

• Sandboarding
• Plan for Glacier National Park trip in 2016
• Bike along the Historic Columbia River Highway

• Rock climbing and hiking at Smith Rock

• And finally, the POSSIBILITY of hiking Mt. Whitney