depression

Final Hikes of 2019

I did a little hiking towards the end of the year, but still didn’t make it to my goals of 52 hikes or hitting every adventure series bullet point. I’ve fallen short two years in a row now , but I’m not giving up. I’m starting fresh, again, and with the best intentions for 2020. The point of 52 Hikes With Mike is to encourage getting out and doing the damn thing, not JUST the numbers or the miles. (this is what I’m telling myself)

Hike 25 - Highland Park Trailhead - Trinity Trail (DFW Metro)

  • Group hike with REI DFW

  • 4.07 miles, pretty mild and flat

  • Enjoyable conversations, but no lasting connections

Hike 26 - Purtis Creek State Park

  • Hiked with my other half and Chewy the Dog

  • 4.85 miles, through the woods

  • Fall, crisp, sunny, felt good

  • Nice little park tucked away just outside of DFW

Hike 27, 28, and 29 - State Park Quest

  • Big Spring State Park - hiked the nature trail, about .67 miles. Cute little park with a nice paved loop and a little nature path and GREAT views of the nothingness around it

  • Lake Colorado City State Park - hiked the Cactus trail along the lake. About a mile of it, tiny hills and nice lake views.

  • Abilene State Park - did a mile on the Spring Nature trail. This park was an instant favorite with plenty of paths through the woods.

Overall 2019 Stats

  • 136.02 miles of hiking

  • Unique trails for EVERY hike

  • Longest hike was about 10 miles, shortest was .67

  • About 45 miles less than 2018

  • Hikes averaged just over 4.5 miles each

  • 16 solo hikes, 13 with a friend, and 3 with the dog

  • Hiked in 7 states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois

  • Visited 11 state parks and 3 NPS sites

The goal this year is to avoid getting bogged down again by work stress. When work got tough in 2019, I didn’t want to do anything but stay home and veg out. This year, I plan to channel all of my work related rage and stress into hiking, road trips, and camping. Adventure is out there and I have a few quests to finish which could really help me get some unique hikes.