Homer's Travels: Wandering Around The Near Future

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Wandering Around The Near Future

When I hike my mind wanders.  Usually to the past.  I've re-walked the Camino countless times since I got back.  Sometimes, when I am preoccupied by something, I wander in the present.  Last week, during my two hikes, I wandered around the near future.  Back in January, the first post of the year as a matter of fact, I implied that I would not make any plans for the new year.  During my wandering last week I threw that idea into the trash bin and I made plans.  Actually they are less plans than a framework that someday may become a plan.

My change of heart came when I realized without something to work towards, something more concrete than some vague notions of what I would be doing in the future, I would never achieve any of those vague notions.  None of these goals are new.  I have mentioned some many times before but, for the first time, I have attached a date ... or at least a year to each one.  Here is the framework I put together:
  • 2013:  A week or two in and around New Orleans in June.  My second Camino in September - October.
  • 2014:  The Wife and I are going to Africa.  Most likely Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and one other country.  The other country will likely be Egypt but, if the political situation changes to the worse then we will have to find an alternate and we have a handful of options..
  • 2015:  I will finally do RAGBRAI.  I've talked about doing it for years and now I am setting a date.  I will have a year and a half to train for it after I return from My Camino which should be plenty.
  • 2016: The Wife and I are tentatively going back to South America for an Amazon cruise, Patagonia, Chile, and Easter Island.  Plans for this trip are still a bit vague which is to be expected at this early stage.
  • 2017:  This is the year of the big one.  The Appalachian Trail (AT).  I've said that I wanted to do this before I turned 55 - in 2017 I will turn 54.  I will be attempting a through-hike.  Thousands try to through-hike the AT every year.  Only one in four succeed.  Training for this one will start after my return from the Camino, training that will include learning how to camp and hiking with more weight.  Hopefully three years is enough time to prepare.  Camping skills will also be useful for RAGBRAI.
So there you have it.  An ambitious plan with actual years attached to events.  I am ready to step up to the challenge ... or should I say challenges.  I just hope my body is up to the challenge.

Whatever happens, I should be able to get a few good posts out of  my efforts.

4 comments:

  1. Now those are some PLANS!

    Bravo, man. :)

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    1. GH: Thaey are a few. Now come the hard ... and fun ... part of actually implimenting the plans.

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  2. Oooh that is EXCITING! I like these plans! When I'm walking, I plan my future wedding. Your train of thought is much more productive!! But I love the mix of challenges and traveling in your plans!

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    1. Miss McC: Thanks. I'm looking forward to see how things turn out.

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