At this point I feel like I do more planning than stuff.  I should have included a category for my blog, “On Writing”, “On the Road”, “On Living”, and “On Planning.” But with the calendar rolling over to March (Birthday Month!), recent 50-degree temps in Salt Lake, and the reappearance of my ole flip-flops has gotten me utterly stoked for the coming months where all this planning is going to be turning into some serious action.

This winter has been pretty chill – a trip home to Wisconsin and trips to Montana and Colorado.  I’ve mostly spent the last few months building up my cash stash, embracing local “travel”  (which, I will touch on soon), and planning, planning, planning.  I have also gotten my Nordic skis out on a lot of trail, been training for my first ultramarathon (#4 on my life list and just 4 weeks away – yikes), and spending a bit of time at the climbing gym where the pull-up still alludes me (#16 on the life list).

I do find it funny how these last few months of writing away and dabbling in location independent work – I’ve been pretty much stagnant.  Well soon that is all about to change…

Joshua Trees in the Mojave

April – Nevada/California Desert Trip

In early April I am heading to Joshua Tree National Park to meet up with some fellow Matadorians, JoAnna and Abbie.  I am then going to head to the Mojave Preserve, the ghost town of Rhyolite near Death Valley, meet up with some peeps in Bishop CA, and then hit up a bunch of hot springs and strange desert oddities in my beloved Nevada.

April-May – Somewhere Else

I am toying with the idea of using my frequent flyer miles for a few weeks in Guatemala this spring but can’t yet decided if I should maybe save them for a big Argentina/Chile trip in the fall.  I also need to make it home (Wisconsin) sometime this spring…

May – New Mexico Trip

Work my way down to New Mexico through the deserts of Southern Utah and Southwestern Colorado to attend a meditation retreat in Chaco Canyon.

June–July – Hawaii

My BF’s friend lives on Hilo and is getting married June 26, so we decided to make a huge trip out of it.  We will spend four weeks touring the Big Island and Kauai hopefully scoring a permit for the Na Pali Coast Trail.

The Na Pali Coast - Photo: Pandora_60

July-August – Lander

Free Camping at Lander City Park

Call me crazy that I am more stoked for a month in small town Wyoming than I am for Hawaii, but Lander – I can hardly wait.  In a piece I wrote for Matador Trips, I called Lander the “dirtbag friendliest city in the Western U.S.”  It has been my absolute dream to set up camp in Lander for more than just a weekend – I have been mapping out our camp spot in my head all winter.  We will spend the days climbing at Wild Iris and Sinks Canyon, possibly take a backpack trip into the Wind Rivers, and spend some quality time at the Lander Bar.  The idea of the stars (yet again) as the roof over my head makes me so totally stoked.

From Lander, we will stop by the Tetons for a re-match with Teewinot before returning home to Salt Lake City with an empty wallet and plenty of uncertainty.

Hiking Down Teewinot After a Failed Summit

What are your plans for the spring and summer?