I’m always a little late to the end of year reflection game. The holidays are busy, busy and I always travel back home to Wisconsin to ring in the New Year with family.
This year I spent Christmas week pathetic and whiny in bed with a death cold fuming about (along with the rest of the world) how awful 2016 was and counting down the seconds until it was over. But that is a pretty shitty way to look back at an entire year and when it comes down to it there were some pretty fantastic moments in 2016.
Here are just a few of my favorite moments and accomplishments from 2016:
Bought a house with the BF/DP. It is a beautiful old tudor with huge windows, giant archways, and all sorts of early 1930’s charm. It is in the perfect neighborhood with a grocery store only 3 blocks away, the bus stop that takes me to work just around the corner, and only 2 miles from one of my favorite trailheads so I don’t ever have to drive anywhere if I don’t want to! And I had my first very own garden with tomatoes and beets and peppers and cucumbers and more zucchini than I knew what to do with and I can’t wait to use everything I learned for a better harvest next year (more beets!).
How much is that doggie in the window?
Traveled back to the Dolomites (#obsessed). Spent a week tooling around France – lavender and wine sniffing in Provence, mountain running in Chamonix, and meeting up with my brother and his family for a whirlwind evening in Paris. Then back to the Dolomites for wildflower OMG-ing, cappuccino drinking, and running the 47-kilometer Cortina Trail through the most amazing terrain ever!.
Dolomiti + Cappuccino
More adventures than I can remember. Exploring ancient ruins in Southern Utah, visiting the San Juan’s during peak wildflower season, exploring new trails in Lander, Wyoming, chilling at the cabin in Montana, running wild in Jackson and the Tetons, sipping zillions of beers in Bend, Oregon, and running miles and miles through the Wasatch on a nearly daily basis.
Little Roo on Handies Peak
Little Roo Roo turned two. Hard to believe life without my little buddy. Roo hiked his first 14er this year, finally learned to swim and not chase bikers, and logged at least double the amount of miles as me this year.
Happy Two Roo!
Tried to run 100 miles. Slogged 54 miles through ankle deep mud, rain, snow, and cold temps at the Bear 100.
Still smiling after 54 miles!
Bestest of friends got married. My good friends Jake and Andrea finally tied the knot at the Peruvian Lodge at Alta Ski Resort in July with the most beautiful mountain wedding ever. Jamie and Josh made it official in between snow storms in a random field with Mt. Bachelor in the background in October. Jamie wore light-up boots!
Jamie & Josh get hitched!
More miles & vert than ever before. I ran a total of 1,397 miles with a whopping elevation gain of 320,712 feet including 25 Mt. Wires! That comes out to 230 feet of gain per mile. More impressive is that I ran down 317,712 feet (took the Snowbird Tram down once) without breaking myself permanently.
Dream come true for Bears Ears. The year ended on a happy note, a place very near and dear to my heart received national monument status on December 28, 2016. The Bears Ears National Monument protects over 1.8 million acres sacred lands important to tribes across the Colorado Plateau. When I heard the news I danced around the room. Thank you Obama.
Roo getting serious about protecting Bears Ears during a visit to Comb Ridge