In January of 2021, I decided to set a goal of hiking 500 miles before the end of the year. While I normally spend a great deal of my free time hiking, with or without my camera, my hope was that this goal would provide some extra incentive to push myself physically, especially during those moments throughout the year when I knew I would need a little extra encouragement.
At the time, I had little sense of whether that was a suitable goal for me or not. I didn’t know if it would be possible for me, and if it were possible, how much effort it would entail.
But I’m proud to report that I reached the 500-mile threshold on December 24 and finished the year with 507.8 trail miles under my belt. For me, this amount of hiking was somewhat challenging, particularly during the warmer months. However, were I to do another goal like this in 2022, I do think I could aim higher.
I tracked all of my hikes using Gaia GPS, which let me compute total mileage by moving the track for each hike into a 2021 folder. Being somewhat of a data nerd, I was also excited that this approach also allowed me to easily download my data in a format that I could then analyze and plot using Python.
Progress toward my goal started strong. The year began with unusually cold weather, which enticed me to the trails several times with my camera in search of snowy scenes and ice formations. I was happy to have an escape from the frightening and historical events that opened the year.
During May, my recorded mileage began to diverge from my target mileage. As spring hit its stride and COVID-19 appeared to ebb, my mental health began to backslide, contrary to any expectations I might have had. After so much time spent isolating and distancing myself from others, I found myself struggling to return to a “normal” state of mind. I’ve long struggled with social anxiety, and as it turns out, the pandemic made this struggle more difficult. I felt out of sync with the world and with myself.
The pairing of my flailing mental state with hot, humid, buggy weather resulted in further flattening of my progress for the first half of the summer. I forced myself to do some trail runs during this time, which are the numerous “baby steps” that can be seen in the graph. “Baby steps” is a suitable name for what these outings were for me.
In July, I finally did what I should have done months earlier and sought the help that I knew I needed. Though it would be several weeks before I began to feel like myself again, this was an important moment in my journey through 2021.
By the time October rolled around, I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The cooler weather was coming back. The world was dawning its autumnal magnificence. My steps were beginning to feel a little bit lighter.
November was my best month of hiking since March, and December was my best month all year. Unseasonably warm weather (while somewhat disappointing as someone who loves the cold) allowed me to finally complete a backpacking trip that I’d been contemplating since October. Those 35 miles kickstarted the month and gave me the momentum I needed to complete my goal a few weeks later.
Generally speaking, I’m not much of a goal-oriented person. I rarely go through the practice of explicitly setting goals, let alone publicizing them. But this felt different. I enjoyed the physical challenge, and as I had hoped, the drive to complete this goal was a big part of what motivated me to hit the trails as much as I did, especially in the final months of the year.
On reflection, the way that the slope of my cumulative distance tracks my mental health over the year is striking. It is a stark reminder of what I’ve accomplished, not just physically, but mentally as well. With the data from my year plotted objectively before me, I see proof of what I am capable of. What I can overcome.
I would be remiss if I didn’t express my gratitude to my ever-supportive wife. On days when I wanted to hike, she picked up my slack at home. On days when I couldn’t find the motivation to get out, she kindled the flames with her encouragement. And on numerous occasions over the course of 2021, she voluntarily helped me with the logistics of long point-to-point hikes, even when it required over three hours of driving for her. Her only request was for the coffee to be ready in the morning.
I am proud of and thankful for what I have accomplished this year. Thank you for reading, and thank you for following along on my little journey. I’ll see you on the trails in 2022.