With just over a week left in 2024, I wanted to take a moment to recap the year.
I started the year off by focusing (again) on rucking for both general fitness and "weight training" for backpacking. For those of you not familiar, rucking is simply walking with a weighted load and has its origins in military training. I completed both the Forward and Endure training programs from https://pathfinderrucktraining.com/ - they offer some of the best rucking training programs.
In April I traveled to Little Rock Arkansas for the April 8th total solar eclipse. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the city and surrounding area; great restaurants and really good hiking too! The weather on the day of the eclipse was perfect. This was my second trip to view a total solar eclipse, and hope to plan more trips in the future around eclipses.
My next bit of excitement this year was my trip to Big Bear Lake, CA, to participate in the Highlander Adventure event there in June. Highlander put on a great event, with several different formats depending on how many days you wanted to hike. The hiking in the San Bernadino mountains is amazing. I'll be back in 2025 for the Hercules (5-day) format.
The Highlander event presented some issues I had with my left knee and hip, so after returning from Calfornia, I worked with an orthopedist and then a Physical Therapist for about two months to get that squared away. Thankfully, the issue was related to weakness and stiffness in the knee and hips, so it was easily corrected with focused exercises that are now part of my regular workout routines.
The fall was mostly uneventful outside of attending two of my cousins' weddings.
The final bit of news for the year was Curated.com's announcement that it was closing down the business. I've worked with Curated as an independent contractor since 2020 as one of their Camping & Hiking Experts (this is likely how some of you know me) during my time working with them I've helped hundreds of people find the right gear for their outdoor adventures along with writing a few product reviews and providing some purchasing advice to the company. If I'm being honest, I was disappointed, but not surprised, by this news. Curated was able to leverage the massive surge e-commerce experienced during and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, but those early wins (and a bit of greed and lack of experience) led the leadership to make some poor business decisions that ultimately doomed the company's future.
As we move towards 2025 I hope to use this platform as a way to continue some of the work I did while at Curated - providing advice and suggestions on how to best enjoy the outdoors. I don't know exactly what that's going to look like yet, but as I figure it out I'll keep you all updated here.
Thanks for your time and support, and happy holidays and New Years!