Year-end Update

 Christmas has come and gone. It was a calm and uneventful few days. The weather was very warm and well above average. It really did not feel like December at all. My two youngest were here. We went for an early morning hike at Mother Neff State Park. We took King and Uisce with us, so it was a fast paced hike. It felt so good to get out. I had been craving a walk in the woods. It was very healing to walk among the trees. When we returned home we had our traditional Christmas brunch of Smoked Salmon Benedict and mimosas. Then we opened our gifts. My daughter shopped my Amazon wish-list and got me most of the things I was needing for my trips next year. We spent the afternoon relaxing before having a nice dinner of baked salmon and butternut squash stuffed with red curry rice. Both of those were new recipes and will probably become our traditional meal. They were both so good!

I have been sticking to my workouts. My energy level had been pretty low after my trip to Guadalupe Mountains. But I am getting back to where I was. Stair-master has been 1250 - 2000 and the treadmill is an hour with 35 minutes at 15% incline. Yesterday I did just do the treadmill and completed an hour at 15% and then 3% to -3% for thirty minutes. 

I looked back to my post from the end of last year. I am still at about the same level I was at this time last year. I am just going to the gym 5 days a week instead of 2 days. I'm not really pushing myself to go any harder as I don't want to wear out this old body. I am thinking of adding a weight training day to my workouts. I need to build up my strength to make it a bit easier to handle the weight of my backpack. 

Flights and hotel are booked for Peru! Flights are very affordable for March/April travel. Not much difference between them and a US domestic flight/hotel. It was in fact cheaper than a flight /hotel package to Alaska for winter travel to see the Aurora Borealis. I have not booked that trip, but I am keeping my eye on the Aurora and weather forecast for a possible last minute trip. 

Five more days until we ring in 2026. I am so excited for what the year will bring. I am most excited about the volunteer opportunities. The treks have me a bit nervous, but determined and excited to take them on. I know that the sights I will see and the experience of hiking in the Andes and Himalayas will be life changing. 

Here's to 2026! May it be a year of safe and incredible adventures.

Christmas Day hike at Mother Neff.

Just an update...

 The holiday season has had me a bit distracted from updating here. There hasn't been much excitement and the days have been passing too quickly, but uneventfully. I did finally get confirmation of my two-day Inca Trail trek yesterday. I am now in the process of trying to find flights and lodging for the last few days of my stay there. I've a few more things to get in place for my volunteer placement. I will do that in January. 

I have spent the last three months keeping an eye on the weather conditions in Nepal. By this time next year I will just be returning home. When I arrive in Kathmandu in September it will be quite warm and rainy. Salleri will be mild, but wet. By the time I start my trek in November winter will be ramping up. It doesn't get too cold in Salleri, but if I trek all the way to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp it can be in the single digits there. I had been thinking of a stop-over in Singapore on my way back home. But when I looked at the forecast, I changed my mind. High's are in the  upper 80's to Low 90's with rain every day. I am thinking instead of maybe going to Seoul instead. I might just come straight home. It will really depend on the airfares at the time.

My workouts are going well. I haven't been doing as many steps on the stair-master, but I notice I am much stronger on it. My treadmill workouts are still the same, just have become easier as I get stronger. I have also been going hiking at Mother Neff State Park once a week. I do 3.25- 3.5 miles each visit. I have my son's dog for the month and take him with me. He keeps the pace pretty fast. It has been a good workout. 

I do have my annual birthday hike to Enchanted Rock planned for early next year. My birthday is the end of the month, but in years past the park is so busy then, it has left me thinking that I might just wait until early January. I will keep an eye on the weather and then decide. Big Bend is reserved for 5 days in February and I am really looking forward to returning there. I need to get my confidence back up after the Guadalupe Mountains fiasco. 

Merry Christmas to all.