2015 Year in Review: Exploring New Continents and Pushing My Limits
by Hartley Brody
A year ago, I had never left North America or hiked more than 10 miles in a day. This past year, a lot has changed and I’ve accomplished quite a few big milestones and gone on lots of awesome adventures.
I recap some of my favorites as I take a look back at what has been my most adventurous year yet!
January
2015 started off with a New Year’s Day hike at Tucker Preserve. I got to practice some of the bushcraft skills I learned in 2014 and built a small “lunch” fire.
Midway through January, the startup I had been working for had to lay everyone off, so I found myself with lots of free time and a bit of money in savings.
Before the layoff, my girlfriend and I had already planned our third annual winter getaway. This year, we spent a week lounging on the beaches and exploring the rivers in Montego Bay, Jamaica – all while Boston was getting hit with record-breaking snow.
February
In February, I cashed in on a Groupon deal for some ice climbing up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It wasn’t my first time ice climbing, but it was definitely a fun trip.
March
I spent almost the entire month of March exploring Southeast Asia with my girlfriend. It was a 31-day trip, and my first time outside of North America. We visited almost a dozen cities across Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Highlights include:
- hanging out with elephants and exploring the mountain jungles of northern Thailand in Chiang Mai
- paddling around floating villages in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
- driving a scooter along the wonderful beaches of Hoi An, Vietnam
- getting up close and personal with macaque monkeys in Ubud, Bali
- taking surfing lessons in Seminyak, Bali
The full trip video is here.
April
Unfortunately, I didn’t do much travelling or outside adventure in April. Instead, I spent a lot of time grabbing coffee, going to job interviews and meeting with potential freelance clients.
In the end, I decided to turn down all of the offers I had received and become a full-time freelance software developer, building web products for marketing teams.
8 months in and so far it has been a great decision!
May
For Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to start making progress towards my New Year’s Resolution of hiking a 50 mile weekend. Sarah and I attempted a 23 mile loop called Tully Trail. Sarah pushed her limits and hiked the most mileage she’d ever done in a day, achieving her own major accomplishment. Ultimately, the full hike proved to be too much for her and we ended up hitch-hiking back to the trailhead.
We both learned a lot from the hike about managing our limits and being a good partner on the trail.
June
In June, we flew out to California for our friends’ wedding, and then spent 16 days road tripping up the west coast, enjoying the scenery and staying with friends along the way. Highlights include:
- spending 3 nights backpacking in Redwoods National Park
- hiking to Tall Trees Grove and seeing the biggest tree in North America
- hiking around the rim of Crater Lake
- camping out on Mount Rainier
- day-hiking up Rainier to the beautiful colors in Summerland Alpine Meadows
July
In July, I went back and completed the 23 mile Tully Trail loop with a friend.
August
In August, I took Sarah, my brother and his girlfriend sailing on the Boston Harbor. I had learned how to sail a small keelboat in 2014 and wanted to get back out on the water to keep my skills sharp.
My girlfriend and I also did our 4th annual Boston Harbor Islands summer trip, this time visiting George’s Island.
I did my first solo backpacking trip, 36 miles on the Midstate Trail, which cuts across Massachusetts from north-to-south. This was my first time camping alone, and my first time doing more than 10 miles on multiple days.
Hiking alone, I really got to focus on my preparation, skills and gear, and I learned a ton about myself as a hiker on this trip. Be sure to subscribe if you want to read my forthcoming article about hiking alone!
September
In September, Sarah and I spent our anniversary weekend up in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. We stayed at a campground and ended up waging war against the local raccoon population.
I also completed a New England bucket list hike: a Presidential Traverse up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. At 23 miles long, the trail has 9,000 feet of elevation gain and goes over 7 peaks including Mt. Washington. The majority of the trail is above treeline, and we had absolutely gorgeous weather for it.
It was a tough hike that challenged everyone in the group, but we all came away better hikers for it.
October
My crowning achievement of the year, I met my New Year’s Resolution by hiking 50 miles in 2 and a half days.
It was an extremely grueling hike, and I was very anxious in the days leading up to it that I wouldn’t be able to finish. It was cold and rainy when I set out, with nighttime temps dipping below freezing, but I managed to complete the round trip from Mt. Wachusetts to the New Hampshire border, on my own.
It was my first time hiking more than 20 miles in a day, and I got to see some absolutely spectacular autumn foliage along the way.
November
In November, I finally earned a Southwest Companion Pass which basically allows for free flights through 2016.
December
This month, I signed up for a Wilderness First Responder class for early 2016. This will allow me to take my current Wilderness First Aid skills to the next level, and become more comfortable taking trips far out into the backcountry.
I also formally launched this blog, in an effort to share what I’ve learned over a lifetime of adventures and wilderness travelling. 🙌 🎉
Plans for 2016
While I haven’t completely set my 2016 goals in stone, here’s my tentative list:
- Get Wilderness First Responder certified
- Lead a week-long backcountry excursion (likely a canoe trip)
- Take someone camping who has never been before
- Visit 2-3 new National Parks that I’ve never been to
I’ll definitely be writing more about what I’ve learned and sharing that knowledge on this blog. Be sure to subscribe for updates!
