Happy 2010! The Year for JMT!

Typically, with each new year come all kinds of resolutions that after a few months begin to wane, then by the middle of the year are completely forgotten. I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else. This year however, my resolution is set, and already in the works - hike the John Muir Trail! I've already mentioned in previous posts some preliminary plans, but now with the new year, it's getting kicked into high gear. I'll be spending the next 7 months conditioning, prepping, and gearing up for the big hike. The Festivus Elf was particularly kind in bringing me several new pieces of gear that I'm planning to use on the trip. Over the next many months, I'll be reviewing some of the gear I'll be using, sharing some of my trip plans, and counting down to the big kickoff.

In general photography news, during the coming winter months, I'll be continuing to get the site updated with images from the numerous trips from last year. Backpacker.com is getting more of my GPS tracks posted, and I'll be sharing those as well, and suggesting which ones are best hiked at what times. I'll also be prepping for the next season of GPS tracking for Backpacker, and looking at what will be coming this year. To start, I'll be hiking on the Hawaiian island of Maui in Feb., then will be heading down to Crater Lake in OR for some snowshoeing. As the spring thaw comes around, there will be plenty of dayhiking in OR and WA, as I continually look for new tracks and photogenic locations. I'll also soon be working on a couple of feature pieces for the Washington Trails Assn, and continuing to contribute when possible to Outside and Nat'l Geographic Adventure publications, as well as looking for new avenues of opportunity.

Hope everyone had a happy new year, and looking forward to a successful 2010!

Cheers ~ E