I didn’t blog as much as I wanted to in 2023 because I was lost in a sea of social media apps, and I had no idea which ones I should focus on. I tried to maintain a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Spotify, rumble, YouTube, and I just created a TikTok account. After trying to keep several apps updated, I finally realized the futility of that and decided to mostly focus on Instagram. Now, I have 487 posts, 2,686 followers, and I’m following 3,997. I reach over 1,000 accounts per month, but haven’t earned anything. I’m eligible for gifts and branded content, but haven’t had any luck with those. I found it hard to gain followers on Instagram.
I have a great gallery of photos and videos to document my hiking and climbing activities, but I’m a writer, not a photographer. So, I’ve explored the jungle of social media and returned to my blog site to write.
In my personal life, I’ve struggled with a lot of stress and anxiety. Most of that is related to the PTSD I have from my combat experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I’m also working fulltime as a civil engineer. I have a long backlog of projects that I’m drowning in. I enjoy the work that I do, but I’m tired of the daily grind of clocking in and out. Fortunately, I get to telework most of the time, but that has some drawbacks, such as the isolation. Being isolated from in-person social interaction is challenging at times. I’ve always been an introvert, but now I feel more isolated from society than ever. I’ve retreated deeper into my cave of consciousness.
The best mental health therapy I have is from hiking and climbing in the mountains. I try to get outside and hike at every opportunity. It is the only thing that I’ve found to reset my state of mind. I’m sure the antidepressants an anti-anxiety medicine helps some. Hiking is the topic I want to discuss with you.
After getting a Garmin Instinct watch as a Christmas gift, I’ve been using it to track my recreation activities. It provides so many statistics about me that it is somewhat overwhelming. I cling to it about the same amount I cling to my cell phone. They might as well be built into my body. My son is the same way with his Garmin, he doesn’t go anywhere without it.
Did you set any recreation-related goals in 2023? If so, please provide some details in the comments. In 2022, I set a goal of hiking 1,000 miles, which I exceeded. I made it to 1,157 miles. I sense that is a good distance, especially for a 59-year-old guy, a little overweight, and with neuropathy. I didn’t set a goal for 2023, but vowed to hike as much as possible for my mental and physical health. Hiking in the mountains also helps me spiritually. I’ve always viewed the mountains as my church, the place I feel closest to God. I had a number in mind that I wanted to reach, but I wouldn’t have been disappointed if I didn’t get there.
For me, keeping track of my adventure statistics is a means of motivation. I’m an engineer with a strong math and science background, so I’m an analytical type of person. I like to compare my progress from year-to-year. I’m sharing my information as an example. You should base your goals on your abilities, interests, and available time. This should be about tracking your hiking so you can see how you are doing compared to how far you want to hike. You can use your data to develop limits for easy, moderate, and difficult hiking distances. I discovered that 0–5-mile day hikes are in my easy range, 6-10 miles is in my moderate range, and 11+ mile hikes are in my difficult range.
You need to adjust your ambitions based on your fitness level, gender, and age. After an excellent year of hiking, I finished the year feeling good about my fitness level. I hiked as often as I could. I’m not a competitive hiker or trail runner.
For comparison, I’m sharing my data for 2020 – 2023, and for my lifetime (see the table below). Because of mandated travel restrictions in 2020, I didn’t have much hiking time in the mountains. So, I didn’t get much vertical gain that year. Most of my hiking in 2020 was in nearby open spaces. For 2021, I entered a Map My Walk App challenge to hike as many miles as possible. I challenged myself to get as much vertical climbing as I could. I finished in the top 9% of people in the challenge. That was a motivator for 2021, but not the most important one. My biggest motivator was a need to relieve stress and to decompress. In 2021, I used a Garmin Instinct watch and the Map My Walk App on my phone. That allowed me to compare the accuracies of each against each other. They were within 5% of each other.
In 2022, I switched to only using my Garmin because the Map My Walk App drains my phone battery too fast. I liked the app and used it for seven years. But I love the Garmin Instinct. On the topic of hiking apps, the free Colorado Trail Explorer (COTrex) application is a great map tool. It provides an accurate topographic map and is useful for navigating when hiking on or off trail. I use COTrex to check elevations, my location, and vertical gain. Over the past year, my Garmin Instinct has started inaccurately estimating my vertical gain. Sometimes it is off by 2,000 feet. When it is wrong, I edit the data so I have the correct statistics in my Garmin Connect account.
About my “lifetime” statistics, I’m still compiling the data. I did a lot of hiking, climbing, and backpacking before I cared about keeping statistics. When I have time, I look back through my handwritten diaries to see if I wrote anything about the distances I hiked or mountains I climbed.
After I retire, which isn’t far off, I’m going to get back to doing more climbing. There are thousands of mountains to climb in Colorado alone. In fact, my best tally to date is 5,647 mountains. That number is from a variety of sources, but I’m still researching more sources. I’ll probably focus on climbing the remaining of the 696 peaks above 13,000 feet elevation that I still want to climb.
I hope you have a wonderful year. Get out to enjoy outdoor recreation as often as you can. Nature, sunshine, and fresh air is good for your body and soul.
Rocky Mountain Adventures and Insights 