2012 in review

2013 has come and it is time now to reflect on what a year 2012 has been! I haven't been too active in blogging, but I've been very busy going on adventures.

In the beginning of the year, there wasn't much of any snow in the twin cities, making it a uniquely non-wintery winter (if that makes any sense). It was nice for running, but I didn't feel right not using  my snowshoes all winter. I did get to go ice climbing in Sandstone, MN in February, which was really fun, and also attended the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in St. Paul in January, making for two solid "Winter" activities. I also traveled to Hawaii in February, where I did some hiking, some surfing (this one was a big goal of mine), made it to the state high point, and enjoyed the weather.

In March I left town again, heading out east to Connecticut for work. I used this trip to visit a friend in Boston and go to the highest point in Rhode Island. It has been my only "solo" highpoint to date. In April, I went camping a couple times, once at Willow River state park, and the other time at Lake Maria State Park. Both were fun experiences.

In May, I climbed outside a couple of times. Once at Interstate state park, and another time at Devil's Lake State Park. Both were great experiences. I also camped near Devil's Lake State Park, so my friends and I spent a couple days in the area. I also ran in a 1 mile race, finishing in pain from a really dry throat. It was getting warmer out, so I used my bike a few times as well. In June, I did some more camping, this time at Lake Wissota State Park. It was a great chance to visit Chippewa Falls, WI. I also did some more climbing, visiting Blue Mounds State Park and Palisades State Park (both good places to climb). I also checked out a Twins game on a beautiful afternoon.

In July I did some hiking and canoeing at Lebanon hills regional park in Eagan (a St. Paul suburb), and some kayaking in Northern WI. The kayaking trip was fun as it was a group of a dozen or so friends from high school. In August I went on a road trip to Glacier National Park and Banff National Park, and then back through Canada. It was a great trip with many highlights. This trip consumed about 10 days of the month, so I was pretty busy for the rest of the month, but did attend a Saint Paul Saints game and climb at Interstate in August as well.

In September, one of the adventures was camping and kayaking in Wild River State Park, which being about an hour away from the twin cities, made for a quick getaway. I continued running and ran a 5k race with a time of 18:06, within 20 seconds of my PR. In October I went on a trip to Great river bluffs state park, a park near Winona with great views. I also cheered on participants of the Monster Dash, a popular 10 mile and half-marathon race.

In November, I went on a much-anticipated trip to Haiti. It was a great experience. I was happy to learn about their culture and help some kids. It was definitely one of the highlights of the year. I also ran a thanksgiving day 5k to keep November an active month! December seemed to go so fast with all of the parties, but I still made some time to run, climb, and even went camping at Afton State Park!

2012 was a great year filled with many adventures. I can only hope to continue the trend in 2013!