The Ring Kiln Side Trail - Natural Ontario
Spring is Here

Spring isn’t the only change happening

As the clock struck midnight and 2013 began, I decided this year I would pick some long-term goals to work towards. 2012 had some pretty life changing moments that gave me some time to think about what is important to me and where I should be focusing. Below are the goals I decided to work on and how they are coming along, which so far, I’m quite pleased with!

Be more consistent with NaturalOntario.ca:
I started this site so that I would have a catalogue of my trips and a way to display my favourite photos. Anyone who knows me knows I love my lists! It also made it easier to map things out, add in notes and remember pointers for later visits. It has been a lot more effort than I thought, but I’m quite pleased with how things are going. The next goal will definitely help keep this one going.

Visit 20 new provincial parks:
To visit 20 new parks this year is going to be rough as there aren’t many left that are under a 90 minute drive. For a camping trip that’s not a problem, for long hikes, that may be another story! A few of the parks I have on my list for this year are: Noisy River, Forks of the Credit, Hardy Lake, Darlington, Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands and Bass Lake. While touring the parks this summer a few of the outdoor activities I’d like to add to my repertoire are: backcountry camping, canoeing (it’s been a while), full day 30km hikes and maybe even some trail running!

Lose the broken ankle weight, get back in shape and then push it more:
After breaking my ankle last year I gained a whole new appreciation for the mobility I used to have. I also put on about 20lbs because I just wasn’t able to keep up my normal routine. Thankfully, the weight is gone! Getting back in shape is coming along as playing volleyball 3x/week has definitely pushed that in the right direction. The nice weather is almost here so the hiking will also aid in getting this going. My last hike was the fastest I’ve recorded. I guess taking 40lbs less in body weight and gear makes a huge difference!

Reduce my garbage output:
I know that I can create a bit of waste, but I never really paid attention to exactly how much. So this year I decided to take note! My goal is to throw out less than 52 grocery bags of garbage for the year. So far it’s been going really well as I’m at 16 bags through week 13 but there was a pretty big spring cleaning in there, as well as a few nights of having company over. I actually feel like I could slide in under 40 bags for the year as it takes me about 2 weeks to fill one. Recent composting efforts have made a big difference!

Overall I’m pretty excited about the way this year is starting out! As the weather gets nicer and the hikes get longer I’m sure in the next three months I’ll be even closer to my goals!

Posted: April 1st, 2013