Reflection. Connections. Projections?

Now that we are in the latter half of December it is natural to let one's mind reflect back on the year's events.  Certainly 2010 has been a year of ups and downs for me.  In January I further injured my already ailing left knee, and by April I was consulting with an orthopedic surgeon.  On June 23rd my doctor performed ACL reconstruction on my knee, and for the past six months I have been working very hard at healing, strengthing and recovering.

At this point in my recovery from surgery I have noticed that the severe 'roller coaster ride' of highs and lows has greatly diminished.  After a hard workout I almost always feel fine, with only minor pain, and some swelling, around the knee.  Everyday tasks like walking stairs, washing the car or shopping for hours on end are easy for me to deal with now.  Through hard work, patience, and lots of good fortune I have made about a 90% recovery.  In the next few months I will find out just how far I can push my knee - I'm already contemplating some new adventures, including snowshoeing and winter hiking (both of which I have avoided in the past).

Last week I attended an event sponsored by the Trailkeepers of Oregon - the annual Portlandhikers Winter Meet n Deet at Stark Street Pizza in SE Portland.  This was my first time to attend the event.  Before that I had only met one person from that forum.  I discovered that my face-to-face experience with the forum members in attendance mirrored my online experience - they are a great group of avid hikers, who care about the environment and work hard to protect our access to wild places.  I had a couple of beers, finished off a small pizza and told a few tall tales.  Many of the people at this event spend at least a day or two of every week out hiking - something I'd love to work into my lifestyle and schedule!  I was hoping to come away from there with some new friends to hike with.  While that didn't come about quite as well as I had wished it would, I think that I at least met some great people in person, and that should help facilitate some future meetings on the trail for some fun hiking.

Okay... I have reflected on the past year.  I made some great connections with the forum trollers at Portlandhikers.  Now, on to projections!

With any luck, 2011 should be a banner hiking year for me.  In my previous blog post I mentioned one of my goals - to hike at least 201.1 miles in 2011.  If I am able to hike as often as I want to that goal will come to fruition by June.  But realistically I hope to complete that mileage goal by at least September, if my health is good and if enough hiking opportunities fall in my lap.

Oh, and one more projection for 2011:  after this long year of extreme narcissism (this year was truly all about ME! lol) I hope to be able to focus on other people in the coming year.  Next year will be the year I work very hard at putting other people first.  Part of that goal will involve some volunteer work, possibly with Trailkeepers of Oregon, maintaining trails so others can enjoy the wilderness.

It is too early to toast the new year.  So Merry Christmas!  At this time of celebration of the Christian holiday, I wish you all a time of peace, love and joy.