Andorra is a strange place. But despite the ubiquitous smoking and partying, I made it through a week-long winter trip, spending the first half skiing at the Grandvalira resort.
Consistency is commonly said to be the secret—the secret to success, athletics, or perhaps even a long life full of rainbows and unicorns and cookies. Along with this, people also often say that consistency is not sexy. Too true. In fact, I would say that consistency is downright boring.
Whenever I ask my partner when we will hike the Moncayo Massif, he usually replies that it is only worth doing in the winter. Well, finally, it was winter, there was snow on the mountain, and we had a free day in Zaragoza. So, we set out early driving to the mountain.
For New Year’s Day 2022, my partner selected a route to Pico Musales in the Pyrenees. I think primarily because it was new to him and also because it’s popular ski mountaineering route flagged for beginners. However, since I am so very new to ski mountaineering, it made sense to check it out before tackling it on skis.
In the beginning of December, we took a four-day trip to the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and explored the island in our favorite way—on foot.
I wouldn’t particularly call myself a resolution maker because, let’s face it, most resolutions are destined to fail. But I do like to set goals, especially goals that are both flexible and have a distinct end point or time. These are my 2022 goals.
It can be easy to be pessimistic as we end yet another year of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as the Omicron variant runs rampant and communities re-institute confinements, curfews, and outdoor mask requirements. The desire to wish away and write off yet another year lost to abnormality is strong. But as with last year, I’m choosing to reflect on those times that I lived my life well this past year.
The Faja de las Flores is one of the most beautiful, classic routes in the Ordesa Valley (Valle de Ordesa), located in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. While I do love the evocative name, Monte Perdido—Lost Mountain, it’s also a fantastic place to see some color in the fall and I really enjoyed a fall day hike we did there last year. So we headed back there this October.
For a couple weeks in November, I participated in a caving course through a club here in Madrid called Flash. The course consisted of two classes during the week and two full weekends. For the second week of the course, we learned the geology and biology of caves and descended 100 meters into Carlista cavern.
For a couple weeks in November, I participated in a caving course through a club here in Madrid called Flash. My primary aim was to learn vertical caving skills. As a life-long lover of bats and exploration, the underground environment has always really appealed to me. I first started caving in the US, also through a local club.