In the year of our lord 2022, in which I turned 52 years of age, I decided to embark upon the 52 Hike Challenge.  I wasn’t sure I was going to get it done, but I did, and with 8 weeks to spare.  I can honestly say I’m glad I got it done before December really set in.  I was worried about trying to grind out the last few hikes when it was 20° out, with a foot of snow on the trails.

Here are my stats: 129 Miles hiked, over 64.5 hours, with a total elevation gain of 20,622 feet.  My longest hike was nearly seven miles, up and down Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts.  The shortest was one mile on the York Harbor Beach cliff walk in Maine.

It was a fun challenge to do, and it got me out there hiking.  I probably wouldn’t do it again, because I definitely started to stress about finishing it as winter approached.  I enjoy hiking with friends more than hiking by myself, but I ended up on a lot of solo hikes to finish the challenge.

Some highlights for me include:

• Hiking Keystone Canyon with some new friends, when I went to a conference in Reno, NV.
• Hiking Mt. Greylock.  I thought I was going to barf when I got to the top, and as soon as I was done I said, “Never again,” but I’m already thinking about another trip in the spring.
• Revisiting Waramaug’s Rock for the great view.

What does next year hold?  I’ll probably make another visit to Mt. Greylock, just to see if I can.  My friend Jim wants to do Mt. Washington.  If I die atop that mighty peak, let these words serve as my memorial.