End of 2020 Reflection

Welcome to the end of 2020. It will not be missed but it will surely be remembered. While looking through photos I took this year and reading journal entries, there were a lot of very good times sprinkled in among all the challenging times. In my current mindset, I would go as far to say that this year was pretty good. On the bad days, I would give a very different answer though. But I am here to celebrate the good.

The vast majority of my time spent writing was in my journal. I didn’t have the energy left at the end of the day to come to this blog and share story after story of what I was up to with advocating for mental health or of my adventures in the outdoors (and there were a lot!) I am well-aware that nothing is going to magically change tonight when the clock strikes midnight and 2020 ends but I am hopeful to start blogging again on a regular basis.

I decided to put together a post about some of the things I was up to this year and there were certainly many more! This is just a small sampling. In no particular order, here are some highlights from 2020:

I led a hike on Hunt Lake Trail. The intention of the hike was to hike approximately 8 km return and have an extended lunch with swimming and relaxation.

Look at this awesome group of Backcountry Women!

I coordinated and led a front-country camping experience at Nutimik with Backcountry Women. For a couple of people who joined, it was either their first time camping over all or they had not camped in years. The weekend was relaxing and other than a huge rainstorm over night on the first night, the weather was nice.

I certified as an Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader with day, winter, and overnight hiking. A special thank you to Backcountry Women and Wilderland Adventure Co for helping to make dreams come true!

Winer Training at Birds Hill Provincial Park

Overnight training at Spruce Woods Provincial Park

My daughter and I spent a week at Riding Mountain National Park. We did our style of “glamping” with an electrical site, some restaurant meals, and town activities in addition to stand up paddle boarding, swimming, hiking, and cycling.

I remember the mini golf course in Wasagaming from when I was a kid

Cycling along Clear Lake North Shore to the Wishing Well

I attended the Shameless Circle Fundraiser at Pineridge Hallow and I led a nature walk at Bois-des-Esprite.

With Sara Usman, Co-Founder of Shameless Circle

My family and I hiked Bear Lake

Bear Lake is a top five favourite trail of mine

I hiked overnight on Mantario to Caribou East with a new friend.

Other Highlights that I am PROUD of:

Using memes and my dark sense of humour about how horrible 2020 was to cope. You do what you need to do to get your needs met.

I consistently made my bed most mornings as soon as I got up.

I cycled to and from work most days in the spring and summer while I was working at the office. I was moved to work-at-home in the fall.

I cycled a lot this year, far more than previous years. I even led an urban bike ride through St. Boniface that began and ended at the Forks Market.

I introduced more plant-based foods into my diet and have not used dairy creamer in my coffee since mid-October. I eat a vegetarian diet at least five out of seven days.

My journal has been a constant part of 2020 and I incorporated aspects of bullet journaling into my longform style. For 2021, I am creating a bullet journal solely devoted to hiking and backpacking. I really jive with the creative side of bullet journaling and having a place to write about goals and tracking them is great for my mental health.