Outdoor Adventure Reflections for 2020

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Looking in the rearview mirror at outdoor adventure reflections for 2020, I can say it’s not what I anticipated. I didn’t expect my outdoor adventure life this year to unfold this way. But whose travel plans weren’t altered?

My outdoor adventure tended more to backyard wilderness and forays in New England. I leave the year feeling as if I re-remembered important ways to be outdoors. Similar to my childhood, I wandered the woods and fields of local areas. I found new trails and new inspirations. There was joy in traversing familiar areas to discover a new flower, a rare wild edible, or a unique viewpoint.

Here are my outdoor adventure journey reflections for 2020.

Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico

Prior to going, I never realized that the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico had so many beautiful areas. I admit I’d never heard of a cenote. I didn’t know about the wildlife or the Mayan ruins. My view of Cancun was as a beach party cultural experience I didn’t want. However, I’m glad I looked beyond Cancun to the jungles and ocean.

As my partner and I looked for a Spanish language school, friends said they were going to one in the Yucatan. So we said, sure, let’s join them.

It turned out I absolutely loved the Yucatan. The culture. The food. The people. Mayan history. Plus incredible outdoor adventures.

My highlight? Swimming with the turtles at Akumal. Seeing flamingos in Celestun. Visiting turquoise cenotes. However, look at my post on the trip to find out so many other outdoor adventures on the Yucatan Peninsula. Not the least is swimming with a crocodile!

Cross Country Skiing in New England

From the warm ocean breezes of Mexico to the snow country of New England. Yes, it was an adjustment. However, cross country skiing is my winter happy place. Since I want it to be yours too, I wrote a couple of posts about Nordic skiing. Free cross country skiing near Burlington, Vermont was one. Then I shared my favorite cross country skiing areas in Western Massachusetts. See you out on the ski trails!!

Winter Fun in Quebec

Next was my annual trip in March across the Canadian border. I took every piece of outdoor gear I own. Cross country and alpine skis, snowshoes, ice skates, microspikes. They are all needed for the gluttony of outdoor adventures available in the Laurentians north of Montreal.

Budget Skiing in Quebec

As this trip neared an end, the travel world changed dramatically. I made it back to the United States a day before the border closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Backyard Wilderness

I stopped in Burlington and holed up in the family home tiny house for the next three months to weather the Vermont lockdown. My salvation, like many people this year, was to get out in nature.

My challenge was to find hikes within 10 miles of home to abide by the Vermont lockdown rules. I spent a month exploring new hiking areas near Burlington. 25 day hikes later, I wrote them up in a blog post that got picked up by Vermont Sports Magazine. I was happy to help people find hikes to get renewal during difficult times.

Wild Edibles

Have I mentioned I love foraging wild edibles? Furthermore, I love finding new recipes to feature their wild flavors. Springtime in Burlington was filled with discovering new areas for foraging. I met some Nepalese women foraging nettles one day. Soon they shared their recipe for Nepali soup using the vitamin-packed wood nettles.

I wrote three posts on different spring wild edibles. Visit them below. I’ll continue this series in the coming year.

Home and Developing a Sense of Place

With Covid-19 more under control in June, I headed back home to Western Massachusetts. The Connecticut River Valley and mountains have been my outdoor adventure place for many decades.

Now I had time to share many areas I had been taking students to visit throughout my outdoor teaching career. At the end of each class or trip, students would always ask for directions to all the places we had explored. Finally, I had time to create those lists!

10 Awesome Outdoor Pocket Adventures in Western Massachusetts

The Most Amazing Viewpoints in Western Massachusetts

The Best Paddling Spots in Western Massachusetts

11 Awesome Outdoor Adventures at Tully Lake

Best Mt. Toby Outdoor Activities

Keystone Arch Bridges Trail in the Berkshires

Exploring New England

By mid-summer it became clear that careful travel in New England was all that made sense. So I set out to see and learn about this wonderful area of the country through new eyes.

Maine Outdoor Adventure Reflections

Ever since sea kayaking took hold on the east coast, I’ve been doing multi-day sea kayak trips along the rocky coast of Maine. This summer, I explored an old favorite place, the Cape Porpoise Islands. This archipelago is off the coast of Kennebunkport, Maine. It is an excellent place for beginning-level sea kayaking overnight camping trips. With the proper gear and an eye to the weather and tides, the Cape Porpoise Islands are an excellent sea kayaking camping adventure.

The new sea kayaking area I explored was Swan’s Island near Acadia National Park. Day paddles around this island yielded tiny granite islands draped in evergreens. Add in a lighthouse, a sand beach, a swimming quarry, and exquisite sunsets and you have an idea of Swan’s Island.

New Hampshire Outdoor Adventure Reflections

Think of outdoor adventure in New Hampshire. Is your image of the White Mountains? To dispel this notion, I explored the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. I found amazing natural beauty and a variety of outdoor adventures. My favorite was the bike the bridges tour. I loved cycling on the rail-trail or quiet country roads to see four historic covered bridges.

Vermont Outdoor Adventure Reflections

The draw of Vermont is certainly strong. I made several week-long trips to different parts of Vermont that were new to me. I particularly loved the Northeast Kingdom outdoor adventures. The hike up Mt. Pisgah next to Lake Willoughby is one of the five-star hikes of Vermont.

Speaking of great views, I did a post on the most amazing viewpoints of Vermont. There is plenty of beauty to see from up high.

Another favorite Vermont destination is the Champlain Islands. I can’t get enough of biking quiet roads to visit tiny stone castles, fossils, orchards, wineries, and a birdhouse forest. If you want to know what I’m talking about, hop over to this post on my outdoor adventure guide to the Champlain Islands.

Finally, the iconic town of Stowe lived up to its reputation for outdoor fun. The waterfalls walks in Stowe are but a small slide of outdoor adventures possible.

Motivation to Adventure Outdoors

Sometimes it’s hard to motivate to get outdoors. Maybe the weather is lousy or there’s too many indoor tasks at hand. I know that whenever I go outside, I always feel happy I did. It’s just getting out the door.

I like to create little challenges to ensure my outdoor time has priority. In the spring, I decided to explore as many outdoor areas in the Burlington area. Hence, the 25 Day Hikes near Burlington challenge was accomplished.

I then created the 30 Day Outdoor Challenge to have nature prompts to get everyone outdoors. You can get your FREE 30 Day Outdoor Challenge Calendar by signing up here.

My Outdoor Adventure Reflections for 2020

The Need to Be Outdoors

2020 was a year when people craved local outdoor adventures to keep their health and well being strong during the pandemic. I see this as a positive trend as people learn to love the outdoors, they are more apt to advocate for natural spaces.

However, many local outdoor areas were swamped with people. The need to educate people on Leave No Trace practice is critical. I also tried this year to alert readers to less-used areas to spread out visitation.

Social Justice in the Outdoors

The Black Lives Matter movement impelled many outdoor adventurers and outdoor industry companies and organizations to face how white privilege impacts the outdoor experience. Above all, we need to learn and act on inequities and attitudes that are barriers for BIPOC people in their pursuit of outdoor activity. Certainly, many dialogues and actions started this year. But I worry that social justice in the outdoors will lose this imperative and go back to business as usual. Therefore, I implore people with privilege to continue this vital work.

On a similar note, we need to be activists for the earth that has suffered immeasurably in the US in the last four years. Public policy that centers on the welfare of all living systems is imperative.

Reflections on the Blog

Finally, my outdoor adventure reflections for 2020 include this blog. I have been writing this blog for a little over a year now. Looking back, I have tried to share more content on outdoor adventures in New England to give readers ideas about where to go. As I move forward, I want to share more of my stories as an outdoor leader and educator. I want to write with a more authentic voice by using my experience. I also want to write about what you are interested in reading. Local destinations? Outdoor skills? International outdoor adventures? Stories of outdoor adventures? Please tell me in the comments a few things you’d like to see me focus on in the coming year.

In conclusion, I’ll see you on the trail, the water, or the snow slope!!

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