Bucket List

I recently achieved something of a milestone.  I turned 40.  I don't want to approach the idea of growing older with dread, but with a sense of opportunity.  I am alive, still reasonably healthy, somewhat sane and very happy.  That being said, it is good to have goals.  If I achieve none of these things, I will still have led an excellent, interesting and exciting life.  But hell, it's only 40.  I still have some years worth of adventure ahead. 

This is the standard bucket list of things I would like to do before I kick the bucket.  I hope this is nowhere near final.  New things should pop up and hell, I might even mark some of these off.  Is this an exciting hint of where the Adventure Nickel might lead?  I hope so. 

So, in no particular order, the list.

1.  Climb a mountain.  Technically I have already done this, but I want more and better.  I want to climb a mountain that requires technical climbing expertise.  I want an alpine mountain experience.  Mt. Rainier, maybe Mt. Hood.  Something along those lines. 

2.  Through hike one of the great American trails: The Appalachian trail, The Pacific Crest Trail, The Continental Divide Trail.

3.  Run a marathon. Perhaps even an ultra or an Olympic distance triathlon.

4. Write a book.  One each of fiction and non fiction.  I don't think I will be satisfied until I consider them to be a good book too.  I don't want some thrown together piece of junk. 

5. Sail a vessel under my own command across either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

6.  Serenade my beautiful wife in public.  I can't think of anything more terrifying or anyone more worthy of the venture.

7. Get an article or essay published in a magazine.  I can write a book and self publish it.  There is something about the external justification that my work is good enough that it could be published by someone else.  This one is a little sketchy.

8.  Take a photograph that I think is worthy of hanging in a gallery.  Perhaps even sell one.  But I think I would be satisfied by taking a gallery worthy one.  I have come close I think. 

That's it so far.  Feel free to comment and leave your own if you have one.  Again, I reserve the right to change, alter and amend as needed. 

Only 8 items, but they will take some doing.