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.
