Happy New Year! Now is the time start making your dreams a reality.
The new year is here, so it is time to come up with my 2018 outdoors resolutions. These are my new years resolutions for 2018.
January 1 always means a day to take stock of what happened last year and think of our goals for the next year. For most of us that means trying a variation on the resolutions that we had last year, but failed to keep. Well, my success with keeping resolutions is the same as everyone else’s. This year I decided to come up with my 2018 outdoors resolutions – goals for the outdoors that I will accomplish this year with the family.
A Tip On Setting Resolutions/Goals
Last year I wrote 7 tips for setting and keeping new years resolutions. The most important things to keep in mind is that you need to set resolutions that are specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic.
For example, rather than just say something like, “I’ll take my kids camping more.” You should say, “I’ll take my kids camping once a month.”
New Years Resolutions – 2018 Outdoors Resolutions For My Family
Get The Kids Outdoors At Least Once A Week For Free Play – I’ve always tried to get my kids outdoors for a hike, walk, or camping, but I’ve never had a specific goal. I will continue to do that, but I want to add a new aspect to it.
Recently, I’ve been reading a book (There is No Such Thing As Bad Weather) that emphasizes the importance of letting kids have free play outdoors.
That book got me thinking that I need to get my kids outdoors once a week, not just for hiking or some organized activity, but to just play by themselves. Thus, I set this goal to just make the kids get outside once a week by themselves to play in addition to our family outdoor time.
I will get the kids backpacking for a week long trip this year.
Take A Week Long Backpacking Trip With The Family – Every year we get out as a family and do some hiking and camping. That includes a few two or three night trips to camp or stay in huts.
We did take a nine night trek in Nepal this past year, but that was far from a wilderness trip as we stayed at tea houses. Spending a long time out in the wilderness is a special experience that creates lasting memories.
Have Kids Compete In A Race – I’ve only entered a few running races or such in my life and they were incredible experiences. This year I’ve already signed the kids up to compete in a ‘try athlon’. This is a triathlon type of race where they swim, bike, and run. The distances are shorter, but long enough to be challenging for the kids and give them a sense of accomplishment after they complete it.
Visit At Least One New National Park This Year – We have been fortunate enough to visit and explore a lot of national parks in the US and world. This year we will find one new park that we haven’t been to and explore it on foot.
This is me with the kids a few years ago up at Solitude Ski Resort.
Get The Kids Skiing Comfortably Down Black Diamonds – Our kids spent the first years of their lives growing up in Salt Lake City, which happens to have amazing skiing nearby. They learned to ski at an early age and now at ages 8 and 10 can zoom down most anything.
Last season we skied quite a bit and it was a lot of fun. I was surprised at how much fun skiing together was. They can now get down as fast as I can on all, but the steeper slopes, while they find little jumps and bumps all over the place. My goal this year is to get them comfortable on those tougher slopes.