2016: What The Hell Did I Do?

Well done, gang. We’ve managed to make it to the end of 2016. Let’s all try a little bit harder on this next revolution.

So what have I been up to the past 365 366 days whilst hurtling through space at 18.5 miles/sec (30 km/sec)?

Quite a bit, it turns out.

I celebrated the start of this year Gokyo, high in the Himalayas, before returning to finish out my stint teaching English in Japan (note to self: don’t work in Japan).

Many miles were walked, tall things were jumped off of, cities were seen, and a bicycle was bought.

And, of course, tears were shed (RIP Harambe).

First let’s take a look at back at some of my (and your) favorite posts of the year, yes? Yes.

• A total of 101 posts were published on Halfway Anywhere this year (that’s an average of two per week).
• I managed to get some writing published in the book, Pacific Crest Trials: A Psychological and Emotional Guide to Successfully Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
• The idea that I’m going to hike the Continental Divide Trail has become a bit more realistic.
• I gave away my greatest travel tip.
• We looked at some of the best gear you can get for a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.
• I published a page dedicated to providing English-language information on hiking in Brazil.
• We found out about this year’s class of PCT thru-hikers in the Annual Pacific Crest Trail Survey.

So where did I go this year?

This year I made my first trips to Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. I made it back to Nepal, Brazil, Japan, and finally to the United States (back home for the first time in two years).

Here’s where I managed to set foot this year:

NOTABLE EVENTS & ADVENTURES

• Rode a bicycle 2,332 mi / 3,753 km across the Australian Outback from Melbourne to Darwin (read more).
• Completed the second half of Nepal’s Three Passes Trek.
• Hitchhiked from Fukui to Tokyo (first time hitchhiking in Japan).
• Hitchhiked from Gold Coast to Sydney (first time hitchhiking in Australia).
• Hitchhiked from Queenstown to Christchurch (first time hitchhiking in New Zealand).
• Quit my job teaching English in Japan.
• Made it to Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant (yes, you should go there).
• Sailed in a yacht race in Coffs Harbour (New South Wales, Australia).
• Jumped 764 ft / 233 m off the highest bungy jump in the world in Macau (check one off the bucket list).
• Jumped 141 ft / 43 m off the Kawarau Bridge and dunked into a river in Queenstown, New Zealand (a second bungy jump).
• Attended my first Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (check one off the bucket list).
• Went paragliding for the first time off Pedra Bonita in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (check one off the bucket list).
• Completed the Routeburn Track – one of New Zealand’s nine Great Walks.
• Took my first fall trip to California’s Sierra Nevada.
• Found one of my new favorite places in the world: Garganta de Céu on the way up Pedra da Gávea in Rio de Janeiro.
• Won big on a 99:1 bet at the horse races in Hong Kong.

In terms of places I walked around and/or up? From what I can remember, I could have been found at/along the following at some point during the year.

TRAILS, HIKES, AND STINTS IN THE MOUNTAINS

• Three Passes Trek (Nepal)
• Royal Coast Track (New South Wales, Australia)
• Routeburn Track (Fiordland National Park, New Zealand)
• Hiked to Table Top in New Zealand’s Otaki Forks
• Explored Limestone Creek and the glowworm caves in Manawatu, New Zealand
• Hiked over Kearsarge Pass, Forester Pass, and Shephard Pass in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains
• Petrópolis – Teresópolis Traverse (Serra dos Órgãos National Park, Brazil)
• Pedra da Gávea (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Pedra Bonita (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Corcovado (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Pão de Açúcar (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Dois Irmãos (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Morro da Urca (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Cachoeira dos Primates (Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Before I sign off for the year I want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reads and supports Halfway Anywhere. Your comments, messages, and emails motivate me to continue pursuing whatever it is I’m after in the world (am still unsure what this is). So THANK YOU!

If the next year plays out the way I’m imagining, then we’ll be visiting Tasmania, Hokkaido, and the Continental Divide Trail, before returning to New Zealand for a year-long stint in the country. But who knows?

Nobody. Nobody knows.