In 2019, We Resolve to...

Love them or hate them, New Year’s resolutions give us a mental framework for making goals. They provide structure to capture something nebulous — a hint of how we might want to change our lives — and channel it into something tangible, actionable.

So pick a goal close to your heart, something that sends a thrilling zing up your spine. (Science says that when we choose goals we should do, they tend not to stick.) For inspiration, we reached out to members of the environmental and hiking community to see how their to-do lists were shaping up for the year ahead. We’d love to know what’s on deck for your year. Tell us in a comment below!

Photo courtesy Jenny Schmitz.

“Currently, I choose my hikes according to places in which I’d like to hike and on trails that seem like they should work for a wheelchair. I am tired, however, of having to turn around early on trails that end up not being wheelchair accessible. My resolution for next year is to minimize this disappointment by choosing trails according to recommendations from reliable sources, such as WTA.”
— Jenny Schmitz, writer at Wheelchair Wandering

“10 hikes, 10 trip reports, 1 work party.”
— Jenica Wilkie, WTA’s (amazing) graphic designer

Photo courtesy Rasheena Fountain.

“I work behind the scenes in the environmental field as a writer and in communications, so I often stare at computer screens for long periods of time. In the new year, I look forward to getting outdoors more with people in the field to capture the important stories of environmental work happening in diverse landscapes. I look forward to writing about community scientists working on the Puget Sound Seabird Survey throughout the southern Salish Sea and learning more about diverse relationships with the land. I would also like to schedule a week in the great outdoors to just write to the tune of the natural sounds.” 
— Rasheena Fountain, writer and communications manager at Seattle Audubon

Photo courtesy Rich Landers.

“This is the year I will end my disturbing tendency to take off on a hiking trip without an important item. Something in the rush to get out of town seems to trigger a lapse in my game plan that leaves, say, the bear spray or sunscreen on the counter or the fishing license in the other wallet. The time I forgot my wedding anniversary pales in comparison. I’ve developed a good list, but sometimes I neglect to look at it. So there’s my resolution: to check my list, twice, before leaving home.”
— Rich Landers, hiker and trail guidebook author in Spokane

Photo courtesy Hannah Weinberger.

“I’ve only lived in Seattle for just over a year — not long enough to have explored more than a small fraction of Washington’s natural spaces available to me, but apparently long enough to have already limited my outdoor time to a few dependable trails I know I like. There’s so much I want to see, but when I have a particular workout in mind or limited free time, it’s easy to stick with what I know works. This year, I want to force myself to get out of my comfort zone when running, hiking and cycling and strike out on at least one new-to-me Washington trail each week.”
— Hannah Weinberger, science and environment staff reporter at crosscut.com

“Hike sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Oregon Desert Trail.”
— Anna Roth, WTA’s hiking guide manager