2018- A Year in Review
One of my goals for 2018 was to write more. 5 posts later, and it’s 2019. Oops! Here is my attempt to summarize the year from my (Laura’s) viewpoint in a reasonable length post.
2018 came and went in the blink of an eye. I think this was the year that I felt the busiest throughout the entire year, and for a good portion of time, I felt like I was just holding on tight and trying to stay on the ride. In contrast to previous years when we’ve constantly been on the move, this year was very different than most because we were stationary. Instead of living on the road, we spent our time at our property in Leavenworth, WA, putting down roots. And while that may sound relaxing, it was actually incredibly action packed. Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest things that happened last year:
The Grand Canyon
We started 2018 where we ended 2017, deep in the depths of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Our first week of the year was spent on the river as a conclusion to a 30 day trip. As soon as we got off the river the whirlwind began.
Titan’s surgery
At the end of 2017 Titan tore all the ligaments (or tendons? I never made it to animal anatomy before switching majors) in his left wrist, which meant he needed a full fusion of his wrist. His surgery involved taking a bone graft from his shoulder, placing it on his wrist, and adding two plates and 14 screws to hold his paw at an acceptable angle. He can no longer bend his arm at the wrist, which has effectively given him a peg leg. This surgery happened at the end of January, but not before one of many…
Trips to CA
In the previous few years, I haven’t spent much time in California as our time was split between AK and being on the road, but in 2018 I had a lot of opportunities to visit my home state and my family. On my first trip, I drove the van down, experienced a mechanical issue on the way, almost lost my mind trying to get my warranty to cover it, and bought a friend’s Honda Element. My sister and I caravanned the two vehicles back to WA together. My next trip was in March for a bikepacking trip, more on that later. I visited again in May and in July, both times with Brian for weddings. I was back yet again in September for my bachelorette party, in October to hang out with my best friend, Chelsea, and in November for an early Thanksgiving celebration.
Bikepacking
At the end of my last season in AK I decided that I wanted to get into bikepacking and planned my first trip for last March. I convinced a friend of mine that the route I had chosen was a great winter option and off we went! You can read more about that trip here. I went on to do two other fun routes, one on the CA coast, and one on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. I still have visions of writing about both those routes, so stay tuned. Bikepacking is something that I fell immediately in love with and hope to do a lot more of in 2019. It also was the catalyst for me…
Starting a business
In June, I officially started Leavenworth Mountain Products, a bag business. My original intention was to make mostly frame bags for bikepacking, but right now my most popular product is definitely a fanny pack, which I call the Knick Knack Pack. Owning a business has been all kinds of crazy and has just added to the insanity that was last year. I started the business right in the midst of…
Planning a wedding and getting married!
Turns out that planning a wedding is a ton of work. We wanted to keep things cheap and didn’t use a wedding planner and held the wedding at our property, so it was on us to figure out every detail, from how many porta potties we would need, to how much booze to buy, to how many plates to rent. Thankfully we had a lot of support from family and friends and the event not only happened, but exceeded many expectations. WE GOT MARRIED! Definitely a huge highlight of 2018! Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and fit us so well. I am so excited to have an incredible husband to share my adventures with going forward!
Adopting Colt
I show Brian dogs that need homes ALL. THE. TIME. Not necessarily because I think we should be the ones to give them a home, but to sympathize and because they’re cute. Well one such dog, Colt, caught Brian’s eye and he agreed to meet him. We went to a local park where we watched Colt zoom around in circles and then come up to Brian and give one of his signature hugs. Brian was done. Colt came home with us. We felt uniquely suited to give Colt a great home because we have a large amount of property and we are super active, both things Colt would benefit from. He’s added a burst of energy to our family, sparked up Star, and been so much fun. We are head over heels in love with Colt and so glad that he is part of our family now.
Doggy health drama
Before adopting Colt, we were still dealing with 2017’s leftovers for Titan and Star. After Titan’s surgery, rehab was painfully slow, difficult, and super emotionally taxing on me (and him). Meanwhile, Star was still battling thrombocytopenia and a myriad of other mysterious health issues. Thankfully, by May, both dogs were on the up and up and starting to hike short distances again. Having the dogs back to relative health (Star still has a torn ACL) by the end of the year was a huge relief.
The year of the bike
I already mentioned bikepacking, but 2018 was all about biking so I want to bring it up again! I finally convinced Brian that he liked mountain biking and his mom and I got him a bike for his birthday. We got to enjoy many really awesome rides together before it became too hot for trail riding, at which point I started working at the bike park at Stevens Pass. I made lots of great friends and my riding progressed a ton. In May, I took a United Bicycle Institute class, Intro to Bike Mechanics, which made me feel more confident about taking care of my bike both at home and in the backcountry. I hope to pursue more learning in bike mechanics in 2019. I also attended my first all women’s event, a bike retreat in Whitefish, Montana. I was a little hesitant going into it, but got to do some amazing riding, meet tons of incredible women, and have fun camping with my friend Anna!
Putting down roots
I know in the intro I said we didn’t travel much in 2018, and the previous 9 items may make it sound like that’s false, but really we did spend a lot of time in our new home in Leavenworth, WA. Between all the other things that happened we were constantly working on our property, getting to know the local community, and exploring our new neck of the woods. We were able to go on tons of new hikes and still have lots to explore here! At the end of September we moved into our new tiny house, complete with plumbing, heat, insulation, and electricity! We are very happy to have a cozy nook to call our own, a nice little base camp for all our adventures near and far.
10 items seemed like a nice place to stop, but I can’t mention 2018 without mentioning that we sold the van. That was one of the biggest changes in 2018 (and in our life?!) and you can read more about that here.
