The nice thing about operating a blog, is that you really don’t have to write a long essay on the adventures of the last year, you’ve already done that. However, people don’t always read all the posts, and may have missed out on a few things. So here is the year in summary.
The Great Outdoors
We live in probably one of the most scenic areas in the lower-48 states, with access so close to home. We always make sure to make the most of it when we can. Here are some notable hikes we took in Montana this year.
Hell Roaring
We had an intern staying with us for the summer who liked to hike, so we took him out to a nearby trail. This trail is right off the highway as you head through the canyon toward Big Sky. The trail actually connects with a much larger system of trails in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness area.
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Spanish Lakes
Being in the midst of the northern Rockies, we have an abundance of high-altitude mountain lakes to visit. We made and overnight trip out of it and camped with some friends. We found it to be a bit chilly and we all (dog included) huddled in out tent for warmth. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend to be out. Make sure to check out Jess’s post and pictures as well!
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The Bridger Ridge
How does 22 miles of steep terrain sound? Well it sounded pretty fun to me for my second time traversing the Bridger Ridge trail from Fairy Lake to the College ‘M’ trailhead. There is an annual run that is ran across this same trail every summer, I don’t know if I quite that crazy/committed though. I went up with our summer intern and a friend. It was a great time, but as always, I was ready to be done when we reached the end!
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Running
2014 was a year of marathon training for Jess, while I pulled back and just ran a couple races this year. Here are the notable running events of the year.
Run to the Pub
Run to the pub is typically our first running event of the year and gets us out into the cold March air to run a half-marathon.
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Colfax Marathon Denver, CO
Jess trained all winter for this one, but ran into an injury just a week before the even. She still ran, but was unable to achieve her goal of a sub-4-hour finish time. I was able to at least see her on the course, so that’s something. This was just the beginning of a Colorado/Utah vacation, but more on that later.
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Jim Bridger Trail Run
Another staple run in Bozeman, the Jim Bridger Trail Run takes you up the side of the Bridger Mountain range for a 10 mile, grueling trail run. This year was Jess’s second and my first experience. We were treated to rain and nearly impassable trails, but still an amazing run that I can’t wait for in 2015! [clear]
Grand Teton Relay Idaho/Wyoming>
This year marked our third entrance into the Grand Teton Relay, a 12-person, 180-mile relay throughout the Tetons. It starts in Ashton, Idaho and finishes at Teton Village, just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Once again it was a great race through some very beautiful country. I even won the video contest again!
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Bozeman Marathon
Jess ran the half at the Bozeman Marathon this year. It has really picked momentum as a premiere race in Montana. As with many marathons, they are on a Sunday and Jess finished in time to come to church. Now that’s dedication!
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NYC Marathon New York, NY
Jess won a lottery entry into the NYC Marathon, the largest marathon event in the world. She ran with 50-thousand other runners. There were so many people that I couldn’t spot her as she ran by. She wrote about it in two parts, make sure to check out both (part 1, part 2). She also set off with the goal of sub 4-hours with this one, but we kind of ruined it by walking 14-miles the day before on nothing but concrete. Until next time I guess… [clear]
Outside Montana
We made it on a few trips out of the state this year, some close and some far. Looking back, it was a diverse year of travel. I wonder where we’ll go in 2015?
Denver & Moab
Our first major trip was in lieu of Jess’s first marathon, the Colfax Marathon in Denver. We drove down and stayed the weekend in Denver. It was our first time in the city and enjoyed our stay. It was during our six-year anniversary, so we took an extended trip and traveled down to Pagosa Springs, where some friends live and then over to Moab. Moab was a first as well. Our first night was spent in the car as the town was full up. Read Jess’s account here.
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Work Trips
Both Jess and I travelled outside Montana for work. In addition to my normal rotation in Casper, WY, I travelled over to New England spending a couple days in Boston and Portland (the right-coast) and then flying down to Shreveport, LA. It was a crazy itinerary for just six days, but I got my lobster and lighthouse in. Jess travelled to Las Vegas for a manager’s workshop and spent a couple days there.
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NYC
Destination marathons are great for seeing new places, and New York was quite the destination. We walked all over Manhattan, saw Wicked, ate some good food and saw some amazing sights. You can see all my pictures broken out by day (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4) and Jess’s by subject (NYC Lights, Tall Buildings, NY Sights, Ellis and Liberty Island, Farmer’s Market).
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Scotland
So when you are already on the eastern seaboard, why not go to Europe? Right? At least that was the idea. Krista had a friend there so we loosely based it around spending some time with him. We flew into Edinburgh, rented a car and toured the country seeing many sights, but also taking time to relax and have a cup of coffee with each day. So we posted a bunch about the trip, but I won’t be offended if you just look at the pictures (Brent’s: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6 | Jess’s: Edinburgh, Stirling, Grantown, Inverness).
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Flynn
2014 was the year of the Flynn, our (now) 2-year old German Short-Haired Pointer. He is a perpetual source of exercise and entertainment. He filled in for me on Jess’s long runs and got us going on lazy days. He still needs to work on controlling his excitement toward others and keep all four to the floor, but he is great fun! [clear]
Photo/Video
Part of the reason we have this blog is to share our pictures with friends and family, but occasionally we get paid to do it. We shot one wedding and I partnered with a friend to start a company, thirtyfivemedia. Through that outlet I’ve worked on a few other projects. In September, we helped film a promotional video for two ladies aspiring to traverse the continental divide trail from Mexico to Canada on horseback. We’ve also had the privilege to shoot a couple portraits and some newborn sessions. I kept myself busy with media work for Venture as well, producing a couple videos (here and here). Just for fun, after Christmas I made a quick video about one of my new acquisitions, a Bodum Pebo Vacuum coffee maker.
2015
What’s ahead for us in 2015? We don’t really know. I might be going to Nepal again, so please keep me in your prayers about that. Jess gets to go on another work trip, this time to New Orleans. I’ll be going out to Oregon mid-January to visit family and we’ll be back out that way in July/August for a wedding in Seattle and hopefully some extended time in Oregon. I’ll probably make some work trips out to the east coast and of course down to Casper, Wyoming. Who knows what else!