Top 20 in 20

Despite the covid pandemic, 2020 was a pretty epic year for the Hoosier Hikers. In no particular order, here are a few of our favorite memories of 2020. 
Drum roll please...
1. Opening my email on a random January day to find out I received the Lilly grant, then absolutely losing my shit in excitement. 
2. Our first covid hike to Hemlock Cliffs during the early week of March right before we got sent home to quarantine. We knew something was brewing, we just didn't know what we were in for. 
3. Watching the salmon jump the falls at Russian River, then having the grizzly bear charge the bank and splash in to try to catch a quick dinner. 
4. Watching my son comfort our 15 year old dog on our way to put her down, then breaking the tension when my husband kept taking wrong turns on "accident."
​5. ​Sitting on Rainbow Peak in Anchorage after arriving in Alaska, a dream realized. 

6. Getting our covid negative test results within an hour of closing time the day before we were to fly out to Alaska. 
7. Watching our son catch an enormous grayling on Crescent Lake. 
8. Re-exploring our own woods during quarantine and watching spring unfold for the first time without the stressors of our usual workday. 
9. Tree Walkers 30 pound weight loss. 
10. Finding new kayak camping sites on Cedar Lake and Indian Lake. 
11. Kayaking Kitty Hawk's coastal regions. 
12. Finding Clorox wipes returned to the shelves in August. 
13. Exploring a glacier at Crows Pass. 
14. Seeing 60 bald eagles on our float down the Kenai River. 
15. Our first glimpse of our new puppy. 
16. Halibut fish tacos. Fried halibut cheeks. Just halibut... 
17. Our hiking buddies finally getting engaged at Jackson Falls.
18. Adult only trip to Magnet, Indiana. 
19. Hitting our first 100 followers on Instagram and having one post hit over 1,000 views in 24 hours. 
​20. Peaking Falls Mountain in the backcountry of Lake Clark after a terrifying scramble up through grizzly country.