27 things I tried to do before turning 27
(first published 1/24/2021)
Every year, I make a list of things of x number of things i want to achieve or complete before my next birthday. I did a lot this past year, including: hiking 369.61 miles; filming a documentary in Puerto Rico; backpacking the California Riding and Hiking trail on my third ever time backpacking; getting fired (but it was honestly such a blessing in disguise, because I am loving the freelance life and truly thrive in it); I accidentally went bungee jumping; I took up painting and rollerskating. It's been a crazy year – probably the worst year of my life – but I am so thankful to continue finding new things to enjoy and new friends to love.
27 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I TURN 27
GO SOMEWHERE I’VE NEVER BEEN
The wave, nevada
HIKE 40 TRAILS
Jan 2. – miles home to playa (20)
Jan 5. – Rogers inspiration point (2.1)
Jan 12. – sostomo and deer valley, malibu (6.3)
Feb 5. – Mirror Lake via Valley Loop Trail, Yosemite (6.1)
Feb 6. – Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, Yosemite (There was snow!) (1.2)
Feb 8. – Eagle Falls, Lake Tahoe (2.4)
Feb 11 – Fire Wave Trail, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada (1.5)
Feb 12 – Red Reef Trail, Red Cliffs, Utah (2.2)
Feb 13 – Horseshoe Bend Trail, Utah (1.4)
Mar 8 – Bridge to Nowhere / Devil’s Gulch (10 mi)
Mar 15 – Mt San Jacinto Round Valley Loop - did not complete, too much snow. (8 / 14 mi)
Mar 23 – Clamshell Lookout, Monrovia (8.3 mi, 3400 ft elevation gain) (Legs are jello)
May 14 - TRAILS ARE OPEN! Point Vicente (5.6)
June 6 - Bald Mountain Summit (8 mi)
June 8 - George’s Lake (11 mi)
June 28. – Hondo Canyon: Backbone Trail (9.5 mi), Topanga
July 3-4 – Momyer to San Gorgonio Peak (25.4 mi, 11,500 ft)
July 6. – Potato Mountain (9 mi), Claremont
July 10 – Poop Out Trail (5 mi), Glendora
July 11 – Cucamonga Peak (12.8 mi), San Bernardino
July 18 – Vincent Gap to Mt Baden-Powell, Mount Burnham, Throop Peak (PCT 378) (14.14 mi)
August 6 – mt San Antonio summit (after two weeks of rest due to concussion) (baldy) (14 mi)
Sept 3 - 5 – PCT (30 miles) - Mile 363.4 → Mile 390.6
Sept 3 – Acorn Trail., Wrightwood (3.8 mi)
Burnham Peak via Windy Gap (8.8 mi)
Grassy Hollow to Jackson Flat (2.6)
Mount Hawkins from Little Jimmy Campground (4.7)
Inspiration Point to Blue Ridge Trail (2.1)
Vincent Gap to Windy Gap (17.7)
Idle Saddle, Mount Baden Powell, and vincent Gap (11.1)
Inspiration Point and Grassy Hollow (4.0)
Sep 30 - Half Dome (via mist trail then JMT) (19 miles)
Oct 20 - Lake Hodges Overlook Trail (7.3 mi)
Nov 8 - Nightmare gulch near red rock (8.8)
Nov 22 - Strawberry Peak (7.77)
Nov 29 - Helipad hike (3.0)
Dec 18 - California Riding and Hiking Trail (4 mi)
Dec 19 - CRHT (16 mi)
Dec 20- CRHT (16 mi)
Dec 21 - CRHT (10 mi)
Dec 22 - CRHT (20 mi)
Jan 8 - Monte Pirata MTB Park, PR mayaguez (5 mi)
Jan 10 - Charco El Pilón Trail (4 mi)
Jan 13 - Saw Tooth Loop Trail (10 mi)
SAVE 1000 A MONTH
SCUBA DIVE (DO IT!)
DIRECT A SHORT, EVEN IN A WEEKEND
Jan 4 - 12 MADE A DOCUMENTARY WITH BILLY, PR
DO SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING
Broke up with a long time partner.
READ 12 BOOKS
Jan 23. Into The Wild by Jack Kerouac
Jan 31. The year of blue water by yanyi
Apr 1. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami
May 29. Barbarian Days: A Surfer’s Life by William Finnegan
Jun 10. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
Jun 14. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
July 6. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
July 11. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
August 6. Unfuck Yourself
Aug 28. Call me by your name by André Aciman
Oct 26. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Jan 23. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
MAKE A MAGAZINE
Made Analog Daydream, V1. Have not released it as of May 13
RELEASED VOL 1 MAY 20. ANALOGUE DAYDREAM
DRAW A SELF PORTRAIT
SECTION HIKE THE PCT
Tried section D - Sept 3rd. No water. Fires. Bailed after 30 miles.
BACKPACK AT LEAST 3 TIMES
Mt San Gorgonio - July 2-4
Wrightwood - Little Jimmy - Sept 3-5
California riding and hiking trail dec 18-22
HIKE THE 6 PACK OF PEAKS
MT WILSON
CUCAMONGA
July 11, 2020 – hot as balls
MT SAN ANTONIO (BALDY)
August 6, 2020 last 1.5 miles were brutal
BERNARDINO
SAN JACINTO
First attempt: March 15. Got 8 miles up, lot of snow.
SAN GORGONIO
July 4, 2020 - backpacked for the first time! 24 miles
GET ANOTHER TATTOO OR SEPTUM PIERCING 1. Yeah so covid happened and tattoos were a no go… BUT i got a septum piercing which has the same vibe
CATCH A WAVE 1. I tried to surf on Jan 21, did not catch anything. Next year!
GET A PROMOTION
Got fired LOL. Sept 18.
Been working freelance, loving it. Nov 30 I’M COUNTING IT AS A MOVE UP
GET A HEADSTONE FOR SHAN
MAKE MACAROONS
July 12, 2020 – Matcha and cardamom macaroons. difficile
SWIM IN THE OCEAN AT NIGHT
GO BUNGEE JUMPING
Mar 8 - Accidentally stumbled upon this, went bungee jumping at bridge to nowhere. Super fun
DO LUNGES AROUND THE BLOCK 1. Jan 23 - God damn i can’t feel my legs. 666 lunges.
CERAMICS or BUILD SOMETHING FROM WOOD. A PLANTER, A BOX, ANYTHING. 1. Built a weird piece of art from three pieces of bamboo
SHOOT A ROLL OF SLIDE UNDERWATER
Palos Verdes. Billy. May something. Looking forward to seeing what it is
It was expired. nothing truned out. and now LA is out of slide mounts
PAINT ON CANVAS
Painted a naked woman, June 14
Painted an abstract thing. And the ocean. And the mountains. And korina. Lots of painting
BUILD A SNOWMAN
Feb. 6 - Built a mini snowman at the mouth of lower Yosemite falls, fresh powder
SHOOT THE DUCK
Nov 18!! Shot the duck while skating with emily
FINISH A SCREENPLAY
FINISH THE SERIES OF POSTCARDS FOR EMMA
Wrote her a poem. Clues hidden in post cards. Aug 5, 2020 on my San Antonio / baldy, the mountain we visited when she was here and where Leonard Cohen spent a lot of time
Books
Jan 23. Into The Wild by Jack Kerouac
Jan 31. The year of blue water by yanyi
Apr 1. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami
May 29. Barbarian Days: A Surfer’s Life by William Finnegan
Jun 10. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
Jun 14. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
July 6. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
July 11. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Aug 6. Unfuck Yourself
Aug 28. Call me by your name by André Aciman
Oct 26. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Jan 23. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Graphic Novels
May 24. ATLA 1 - 4
May 25 ATLA 5-7
May 26 ATLA 8
May 27. ATLA 9-10
Live
Mar 11. Tamino Hollywood Forever Cemetery
April 12. Fleabag (one woman show, amazon, whatever i’m counting it)