2020 in Review
2020. I don’t know what else to say, it’s been an uphill climb with no peak or descent in sight. But now as we navigate the holidays and look toward 2021, I feel like we might finally be approaching some reprieve. At least I hope so.
Being the flawed year that it was, I’m so thankful we still found time to get outside and explore. Despite the pandemic we actually got to do quite a bit this year but I shared very little of it here on the blog. Mostly because of time and motivation constraints (as it turns out, working at a hospital during a pandemic sure sucks the energy out of you), but also because I intentionally tried to step away from technology at home.
With that said, let’s take a walk down memory lane and relive some of the positive highlights of 2020.
January
Last year we got our niece her first set of skis and took her up nearly every weekend. She absolutely killed it and loves being on the mountain. She made a couple friends and did the free ski school at Lookout, it was great.
I also signed Gabbi up for dance class at Lokahi dance school. She had so much fun, and it brought me joy to watch her and the other kids. It was hilarious and adorable.
We love taking drives in the winter and testing out the Subaru’s off road capabilities. Well, Kyle loves that part, I love when it’s over and we’re still alive. One of these adventure drives took us up and over the Fernan Saddle, eventually spitting us out at near the Bumblebee launch point on the Coeur d’Alene River. So beautiful.
February
For Valentine’s Day, we met some friends in Spokane and booked one of the fancy globe tent things at the Davenport and then stayed overnight. We felt very fancy. Also, isn’t it weird to think about life pre-pandemic? It feels like eons ago.
March
Just a week before the pandemic really set in and everything started shutting down here, we celebrated my friend Kate’s birthday in Lake Chelan. We went wine tasting, ate amazing food, and enjoyed quality time with girlfriends. I didn’t do a post about it, but here’s a post from a previous trip to Chelan.
I also learned how to ride a dirtbike in March, crossing off a long-time goal of learning how to ride a motorcycle.
On March 15 (or sometime around then) Kyle had shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff and that week is when everything shut down. Because he was out of commission for a while, we spent our weekends taking scenic drives and leisurely walks around town rather than our more typical weekend adventures.
April
Finally in April we started getting back out for some hikes. We hiked to the near-top of Canfield Mountain (and discovered a ton of snow) and explored some great trails in Post Falls that connect to Qemlin State Park along the Spokane River.
May
In May we camped along the Coeur d’Alene River and explored some new places. We drove up to Laverne Saddle and enjoyed some great views. The following day we tried a new (to us) trail along Coal Creek that was absolutely gorgeous. I hope to do a blog post about this one.
June
June brought some unrest in our community (around the whole country really). There were protests just a few blocks from our house and “militia” men walking around with guns - tensions here were very high and it was unnerving.
Since we couldn’t party with our peeps for Kyle’s birthday this year, we went for a nice motorcycle ride instead. Following, I took some glamour shots of Kyle with his bike (follow @inlandadv for his moto content). What a stud.
At the end of June a couple of our best friends got married outside of Hood River. A small elopement of 12, it was the perfect “socially-distanced” wedding with sweet glamping teepees and an outdoor kitchen. It was beautiful, so personal, and a great little break from reality.
July
Some of my family decided to come do a road trip through Idaho and came to stay up here for a few days. While the timing wasn’t ideal, we managed to pack in some great family time outside with fires, biking, great conversation and catch-up. We took them to do the Hiawatha Trail and it left quite an impression.
Later in July Kyle went on a moto trip with some friends. While he was away, I took Juneau to hike Chilco Peak for the first time. It was a challenging hike for sure, but the views and the huckleberries made it all worth it.
August
Kyle’s brother returned home from school for a couple of weeks in August. His girlfriend joined us for a few days and I swear those two packed in just about every North Idaho activity possible. On one day we took them to hike up to Steven’s Lake. It looked like a great spot to camp and we picked a ton of huckleberries on the way down.
The week prior to Labor Day, we took our niece Gabbi camping and she loved it. It has become a new yearly tradition. We floated the river (which turned out to be a bit chilly), made a campfire, and she rode her mountain bike all over the campground.
September
You may recall that we spent the week of our 10-year wedding anniversary traveling around Idaho in a van. It was a fantastic way to still adventure while also not being around other people. Because of this trip I am positive we will build out a van in the not-to-distant future.
October
October was a quiet month for us. Work was busy and the community spread of COVID-19 really started to take off after Labor Day. We took rainy walks with Juneau, bought some ridiculously large pumpkins and gourds for the porch, and generally just layed low.
Once exciting thing that happened was Kyle got a new motorcycle - the Yamaha T7. It’s blue, it’s new, Kyle loves it, and that’s about the total sum of my knowledge.
November
Pie baking, a quiet Thanksgiving, and a successful round of holiday photo mini-sessions pretty much sums up the month on my end. The very mild fall meant a lot of extra moto riding for Kyle and some nice long walks for me and Juneau.
December
Here we are. Work has been completely nuts but with the vaccine rolling out, everyone seems so much more hopeful. I’m at the bottom of the list (obviously) but I’m excited for my turn for sure.
We’re carefully navigating the holidays this year. We’re so fortunate that our family has stayed safe and healthy so far, so we want to do our best to keep that going.
Last week we met up with Doug and Wendy to go snowshoeing up at 4th of July Pass, but there wasn’t quite enough snow yet, so we just went for a hike instead. I’m hoping we get some snow soon so we can go out and play!
Something else is brewing this month, but you’ll just have to wait for that announcement in the near future.
This has been quite a year indeed. So many challenges to face, schedules disrupted, and loved ones missed. Like just about everyone I think, I’m looking forward to 2021 and hope it brings nothing but good news and progress as we move through the pandemic. In the meantime, I hope you all are staying safe, healthy, and have a wonderful holiday season.