In 2020, the pandemic brought us back to live in North America for the first time in nearly a decade. While we remained optimistic about getting back out into the world again, we relished our USA adventures in 2020!
In 2021, we found ourselves in the same situation for the second year in a row. But this time, it felt different. Even in paradise, and even though we kept exploring, another year of failing to find work and mainly abstaining from racing and travel took a toll.
After faring well at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2021 it was my turn to struggle. I struggled with feeling stuck, and not knowing how to move forward.
Having acknowledging that, there were some very good times indeed, too. A year is a very long time, and mine had many wonderful weeks and delightful days! Although at times I questioned everything, I had some genuinely great times too. It was when I stopped worrying about the future and lived in the moment that I was at my best in 2021.
This is the story of another year begun on California’s Lost Coast – where I sometimes felt a little lost myself – and ending, surprisingly, in Thailand! Now let’s explore all the adventures in between!
Top 3 overall highlights of 2021
Reintegrating running
You may recall that we spent the latter half of 2020 running rather seldomly. Instead, we were getting strong! In 2021, although we continued our weekly strength workouts, we returned to more regular running, too.
Now feeling more balanced (read: upper body competent), it was time to return to our first love: adventures afoot! In 2021, we logged lots of new adventures in the form of both hikes and runs.
In terms of races, there were but few: only 3 ultras! The best of these was of course my very own Humboldt Hundred – a happy highlight of the whole year! Ultra-Trail Phuket feels like it belongs to a different timeline, but did indeed take place in 2021 – on our anniversary! Earlier in the year, the stunning Zion 50k in April was our first pandemic era event.
Although not an ultra, I also loved running a short trail at Thailand by UTMB in December. Other fun running-related news involves my first 4th of July 5k, and participating in my first virtual race – with my sisters!
Exploring a passion for parks
I spent the summer of 2021 almost entirely outdoors. For years I’d wondered what it would be like to have an outside gig: I’d admired park rangers, coveted park trucks and been fascinated by a completely different world of work. Last summer, I was hired to work for California State Parks. I had the chance to make my dream a reality – and it was awesome!
It was auspicious timing: it was not only a job that I wanted, it was the job I needed. In May, we’d gotten a dream job teaching at an international school in Taiwan – only to lose it, too – another pandemic job casualty. For the second time in six months, I was gutted. When working abroad seemed hopeless, I switched gears to seek something domestic and totally new. I was ready for a brand new adventure, and I got one!
Weekdays I spent at Humboldt Redwoods – once my playground, now my workplace! Weekends I was also occupied outside, because Kent and I got the chance to work in the Trinity Alps on a wilderness patrol. And so I spent my 2021 summer employed and active in California’s great outdoors!
Time for Thailand
In early 2021, a job in the south of Thailand had been enticing – but we’d gotten what we thought was a better option in Taiwan. When that fell through, we stuck around stateside for a fun summer spent outside. But my position at parks was seasonal, and I knew I would eventually need to move on.
And it was time to move on in my life, too. However, when I was presented with another opportunity in Thailand, I hesitated. My heart screamed yes, but my situation wasn’t simple. I had residency requirements to think about, family obligations to fulfill, and for the first time in a decade, Kent and I would be doing different things. Plus, as it turned out, I had an option to stay on with parks – if I wanted. My life in California was a good one. Was it wrong to want more?
Ultimately, it was probably was my destiny to pick Thailand. It turns out that the only person I was fooling in my foot-dragging was myself. Nobody I knew so much as batted an eye when I eventually announced my decision. I packed my bags, picked up and moved to Bangkok late in the year.
And was thrilled that I did! I quickly discovered parks to play in and races to run. There were new noms to sample and islands to explore. Any doubts I’d ever had vanished the instant I set foot back in the land of smiles, and I quickly got straight back into the business of exploring my new expat life. It was as if I’d never left. I fell hard for Thailand as I settled back into a familiar way of life.
Best month
I present to you a tie, and that’s a product of living in two different timelines last year. There was the timeline in which I became a California resident and parks person – and for that timeline, the best month was June. But there was also the timeline during which I returned to a former life (and possibly a future one) – and for this timeline, December is the only option.
June
I’ll regale you with the tale of June first, not only because it comes first, but because it was perhaps truly the winner.
June started off with a bang, with my very own Humboldt Hundred 100k race! Set in the park in which I would later work, we designed a clover-leaf shape course that would take in all our favorite trails. Doing a 100k was also a perfect way to celebrate the park’s centennial anniversary. This was a race just for two, but it was a proper event with a briefing, custom t-shirts and even prizes! I was incredibly proud of my race and our performance in it. It was perfection, pure and simple.
Next, we returned to another of our favorite places on Earth – the Trinity Alps! This time, it was for a week in paradise: we were on a volunteer trail team and headed out for our first-ever genuine backcountry backpacking trip! This was absolutely amazing: everything from learning how to use an ancient crosscut saw to scrambling up seldom-climbed peaks to communal cooking meets story time! We both adored every moment of this trip, and it opened the door to other incredible opportunities later that summer.
For instance, just a week later, we were back in the Trinity for another day of volunteering, plus a monster run around some of the most stunning lakes in the Alps. Truly terrific adventuring, if you ask me! In fact, this whole experience had us pretty much sold on staying in NorCal. That is, until the fires tore through the area…but that’s another story.
At the end of the month, we set off for a family reunion – but drove to LA the weird way round. After several adventures in the area in 2020, we’d made a promise to come back for White Mountain – and it was high time we did! In what wound up being another adventure deserving of a lifetime achievement award, we climbed this incredible peak by the light of the full moon. It was nothing short of magical, and goes down in our history as an all-time highlight.
June overflowed with awesome, with one more of the year’s best adventures spilling over into July. On the 2nd – driving an even longer route home – we climbed Wheeler Peak in Nevada’s superb Great Basin National Park.
December
In timeline #2, December wins this award. Although I moved to Bangkok in November, it too late in the month to truly count. I found my favorite parks – Lumpini and Watchirabenchathat – in early December. Then, I returned to racing after a hiatus of eight months at Thailand by UTMB. Near the end of the month, Kent and I got to celebrate our anniversary at the rad and rugged Ultra-Trail Phuket!
Kent and I were also reunited in December, which was glorious. We had our own place, which I adorned and adored. New, awesome routines were established and new, delightful foods were found.
Best of all, perhaps, this was the start of our Thai island explorations!
Honorable mention: April
This month was spring literally and figuratively for me. By April, we’d recovered from the Fiji fiasco and were making plans to take on a new dream job. But the best part was this: we took a lengthy break to hit the highway for another Great American Road Trip! This time, destination Utah. We had a race to run, and 5 national parks to nab! The photos from this trip make me think I should start a category for best natural scenery!
Best race (& other awesome events)
The winner to this infamous category has already been revealed. Without a doubt, the absolute, by-far best race of 2021 was Humboldt Hundred! I’m incredibly biased, obviously – and just so proud of it. It was this race that made June my best month of 2021! Was it truly better than an organized, destination race? ABSOLUTELY: because it was my very own organized, destination race.
I could go on and on about Humboldt Hundred: the cool cloverleaf-shaped course comprised of all our favorite trails, sunrise on top of the our county, the freedom of night running, conquering an unexpected heat wave…but this race really needs it’s own article.
Honorable mentions
I would also like to call out all of the other amazing races we did in 2021. Now that we’re only doing a couple of races per year, they are all extra special.
Zion Ultras was our only other US-based race last year. The 50k event has a scenic and speedy course through on the outskirts of one of my favorite national parks! Though we were nervous about our first pandemic race, it wound up being well worth it.
When I moved back to South-East Asia, I moved back into the land of the race. Although races elsehwere were few and far between, races were definitely still on in Thailand when I arrived! I had a fantastic time galloping around the lower slopes of Doi Inthanon at Thailand by UTMB in early December. Later in the month, Kent and I had the unique opportunity to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a race – and what a race it was! Ultra-Trail Phuket was a climbathon combined with a very special celebration.
Best mountain
This category also has a clear winner this year! White Mountain takes the cake. What an incredibly unique experience. It’s no easy feat even just getting to the start! There are miles and miles of dirt road, at elevation, that Ravi found questionable. But once up top, Kent and I loved our night under the stars and early morning moon walk to the peak.
We have been fortunate enough to set foot atop many pretty peaks, but this one was an all-time great. I’ll never forget stopping at moon base brava for a spectacular sunrise – nor having the summit hut all to ourselves for nearly the entire hour we spent up there! The views across to the Sierra Nevada are nothing short of breathtaking – especially at this altitude!
Honorable mentions
But of course, there were plenty of other peaks along the way in 2021. And without them, my year wouldn’t have been the same. So time to take a moment for a few honorable mountains!
Topping this list is Wheeler Peak, White Mountain’s spiritual sister in Great Basin National Park. Remote and rugged; the stuff of dreams! We visited both mountains by taking some rather indirect routes on a family reunion trip.
Also awesome is Grasshopper Peak in my very own state park. I’ve climbed the county’s highest peak several times over the past few years. But the very best occasions were all in 2021: experiencing the March equinox during our Spring Happiness Trail marathon (during which we enjoyed both sun and snow!), catching sunrise during our Humboldt Hundred, plus a solo sprint up the backside to catch a cloud inversion on my birthday!
We had a chance to return to Chemise Mountain (of Lost Coast South fame) and our beloved Lassen last year. New peaks included Navajo Knobs in Capitol Reef National Park, an unnamed secret peak in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Garfield and Watchman peaks in Crater Lake National Park, Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park and Castle Crag Dome.
In Thailand, I, alas, did not make it up Doi Inthanon during my frantic UTMB race trip. But Kent and I did scale 9 jagged ‘peaks’ during UTPK!
Best adventure abroad
Lol. Obviously Thailand. Case closed.
If you want to know more about my adventures there in 2021 and beyond, check out my life in BKK and Thaislands! articles. There’s still more to explore on the Thailand main page, too.
Best domestic adventures
Year 2021 was another year of mainly domestic exploration. I’ve confessed that this was tough for me at times as a born tumbleweed. Still, we saw new places and did new things, both stateside and once we were based in Bangkok too. I also got to learn that revisiting old favorites is just as good.
It’s hard for me to choose just one adventure to award: I love every trip and new experience! Among our great American adventures, all of the aforementioned fun things in June stand out (Humboldt Hundred! Trinity Alps trail work! White Mountain! Wheeler Peak!). I also loved our rad, red road trip around the national parks of Utah in April. Then there was my career adventure in parks spanning the summer and early fall!
There were also a lot of smaller-scale adventures, like checking out two new California State Parks at Castle Crags and Burney Falls on a NorCal day trip. Returning to Crater Lake – one of my very faves – offered a wealth of new experiences, including a blue dip! All of our summer backpacking trips were tremendous! And Kent made my last day in the US an especially good one, with the help of the Golden Gate.
But I will choose one standout domestic adventure for this award: it’s Saguaro National Park! I first read about this park in a textbook at my very first teaching job in South Korea. I was smitten with the saguaro pictures, and I knew one day I would need to meet one in person. We finally had the chance to see southern Arizona on one glorious long weekend in September (celebrating Kent’s birthday!). The cacti completely charmed me with the their individual appearances that border on personality. So fun!
And here’s an honorable mention: while working and living in Humboldt Redwoods, I embarked on a mission of exploring every trail in the state park. This fun project kept me occupied all summer long, not to mention focused and sane, while literal wildfires ravaged our other play places – and our California career options went up in flames. I’m proud to say I got every single trail in HRSP minus one mile, which was inaccessible due to a bridge being out. I love missions like this!
Last but certainly not least, we returned to Canada for a lovely, long-awaited reunion with my side of the family. This wonderful week involved lots of wild weather running, a photoshoot on the prairies, an all-night games decathlon, and a handful of hugs I’ll treasure all my life. Not exactly a new adventure nor entirely a domestic one either, this trip deserves an award of its own.
Best animal encounter
In Thailand, we actually spotted a DUGONG! But that was in early 2022, so I am getting ahead of myself.
Living on the Lost Coast in 2021, we saw plenty of slugs, bears and hummingbirds. We also frequented the seaside for seal and shorebird sightings!
All creatures considered, here are my top 3 of 2021:
Chickadees in Canada
These friendly little birbs were calling all around us as we hiked a wintery trail with my sister in November. When we stopped, they’d fly over to greet us! They went so far as to alight on our shoulders and an outstretched hand! Too cute!
The lizards of Lumpini
My very first run in one of Bangkok’s urban parks, I ran with a monitor lizard. I was every inch a tourist, shrieking and rolling video and generally being beside myself with excitement. My delight over these monsters never faded, even when I continued to encounter them on every outing.
An owl on Lost Man Creek
On one very memorable training run in NorCal in early 2021, we were running a familiar uphill in the early hours of the morning. In the quiet, pale twilight, we saw a spotted owl! This was the closest I’ve ever come to a live owl, and we regarded one another for a long time. It was many long moments before it flew off to a more obscured branch. As if that weren’t enough, we ran into a bear in the same spot on our return! (Alas, no photos!)
Best people
My two main men.
As in previous years, I’d like to award my inimitable hus-porter who carries all the heavy things for me – literally and figuratively. In 2021, Kent and I celebrated a DECADE of shared adventures! My sweet love, I don’t know who or where I’d be without you. You’re my sun, moon and stars. Thank you for following me to the ends of the earth and reminding me about what matters most.
I’d also like to award my Dad, who has always championed my alternate course through life, and never more so than last year. He knew I would go to Thailand before I did, and encouraged me to move forward by returning to my roots.
Even if that meant saying goodbye. Although we didn’t know it at the time, I would never again have the chance to mail him a quirky postcard from somewhere new or get his take on my latest place in the world. I’ll always be grateful for what he taught me (math with cribbage! how to appreciate the night sky! my first chords!) and the incredible, life-altering interest he paid my evolving life story. I will spend the rest of my life missing his way with words, his limitless knowledge of arcane fun facts and dining music selections.
2021 by the numbers
A note about these numbers: every single category is lower even than 2020. This was hard for me in 2021: I wanted more! But what these numbers do not show are the intensity of certain experiences, or the joy we took from them. No, we didn’t get to do as much new stuff as in previous years: the pandemic impact exceeded my expectations, and not in a good way! However, what we did do with these kilometers was really meaningful and fun. I just needed to regain the moment to recognize that.
Kilometers: 1906
1591 running + 316 hiking
Ultras: 3
2 official ultras: Zion Ultras & Ultra-Trail Phuket
1 self-supported just-the-two-of-us ultra: Humboldt Hundred!
New Peaks: 9
Bald Mountain. Strawberry Rock. Navajo Knobs. Trinity Alps mystery summit. White Mountain. Wheeler Peak. Garfield and Watchman Peaks in Crater Lake National Park. Wasson Peak in Saguaro NP. Castle Crag Dome.
New places: 0+
Another zero year for new countries and territories; states & provinces. However, we found plenty of new trails – especially in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Plus, we explored a handful of new National Parks! And, at the end of the year, I explored a new city followed by a new island in Thailand!
So there you have it, folks: an overview of our 2021. I found it tough at times, but it was also another opportunity to find strength and bloom where we happened to be planted. 2021 was a year of reimagining the future and finding new ways to embrace the present. Despite the challenges the year presented, we stuck together and found adventure – that’s the KnC way.
