Honorable mentions: Most popular non-travel posts (Unpublished #1)

Happy New Year!!  Family time, ministry, international traveling, hikes, and climbs in December have kept me too busy to compile my annual Top 10 lists of popular posts for 2014.  Apparently, the end of 2013 was no different!

This is a previously unreleased “Best Of” series from January 2014, based on page views for my 2013 posts.  I’m obviously stalling for time until my new blog content is ready for next month.  The page hits from 2014 will be tallied soon.  The actual Top 10 list is coming in a few weeks... and the all-travel companion post to this list is coming later this month!

Links to each of the original photo-filled posts are below, in this color.

Before we get to the Top 10 non-travel posts in a couple days, here are a few  honorable mentions which were very popular but just barely missed the list:

Post-skydiving! A birthday throwback, Pt. 2

For whatever reason, this throwback day-after skydiving post was more popular than the parachuting action photos from Skydiving! A Birthday Throwback, Pt. 1. 

Part. 2 featured photos from my birthday weekend festivities that didn't involve jumping out of a plane:  hiking, rock wall climbing, laser tag, go kart racing, and a Los Lobos concert.

Munra Point: Losing a climb, gaining a 14k frozen trail run

Ironically, this icy #HikingFail along our renamed Not Munra Point Trail was the result of me relying on trail directions from another hiking blogger.  It wouldn't have hurt for us to consult a map as well.

Spoiler alert:  Shaun and I did finally ascend past Munra Point proper in late 2014, when I led my “Munra Point morning scramble" hiking event for NW Wilderness.

Lena’s first zoo visit

 
The photos of Lena’s fascination with the animals are wonderful.  But the real highlight is an early video clip of Lena showing off her new walking skills!

Video: Twerking 9 to 5

A controversial YouTube video inspired this call to the ladies to keep it classy, and for the guys to respect the ladies.

A defiant birthday: Hiking Mount Defiance

Shaun, Seamus the dog, and I hiked up our favorite steep-y, the one and only Mount Defiance.  Yet again.  Since those skydiving posts were throwbacks to the previous year, this was my official birthday post of 2013. 

And finally...

Cleaning up after Typhoon Haiyan

The final post on this honorable mentions list was a simple plea for typhoon disaster relief, via either Church of God Ministries or Compassion International.  This may be old news to the western world, but the recovery and restoration efforts are still a reality for those living in those areas of the Philippines affected by this natural disaster.

Prayers and financial support for worldwide disaster and poverty relief efforts continue to be appreciated.

Coming later in January...

2014's unpublished post #2-

Top 10: Most popular recent non-travel posts!

A Defiant Birthday- Hiking Mount Defiance

Climbing Mount Defiance:  Shaun, Seamus, and I put on our smirking faces after reaching the views of Mount Hood at the top

Trying to beat 2012’s spectacular birthday weekend (I'll post more on our skydiving adventure next week!) would be futile.  Why even try?  Skydiving, hiking, rock wall climbing, go carts, dancing, live music, celebrating with friends and fam… the bar was set a bit high last year!

Truth be told, I was planning to just skip my birthday this year.  Life’s been crazy since we got home from our Mexico mission trip a weekend ago (link), and I haven't even started posting our Mexico blog posts yet.  Last week was spent furiously catching up on emails, messages, chores, assignments, and sermon prep.  Plus, I worked at Delta all last week, including on my birthday night.

My friends and family were sadly informed that I wouldn’t have time to celebrate my birthday this year.  But they wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

PDX Airport:  Kathy, Lena, and my parents treated me to a birthday dinner at Beaches on my Delta dinner break

My workweek was made a little more birthday-ish by the 100+ messages, calls, visits, and gifts from friends and family.  It was more than I had planned, which was nothing, and much more than I deserved.

**********

To squeeze in some off the clock fun for my birthday week, I reconnected with my long lost hiking buddy Shaun for a climb up the brutal Mount Defiance on Saturday.

  Shaun's dog Seamus hopped in the back of my Jeep for the warm air cruise.

Mount Defiance was always Shaun’s and my favorite climb, and it’s a doozy.  The steep 12.1 mile loop boasts nearly 5,000 of elevation gain to reach the highest point in the Columbia River Gorge.

Climbing up one side...

The ascent to the summit of Mount Defiance isn’t so bad.  But it doesn’t take a mountaineering expert to guess that the steep, slippery descent back down to the trailhead is the most painful part.  And it’s also the most fun, assuming you don’t conform to the whole “control your speed” mantra.

... And running back down the other side

Our trail run/plummet back down to the trailhead inevitably hit a speed bump, in the form of one of the most spectacular near-wipeouts of my life.

Miraculously, I narrowly avoided a rock implant in my skull with a maneuver that only smashed up a couple of toes.  The quick of my toenails were bruised, from top to bottom.  Who does that?  Speechless, Shaun and I later conceded that I must have broken at least a couple of physics laws just to land on my feet!

It goes without saying that Shaun’s and my previous Mount Defiance speed records remain unchallenged.  For now.

Saturday night fun in Hood River

Against all odds, even a full work schedule couldn’t ruin my birthday week.  God is good.  Now that I’ve finally experienced a mellow birthday, I may have to hop back on board the crazy train for next year's August 12!

We’ll see.

Coming next week on Garth’s Blog…

Last year’s birthday skydiving!

But first...

Our baby's gender is revealed!!