One: The first thing on the my list

Despite the fact that it's taken me nearly two months to start writing about this project, I have been working on my list since right after my birthday in September. My first weekend as a 30 year old, I woke up to a beautiful, sunny fall day. I decided to drive to Eugene, Oregon and finally hike to the top of Spencer Butte, one of the highest points in the southern Willamette Valley..  

I lived in Eugene for almost six years, and never got around to climbing this thing. My friend Derek, who lives in Eugene, agreed to come with me. We got to the parking lot and had our choice of trails. We opted for the one that was slightly longer, but supposedly an easier hike. Yes, I said "supposedly."  It started off with a nice gentle trail and quickly became a heart attack inducing rock climb.

Near the bottom of the trail

There were lots of places to stop for a photo; this was near the top

The view looking west

The south view

Me, feeling pretty damned accomplished and a little worried about rattlesnakes

The view from the top was spectacular. If I had known what I was missing, I would have done this a long time ago. Despite a difficult (for me) climb up the rocks at the end of the trail, it was a lot of fun getting up on the mountain and looking down at Eugene, Autzen Stadium, the campus and the valley. Not wanting to climb back down the way we came, we spent some time wandering around trying to pick up another trail before giving up and slowly picking our way back down the rocks. 

Not only was this the first thing from my list that I actually did, it was really number one on the list itself. It was a great way to start. 

The Thirty-30 Project

What is the Thirty-30 Project?

Welcome to my blog! In true Eric fashion, I’m coming late to the blog party in general, but I didn’t think that Facebook was the right venue for this project. This blog is about a list of 30 things I’m going to do while I’m 30 years old. 

What’s on the list?

I’m not going to share the whole list until everything is completed or until I turn 31. The theory is this will keep me from getting overwhelmed with the tasks ahead. Some of things on the list are serious, some are more lighthearted and a few are just for fun. As I start working on a goal, I’ll let you know what number it is on the list, and every time I meet another goal, I’ll update the list. 

Why are you doing this? 

Why not?  As my 30^th birthday was getting closer, I was doing a lot of thinking about the things I wanted to accomplish this year. This seemed like a fun way to stay motivated. I hope this is a fun read for anyone who stops by to check it out!