A Trip Owed

I am currently owed a solo trip. 

Let me back that up. Obviously, at a very shallow level, this pandemic screwed up a lot of plans people had. Some of those plans for us were lots and lots of travel. We had two glorious, GLORIOUS trips planned for 2020 that we had to cancel (basically, big loops of national parks out west, with cool extra things, like a train ride and viewing the night sky at Kitt Peak). We put them off and put them back into our pocket of "somedays." 

In October 2021, I decided I was taking a solo trip. For a lot of reasons, I was in stress city. So I was going to go away. At first, I wanted to go, obviously, back to Estes Park. Although JK never would have stopped me, I could tell he did not love the idea of me hiking up in those huge mountains by myself, and so close to when it could snow huge amounts. I could not truthfully tell him I wouldn't hike alone, because I was absolutely going to do that, so I decided to ease his mind and go to Tucson and Saguaro National Park instead. My brother and his family are there--they live practically at the base of one of the park units--and he would come with me and hike, or my sister in law would.

Great! It was going to be fun. But then a long standing injury of JK's reached a critical point and required surgery. Even minor foot surgery means no walking, and so, I canceled my plans, as you do. Six weeks of no walking sucks, by the way. 

Now we are about to enter to vortex of JK being gone for three weeks for trial, where I am the solo parent, and at some point when this trial is over, I am doing this solo trip. I mean, I would actually love it if we could ditch the kids and go on a trip together, which we haven't done since... 2015, when we went to NYC for two nights together and left EJ with Grams. JD wasn't even born. 

Anyway, solo trip. Or trip with JK. The top of my list is always to be RMNP and Estes Park, so let's just take that as a given. JK really, really, REALLY wants to get to the Grand Canyon, and honestly, that's one I think might be more fun without kids. The hikes are not easy, and if we could snag a camping permit, we could even try hiking all the way down. I would love to go to the Utah parks, but I want to go in as close to off season as I can because yikes, those crowds. We are both very interested in doing Acadia soon.

If I am by myself, I want to hook up with one of the many outfitters who do guided backpacking, and do that. That way, I can hike myself into oblivion, and JK won't worry because I am with a knowledgeable group. I am taking some backpacking classes over these next few weeks so I can start learning, and I am excited. 

Where would you go? It's so hard to choose.