RobertMann.org

I’d like to start off this post on this, the first day of the new year, with the immortal words of Admiral James Stockdale: “Who am I? Why am I here?”

Well, to answer the first part: I am Robert Mann. I am married to my beautiful wife Elizabeth and am amazed on a daily basis by my wondrous daughter Katherine. I have a great extended family: my brother lives in England, my father in New York, and my mother in Peru. I am currently employed as a sixth-grade teacher in the West Contra Costa School District.

The second question is more complicated. Why am I here? Leaving aside the profound philosophical implications of that question, I’ll try to answer a more relevant question: what is the purpose of this website? While the website may grow to include different topics, for now the purpose of the site is simple: to document my attempts to achieve seven goals - what I call “Seven Dreams.”

I came up with the “Seven Dreams” concept in the spring of 2006, shortly after I had quit my previous job. With time on my hands, I decided I needed some goals to keep me engaged.

Here are the details, and where I stand, on each of the “Seven Dreams”:

1. Alcatraz Swim: I want to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. I’m not a particularly fast swimmer, but I am comfortable in the water. I’ve begun training a few times for this swim, but haven’t been able to put together the six months of training I probably need to make the swim. One needs to be able to swim a mile, comfortably, in about forty minutes to have a realistic chance of making the swim. In the past, with about six weeks or so of training, I’ve been able to get my mile time down to under an hour. I’ll need to do a lot better than that to have a chance in the frigid Bay waters. My plan is to swim as often as I can this year - hopefully, six days a week. I’d like to register for a swim this July.
2. Bay in a Day: I want to bicycle around the Bay in a day. In the summer of 2006, I entered a 200-mile ride around the Bay. With minimal training and a borrowed bicycle, I was, needless to say, unsuccessful. I have yet to plan how and when to begin seriously training for this endeavor but I would like to make the ride this summer.
3. BayRidgeWalk: I want to hike all the way around the Bay on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Initially, the plan was to hike a contiguous route, following the Bay Area Ridge Trail as much as possible. Also, I envisioned carrying Katherine on my back. I have decided that it is more viable and more enjoyable to simply hike the dedicated Bay Area Ridge Trail routes (300+ miles). And, Katherine is now too heavy for me to carry. The plan, this year, is for me to complete either a BayRidgeWalk or a BayWalk each weekend (weather permitting).
4. BayWalk: I want to hike all the way around the Bay, hugging the shoreline, while following the Bay Trail as much as possible. So far, I have made sixteen walks, each one with Katherine on my back, each averaging over 10 miles. Beginning again in 2008, I will not continue to carry Katherine on my back as she is just too heavy. I am making this walk in segments, with one beginning where the last left off. As I said above, I plan to complete either a BayRidgeWalk or a BayWalk every weekend (weather permitting).
5. Bolinas to Berkeley: I want to kayak from Bolinas to Berkeley. My goal is to kayak every Friday after work. I will paddle the distance early this fall.
6. Mt. Shasta: I want to summit Mt. Shasta. Prior to the spring of 2006, I had made two attempts at the summit, one on the West Face, one on the more traditional Avalanche Gulch route. This is the year I will summit the mountain.
7. Mt. Whitney: I want to summit Mt. Whitney. I’ve made two trips to Mt. Whitney since the spring of 2006. Both were in winter conditions. Neither was a particularly serious attempt at the summit. This August I will hike to the summit.