2025: A New Chapter Begins
With 2025 coming to a close and 2026 just a day away, I felt it to be appropriate to recap the 2025 season on The Migration. Let me begin by saying the 2025 season has been INSANE! From exiting my time serving in the Army to moving to Bend Oregon to going full time as a Photographer, this year has truly been one of the most exciting years of my life so far! I could not be more grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had this year!
2025 Moments To Remember:
Truthfully, there is so much to be grateful for over the course of this year. I am a person who cherishes moments with the people I love FAR more than I will ever care about any physical item or experience I have alone. I also believe it is through the power of God that I have had the opportunities that I have had this year. This article is really just a long thank you to Him for everything and more, and an encouragement to you to take stock of everything God has blessed you with this year. Taking time to sit down and write out all the things that you are thankful for over the past year is a fun experience anyway. It forces you to reflect and relive some of those super happy and fun memories and puts into perspective all the amazing things that DID happen. Its so easy to only remember the hurts and bad moments, and the great moments seem to fade fast or become overshadowed by those bad moments. This is something I believe is a serious problem in our world today. But taking a moment to take stock of these positives puts the year into perspective…
Below is a list of what I consider to be my favorite moments of the year. Lets go!
January: Kicked the year off with skiing at Whistler in British Columbia Canada!
February: Skied nearly every Saturday and Sunday, camped in our bare bones van, and parents able to visit us in Washington!
March: Mountain biked and skied every weekend, Claire encountered a Mountain Lion in California, My brother Clay was able to visit and ski and go on a campervan camping and ski trip for our first time in Oregon to Mount Hood!
April: Finally worked on the van and installed a floor with vinyl finish, mountain biked nearly every weekend!
May: More mountain biking, celebrated Claires and my birthdays AND our anniversary with a brutal 25 mile (7000 vertical feet of gain) mountain bike ride at Tiger Mountain and had an amazing dinner at Duke’s, more campervan bare bones adventures!
June: Raging River Mountain Bike Festival, another campervan bare bones adventure to visit Bend Oregon for our first time, left the mountains for a beach vacation in Hilton Head, and lots of hiking and photography!
July: Claire raced her FIRST Enduro Mountain Bike race, I photographed my very first Owl ever (full story)!
August: Exited the Army and went full time into Martins Migration/ photography, moved to Bend Oregon, took my Brother on his FIRST backpacking trip on an epic overnight experience and photographed the Milky Way (Full Story)!
September: Took my dad, his friend, and Claire on their FIRST BIG backpacking trip in Olympic National Park (Full Story), started taking my YouTube channel seriously, completed my first Ironman 70.3 in Tri-Cities Washington, did our only lift assisted downhill mountain bike day of the year!
October: Visited my brother studying abroad in South Korea, Claire and I did our FIRST backcountry skiing trip (watch this video), captured some beautiful Fall photos (watch this video)!
November: Able to finally get back to Indiana and visit family and grandparents for Thanksgiving, got out for loads of photography, mountain biking, and hiking. Watch this epic mountain biking adventure or this photography adventure!
December: Spent our first Christmas alone as a family with Spoke, boot packed our way up Mount Bachelor to ski back down for the first time, more icy mountain biking, Watched Stranger Things Season 5!
My Favorite Mountain Bike Trail of 2025:
Picking one ultimate trail for 2025 is HARD! But, after much deliberation I finally decided REVERENCE at Raging River in Snoqualmie Washington was the winner! Head over to my complete Trail Log to learn more and discover some other amazing trail recommendations!
Watch the full mountain biking playlist over on YouTube!
My Favorite Photo of 2025:
Watch the full photography and hiking playlist over on YouTube!
My Favorite YouTube Video of 2025:
Mountain Biking
Photography and Hiking
A Blend of Adventure
SO WITH THAT:
I am so excited to see what 2026 brings! I am amped to continue to build the Martin’s Migration brand with all of you! I hope each and every one of you are excited to dedicate 2026 to a year of adventure with me! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow me on Instagram, and ensure you are subscribed to my Newsletter so you are equipped and amply inspired to take on the year of adventure together!
If you are feeling inspired, try writing out your favorite parts of 2025 and share them with me over on Instagram!
With that, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!
If you want to stay up to date with the BEST information to build your next adventure or you just want to see more of my adventures and photography, follow along on Instagram @martins_migration or subscribe to the newsletter below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!
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2025 was the year everything changed. This article is a recap of the year I stepped away from active duty as an Army Field Artillery officer and went all in on building Martin’s Migration — chasing mountain biking, landscape photography, adventure, and a slower, more intentional life outdoors. I recap some of my favorite moments from each month , list my favorite mountain bike trail of 2025, and highlight my favorite photo of the year.