"Because it's there".... seems like a
reasonable response when someone asks you why you are going to do something.
Now what if that was your response when someone asked you why you were about to
put your body through some of the harshest, most unrelenting physical and
mental pain that you'll ever experience? I've lived near mountains my
entire life minus a few months in Europe and to me mountains are a sanctuary.
They pull you in and hug you tight as you enjoy their grandeur. It's as
if they hold secrets to life, but maybe you're the one holding secrets about
yourself and the mountains help you explore them.
Denali,
"The Great One", stands 20,320 feet above the Alaskan wilderness and
is the tallest mountain in North America. The mountain was formally
referred to as Mt. McKinley from 1917-2015 when Obama officially changed the
federal name back to Denali. It's about
130 miles northwest of Anchorage and on a clear day you can see it's summit
from the big city. She is actually taller than Everest (greater vertical
rise starting at 2,000' versus Everest at 14,000' above sea level) and one of
the most alluring mountains I've ever seen. She stands proud in the
Alaska Range next to Mt. Foraker and Mt Hunter. In 2017 1,189 climbers spent time on Denali
with 42% of them reaching the summit.
On May 6th,
2017 a group of mountain men set off to climb the highest peak in North
America. This is no group of average dudes who decided on a whim to do this.
Years of training has led to this moment. It’s not cheap and it’s not
easy; it’s a commitment and a sacrifice.
We’ll focus
on a few of these ‘mountain men’ for this story (I’m not sure how we gave them
that title but it seems fitting to me)
Dom- 29-year-old
Kiwi with a smile and zest for life unlike anyone else who laughs when
Americans often times confuse him for an Aussie
Mat- 29-year-old Berkeley native with an ‘up for
anything’ attitude who found his way to the shores of Nicaragua after studying finance
in Boulder, CO
Zac/Tex- 30-year-old engineer with a laugh that
makes your heart so happy who’s visited over 60 countries and lived around the
world but currently resides in Texas
Yuval (UV)- 35-year-old husband and father of 2 beautiful
daughters from Israel who grew up going to American schools while living abroad
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| Denali above the clouds |
A few others set off on the expedition as
well. Mark who played in the NFL and is
now set on climbing the tallest peaks on all seven continents, Sam from Silicon
Valley working in the tech industry, and Mike Hamill an internationally renowned
climbing guide. This blog could go on for days if we were to talk about each of
them, and they do each have a story of their own, but we’ll focus on the first
four mentioned.
This is their story.....
May 6th,
2017. Base camp of Denali is at 17,000’.
You fly up to base camp from Talkeenta (check out Talkeetna Air Taxi) in
a small plane outfitted to land on snow and ice. In Talkeetna the final preparations
have concluded-enough freezer dried food for weeks, a check-in at the ranger
station, only the necessities packed in your 50lb plus bags, sleds checked out,
ropes tied and retied, carabineers checked. Talkeetna is home to 876 people and
has a cat as a mayor. There are no rules
about open alcohol containers here and people walk around freely in their sandals.
Lots of people have missing teeth and
live off the grid where they have no water or electricity. If you come to
Alaska check out Talkeetna; it’s sure to provide you with lots of laughter and
a wealth of friendly people.
The next 3 weeks were spent with Mike guiding
his group of 6 up the mountain. Some days temperatures were above zero and the sky
was blue overhead. Other days the wind howled and even the slightest skin
exposure could lead to frostbite. Some days you could climb to the next camp,
while others were spent hunkered down in your tent inside the ice wall you
built. There’s no cell service here, no
one to tell you to trim your beard, no one to tell you what’s happening in
regards to American politics. It’s just you, and your partners, and the mountain. Your agenda looks pretty similar each
day-take down camp or just start hiking, one person boils snow for water and
the others, pack your pack and head on up then set up camp, boil more water,
talk about life, and catch some sleep at all random times of the day. Each
climber has their own preferences when climbing-listening to audio books,
listening to Chris Stapleton or some other legendary artist or listening to the
sounds around you. At times your pace is that of an elderly grandma. Other
times you find yourself standing on a pitch with a few thousand feet drop offs
on either side of you. The slightest mistake could cost your life.
Unfortunately, this expedition ended without
your iconic picture standing on top of the summit. A forecasted storm calling for -85F degree temps
and 100mph winds doesn’t make well for a summit push. The crew headed down the mountain and back to
Talkeetna. Dozens were forced to cut
their expeditions short because of this storm; that’s just not something you
mess with.
It
was after this expedition that I met Zac, Mat, and Dom in Anchorage. When talking to them it was clear they’re a
little disheartened. It’s like a slap in the face when something completely out
of your control determines your destiny for the time being. But after about 30
seconds of disheartened talk they are extremely eager, humble and positive
about this hobby of theirs. They are so
hungry for more. If you were to ask “are you bummed that you couldn’t summit?”
their response would be something along the lines of “oh yeah it’s a huge
bummer, but hey what can you do. Life goes on”. What a good outlook to have on
life! Zac posted a message on facebook that was fitting, “Am I bummed? No doubt.
Anytime you want something that bad for years, spend months preparing for, and
weeks executing for and not even get an opportunity to take your shot, that's
rough. It will sting for a while, but I'm even hungrier for it now. I'll be
back in a few years.”
Mat and Zac toured the Kenai Peninsula for a few
days after the climb catching halibut, talking with bear hunters, beating the
locals at pool, seeing puffins, and enjoying the local whiskey and beer. Dom headed to California to the happiest
place on earth with his girlfriend. Life seemed to be moving on, but the pull
of Denali and her summit was always on their mind.
Dom and Mat returned to Alaska a short time
later to conquer the mountain again. My
friend Angie was visiting from Utah while they were here and we ended up giving
them and all their gear a ride to Talkeetna from Anchorage. We spent the next unintended 48 hours in the
little town camping, driving them around as they prepped for another
expedition, eating out at every single restaurant, watching the rangers give
their mandatory spiel, tossing the football in the park, playing hour long
games of ping pong at the Fairview and fly fishing on Montana Creek. I say unintended because Angie and I were
only going to be there for a day and the guys were supposed to fly up to base
camp. Weather delayed that so we made the best of our time. It felt like
groundhog day as we walked around town yet again, but when you’ve got a good
crew to hang out with there’s not many other places you’d rather be. More inside jokes were created and more
laughs shared in that 48 period than I have had in a long time. These seemingly
strangers turned into great friends in a matter of memories.
Angie and I wished them well and they flew up to
camp. The next 9 days were a push for
that summit. There was an incredible amount of drive, adrenaline and
determination on this trek. They had
left a cache (stuff buried as you climb up in elevation and then descend to
sleep) of food, Mat’s wallet, and the memories of Mat’s best friend on the
mountain on the previous trek. Talk about motivation. They climbed and climbed having some great
days, and others where the clouds were overhead and wind whistled through the
tent. They met a guy name Yuval who
wandered over to their tent with some hot drinks. From there a real friendship
and bond was formed. The three of them summited the mountain together on an
absolutely beautiful day. Reed told Mat that
one day he was going to make it to the summit of America’s tallest peak and Mat
made sure he did just that. Emotions run
high on any mountain or after accomplishing such a physical and mental feat as
this but those emotions are amplified even more when brining your friend to a
place that you’d long talked about to celebrate his life. It takes a special person to stay committed
to that promise that was made. They took
some memorable pictures and headed down the mountain because the summit isn’t
exactly a place you want to spend much time.
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| Denali. June 10, 2017 |
If you need another motivation to climb a
mountain try climbing it with a man who a few years ago was plagued by MS. Diagnosed at age 25 he went from being an
independent, extremely healthy young man to one who couldn’t walk or bathe
himself. That man is Yuval and he’s now
a European ambassador MS. He’s an engineer by day, father by night, and a
climber, motivational speaker and ambassador in his other time. Dom said the two most powerful moments of the
trip were watching Mat on top celebrate Reed's life, and watching UV walk with an
extremely heavy pack on his back after he had surpassed his 100% physical
limit.
They finished the trek with a flight back to
Talkeetna and a proper celebration at the Fairview Inn. They ended back in Anchorage for one last
night with us before heading their separate ways. UV stayed a few extra days to
explore Alaska and it was inspiring to spend time with a man who is so level
headed, humble, humorous and grateful.
Grateful to be living a life doing things he loves every day.
I asked each of them why they climb…. “To
rediscover your limits” said UV. “Because they are there” replied Dom. “My happy
place is in the mountains. I’m my best self there” said Mat.
We're all climbing some sort of mountain in our
lives and it's up to us to decide which one's are worth the climb. You
could be climbing the corporate ladder, climbing the treehouse to play with
your kids, or maybe climbing a physical or mental health battle. What
gets you through climbing your mountain? I'd say a smile, positive attitude,
and a phenomenal friend and family support base can't hurt. I’m so grateful that
I met these mountain men who taught me about mountain climbing, but more than
that showed me the importance of having an attitude that remains determined,
hungry for more and ever positive and a heart that never hardens.
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| camp |
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| The summit. Yuval, Dom, Mat |
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| flight into base camp |
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| heading up |
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| Mat, Dom, Zac, Mark |
