Why I’m Doing This

I’ve been on this mountain before.

I summited in my twenties — two days, first camp, then the top. I was strong and didn’t think much about it. That’s what your twenties feel like.

Then I went back. I was in my fifties. We started at 1am, moved well through the dark, and made it to the 99 switchbacks before my body made the decision for me. Altitude sickness. Head too heavy to keep climbing. Two miles from the summit, I called it.

We went down.

That day stayed with me. Not like a wound — more like unfinished business sitting quietly in the back of a drawer.

This time I have a permit, a plan, and a mission. I’m 56. The window for doing something like this doesn’t stay open forever. That’s why I’m doing this.

The Turn Back Point

This is where we turned around in 2022. Two miles from the summit. The altitude had won that day. I took this photo on the way down. I’ve looked at it a hundred times since.

September 23, 2026 — we finish what we started.

The Route

What This Journal Is

Every two weeks I’ll post an honest update — training hikes, gear decisions, altitude prep, and whatever the process is actually teaching me. No highlight reel. No sponsored content. Just what it takes for a 56-year-old to get up 14,505 feet and back down safely.

The training hikes are mostly in the San Gabriels and Eastern Sierra. Each one is a full trail review on this site. The journal and the training are the same story.

Journal Entries

New entries published every two weeks. Subscribe below — no newsletter, no noise. Just an update when there’s something worth saying.

“The summit is optional. Coming home is mandatory.”