It’s 2022, and I’m eagerly looking at what new adventures are calling my name.
Each year I really try to do something new to force myself out of my physical and mental comfort zone. That’s how I ended up doing most the cool stuff I’ve achieved in life. Whether it was fastpacking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R), climbing Africa’s tallest mountain, or thru-hiking a 2,200-mile long trail in my 40s. Last year, I even completed and 80-hour Wilderness First Responder Course.
Each of these different adventures was all about my personal growth. I wanted to see what I might be capable of if I put my mind to it.
So, as spring approaches and my calendar is beginning to fill up, I sat down to ask myself a question. What new experiences am I’m willing to try??
The number of outdoor adventures available is vast. I’ve already run a number of marathons. I’ve jumped out of airplanes. I’ve gone scuba diving all over the world, including the Great Barrier Reef. So what new skills did want to add to this lifelong list?
After a bit of mental back and forth, I finally settled on my goal for 2022. I’m going to try my hand at mountaineering.
Mountaineering
What the heck is mountaineering, you ask? Good question.
Mountaineering – at least as I’m defining it – will take my hiking competence to a more technical level. Instead of heading up a defined trail to the summit (as I did with Mt. Whitney or Mt. Kilimanjaro), I’m selecting some other peaks that require a bit more knowledge and equipment.
These skills include route finding, traveling on snow fields or glaciers with crampons, the use of safety ropes, and some technical rock climbing too.
To meet this goal, I intend to take a some basic classes, enroll in a mountaineering school to learn snow travel and self-arrest techniques, and then test out my skills on a few of the bigger West Coast mountains.
If all goes well, I’ll add a few more outdoor skills to my resume that will allow me to take on some bigger challenges that I previously thought were off-limits.
Goals for 2022
Why did mountaineering become my newest goal? The answer is simple. It dovetails with my highpointing ambitions of summiting the highest natural point in each state.
I’ve already checked virtually all of the easiest state high points off my bucket list. I entered 2022 with just seven states left to conquer – Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming.
Unfortunately, some of those high points include some very challenging peaks that require more technical mountain skills. For example, Oregon’s Mt. Hood and Washington’s Mt. Rainier are both covered in snow year-round. Thus, they’ll require snow and glacier travel to get to their summits.
I’m focusing on those two glaciated summits as my near-term mountaineering goal because: (1) they are both relatively easy to access from my new home base in Oregon; and (2) there are a number of local outfitters who specialize in teaching climbers some basic mountaineering skills on these volcanic peaks.
Both of these Pacific Northwest mountains are still a little bit intimidating to me though. I saw Mt. Hood from pretty much every angle possible last autumn when I hiked the Timberline Trail (the 40-mile trail that loops around Mt. Hood). Thus, I know getting to the summit won’t be a cake walk.
Likewise, Mt. Rainier is usually considered the second most difficult state high point to climb – right after Alaska’s Denali. Not only is Mt. Rainier’s summit above 14,000′ elevation, but it will require a multi-day climb while ascending 9,000 feet of prominence in snow, on glaciers, and over crevasses! The endurance, patience, fitness, and attention-to-detail required to climb this mountain will be immense.
I’ve already selected a guide to help me summit Mt. Hood in late May 2022. And I’m booked on a group trip to attempt Mt. Rainier’s summit in early June. So I’m hoping a successful bid on both of these peaks will give the confidence to push myself a bit farther.
The rest of the list
Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood aren’t the only high points that are going me to flex some new-found skills either. I still have my eyes set on summiting Wyoming’s Gannett Peak and Montana’s Granite Peak before the end of 2023, and both of them will require their own set of technical mountaineering skills.
And then there’s Denali. Alaska’s high point. Or more accurately – North America’s high point! At 20,310 feet, it will be the highest mountain I’ve ever considered climbing. Denali, quite frankly, is no joke. If I want to realistically have a chance of summiting it, then acquiring some mountaineering experience is critical.
Of course, there’s always the chance that I’ll never get to successfully summit all 50 state high points. My fear of heights might win out. Or the weather may not cooperate. But I can still acquire some new skills in the process. Even if Denali forever eludes me, I’ll be opening some new doors for other amazing climbs right here in the lower 48.
And so, here’s hoping that 2022’s newest adventure is a fruitful one. I’m looking forward to an amazing opportunity to hike to the top of two of the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful mountains. And perhaps even meet a few new friends along the way!