Denali 2.0

Last post was done on a flight home from Denali almost a year ago from today. It ended abruptly as did my climb. I have been ask what happened why didn’t I finish. I was stopped before I had a attempt to summit.

I have stopped before I reached the summits of Everest and Aconcagua in 2016 but both were my choice. Either exhaustion, sickness, or just a feeling it wasn’t right, I will never know if it was right or wrong but in every case I made it home. Even then I lament and I second guessed my decision to turn around after weeks or months of trying to get to the top of the mountain. I returned a year later with better knowledge, better prepared, better team and got better results. I preach about not focusing on the summit, just enjoy the climb, but after climbing within a few hundred yards of a summit I have to re motivate myself to return and try again.

Find a way to win. I have spent the last year planning on doing everything I can to get better. spending most of the month of April climbing above 20,000 ft in Nepal. Training trips to telluride with the team that I will be with tomorrow in Anchorage. Is this enough? I always feel that it isn’t even when the task was easy. The mountain may turn against me but that is out of my control, what I can control I have done my best and hope its enough.

Grandkid #5 is suppose to arrive June 24 after four boys I am really rooting for a girl.

Lesson to grandkids:

Motivation can come from many places but the best motivation is created from within.