As we quickly worked our way through the holiday season and into 2020, I took some time to reflect on 2019.
2019 was a great year in life and in the mountains. I had a much needed change in life with a new job and relocation back to Southeastern PA, putting my wife and I closer to family and longtime friends. It was also a year of two successful back-to-back summits, knocking off Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams with friends whom I met on Mt. Rainier a year earlier and who were gracious enough to host me for a week at their house in Portland, OR. One of the friends, Paul, also helped me to continue to build my skill in mountaineering as we climbed both mountains unguided.
The two summits were book-ended with the sale of our house in CT and the purchase of our new house in PA, which presented some challenges. But that wasn't the worst of it. All my training was done after a one-hour commute back to my temporary living quarters at my in-laws, mostly with a headlamp because of the long days of learning my new job. It also included three-hour commutes on weekends back to CT to get the house ready to move.
I know what you're thinking...not the most optimal time to be training for two challenging summits. Some said I was crazy, others didn't understand and some wondered why I would want to climb more mountains after the scary summit of Mt. Rainier. However, with my great support team of Lauren and Winston and the rest of my family, I was able to conquer all.
My father-in-law would jokingly tell me to run fast so the neighbors didn't know where I was living as I walked out the door with a headlamp, weight vest and altitude mask. During a few weekends spent visiting my mom and brother, Jay, I would get in some circuit training with Jay, followed by hill repeats with a weight vest while he drove next to me in his truck blasting music.
When I look back, there was a lot going on, making life very stressful and at times overwhelming. However, the one thing that kept me sane from the new job and relocating was my training for Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. Training helped clear my mind and blow some steam after long days and my long commute each day. It also re-connected me with some of my former cycling teammates who reminded me I am not in as good of shape as I thought, as we logged some hard and fast miles on the bike.
2019 was a whirlwind of a year with relocating, starting a new job, and back-to-back summits. With everything going on, it was a good reminder that life is all about perspective and is what you make of it. Long story short, I conquered 2019. Now settled in our new home in PA and recovered from a summer of climbing and moving, I look back and see 2019 as one of my better years overall. With everything that was going on, I still maintained a better life balance, was strong mentally and physically, and I improved my skills on the glaciers and mountains. All of these challenges helped to set a strong foundation for my life and summit pursuits in 2020 with renewed spirit and focus.
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Climb On!