Summit reflections: things I learned climbing 50 mountains in a year
From Feb. 1, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2024 (a year based around my birthday), I climbed 50 summits. Here are some reflections from along the way.
7,803-foot Brundage Mountain near McCall, Idaho became my 48th summit of the year.
On August 13, 2023, I stood atop 9,730-foot Steel Mountain, the highest peak in the Boise National Forest and the 27th summit I'd climbed so far in the year. It was a crystal-clear day, and I was surprised at the extent of the views.
To the east were the rugged western valleys of the Sawtooth and Smokey mountains, but I was easily able to see past them 50 miles to the White Clouds, Boulders, and Pioneers.
Nearly 100 miles to the west, the Owyhee Mountains were hazy but visible on the west side of the Snake River, and only 12 miles south was Trinity Mountain, which had become my 20th summit of the year just a week before. In fact, from the top of Steel Mountain I was able to see most of the 26 summits I’d already climbed.
Stats from my 50 summits climbed at the age of 50:
45: Idaho summits
4: California summits
7: summits climbed and skied
11: summits climbed in snow
1: state high point (Arizona)
6: summits mountain biked/hiked
86: hours spent on trail
I didn't know what to expect when I set out Feb. 1 of last year to climb 50 summits to celebrate turning 50. I knew it would be challenging, but I didn't know how or why.
Earlier this month, on Jan. 21, I stood in knee-deep snow atop a small, no-name mountain west of Hailey and celebrated my 50th summit of the 365 days that began with my birthday. What follows are 10 of the lessons I uncovered about goal setting along the way, almost all of which I think can be applied to setting and achieving goals in day-to-day life as well.
Prioritize to find balance. I thought the physical challenge of climbing 50 summits would be the toughest part, but it wasn't. I have a career, wife, pets, parents, brother, in-laws, nieces, nephews, house, yard, and bills to pay, and all of those are more important than reaching an arbitrary milestone in the mountains. Pursuing 50 summits was a constant process of evaluating and reevaluating opportunities and costs, and for the most part costs were time spent away from responsibilities. Any goal or set of goals competes with others, so prioritizing and reprioritizing is a necessary and important part of the process—and finding balance should be the overarching point.
Cluster goals when possible. Different mountain summits are usually part of a range and sometimes can be clustered. In the past year, there were eight days when I summited multiple peaks in a day, and one when I summited five in a day. Many of the goals we pursue at work and at home can be clustered to achieve higher levels of productivity.
Keep an eye on the weather. When a storm approaches, you have to adjust, and my summit-climbing efforts were thwarted by weather a half-dozen times. In life, “weather" is an easy metaphor for hazards we face on the way to completing tasks, and we have to adjust course when the weather turns.
Use windows of opportunity. Life always affords periods when it’s easier to accomplish our goals. In climbing windows can result from an open schedule, good weather, personal fitness, superlative mental clarity, financial freedom, or other temporary circumstances. Don't waste windows of opportunity because they are fleeting and fewer than I’d have guessed.
Find peace by enjoying the journey. It's easy to get set on goals, but it doesn't mean much if you don't enjoy the journey. Don't breeze through the woods on the way to a summit without pausing to enjoy the smell of the soil, sound of the wind, the crunch of snow underfoot, or the call from a nearby tanager. Being at peace is different than being high or low (it’s more of an acceptance of highs and lows), and enjoying the journey is a great way to find peace.
Persistence pays off. I traveled to the Owyhee Mountains three times last year, and each of the first two times was turned back by thunderstorms. I eventually achieved four Owyhee summits, but that's fewer than I'd have guessed for a range with dozens. This advice easily applies to life and work where persistence and hard work always produce results.
Make goals achievable. An important component of goal setting is attainability, so the more goals one has the more achievable they must be. When I started this quest, I imagined myself atop some of Idaho's most famous big mountains: Borah, Leatherman, Castle Peak, Hyndman, Thompson, and others, but I didn't climb any of those this year. What's more, some of the smaller, off-the-beaten-path summits were clear favorites.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Success in the mountains is a direct result of being prepared, whether that's packing enough food, water, and gear; maintaining a base level of fitness; knowing the route to be climbed; or adhering to a predetermined timeline. Every day is an opportunity to plan, and in general the more we plan the more we accomplish.
Stay loose to succeed. While planning is essential to success, strict adherence to a plan will eventually lead you astray. I constantly adjusted my plan to climb 50 summits to take advantage of opportunities as they arose, and adjusted on individual mountains due to snow, weather, time constraints, or team dynamics. To put this metaphorically, you reap what you sow, but you have to pay attention to the rain.
Enjoy being present. This lesson isn’t goal related, but it’s a key lesson from the past year. Spending time in the mountains is time away from cell phones, email, television, traffic, and lines of people waiting for things. It forces you into the present moment, and after climbing dozens of summits I started to anticipate the sense of joy that overcame me as I plodded into the woods. “This is all temporary, grand, and wonderful,” I scribbled in my journal atop Steel Mountain. “And what I’m taking down from the top of the mountain today is a desire to be more present.”
Photos from all 50 summits I climbed between Feb. 1, 2023, and Jan. 31, 2024.