Destroyed my legs hiking.

[jason370]

That is amazing to do over 30 of the 14ers! Sounds like it’s an amazing journey you have been on. Lots to be grateful for as you have done more than 99.9% of us humans would even dream of doing.

I have some miles on these old bones but not near the level you have. But am grateful as I have hiked in South American, Alps in 3 different countries, over 20 US National Parks, Canada and Alaska in 2027.

Unfortunately the older I get the more I have to scale down but at 58 I still do more than most will ever dream of. Lots of great memories.

When people ask me what my favorite hike has been, I am blessed to respond that I have had so many exceptional hikes that I cannot even narrow it down to top 25. Sometimes it’s the weather, the trail companions (my father, oldest son, new friend from trail), the environment, the mind set and expectation of what the trail was going to be, the wild life interaction, the memory of over coming adversity, and on and on. Am sure you get it. I cannot pick just one trail, one hike, one memory.

I'm 56, training to get in shape to start jiu-jitsu. My daughter trains six days a week, competes regularly, and I promised her i'd do it too; Im, on track for end of summer, barring any more setbacks. You've mentioned a couple things worth repeating:

1. Gratitude: I'm not one for religion, but I wake up every morning happy and grateful for what I have and who I am, truly. True or otherwise, I feel quite fortunate; in particular for having the greatest kid in the world, but also (ironically) my health. Even my current leg pain reminds me of how lucky I am to have it. It's memorial day and there have been endless soldiers who wish they could experience mere leg soreness in lieu of the incredibly selfless sacrifices they made. I'm grateful to live in an imperfect, yet best there's ever been country that has brave soldiers who protect our freedoms, so my family can sleep soundly at night, not even having to consider that there are men who will do violence against our enemies on our behalf in the dark of night while we rest.

2. Enjoying where you are, and who you are with: On the four hour drive home today from VT, my daughter told be she had so much fun hiking, shooting, and randomly meeting people/making friends while doing so that she's unsure if she'd prefer to do this again first, or go to disney world. I asked her why, since a six hour hike is not what most kids are interested in doig, and she said it was just so much fun that she didn't care about how hard it was (see #1 for why I'm so filled with gratitude). I explained to her that when you do things with people you like and enjoy being with, you could do almost nothing at all, or even difficult things and have the best time, but in the wrong company even the most fun thing becomes miserable. choose your friends carefully ad spend lots of time with them.

P.s. The first time i laid eyes on the Alps (Matterhorn) , I was filled with regret that I didn't choose to live in Switzerland, rather than Colorado.. I simply had no idea of the grandness and beauty of them,

 

[MTSpace]

Sounds like a great experience with your daughter. Maybe she will blaze her own trails because of the experiences you share with her.

First time I went to Alps, it felt surreal. I have read several books & articles on hiking and climbing Eiger, Matterhorn, and Mount Blanc before my first visit. My favorite author is Jon Krakauer and as expressive and creative of a writer he is, no pictures or words can encompass the beauty of the Alps.

My grandfather, who served in WWII and was at the Crows Nest the day after the allies took it over, told me I had to put 5 places on my “must travel to” list. Alps #1. The others Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, & Singapore. I haven’t been to Singapore but been to many other places because he inspired me to make my own history.

 

[jason370]

Sounds like a great experience with your daughter. Maybe she will blaze her own trails because of the experiences you share with her.

First time I went to Alps, it felt surreal. I have read several books & articles on hiking and climbing Eiger, Matterhorn, and Mount Blanc before my first visit. My favorite author is Jon Krakauer and as expressive and creative of a writer he is, no pictures or words can encompass the beauty of the Alps.

My grandfather, who served in WWII and was at the Crows Nest the day after the allies took it over, told me I had to put 5 places on my “must travel to” list. Alps #1. The others Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, & Singapore. I haven’t been to Singapore but been to many other places because he inspired me to make my own history.

Indeed, she's in "blaze your own trails" training daily, which is pretty much the only thing I really care about. I've never been more impressed than by the Alps. I had this idea that they were on par with the Rockies - boy was I wrong about that. I spent time in Yosemite after living in Colorado and that place is simply amazing. I have read and love everything krakauer has written, but after some diligent investigation, i came to learn that he colors in the facts a little to make for a better story. that's ok with me, i still love his writing but, there's some fiction weaved in.

One very compelling book in particular, was :

The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest : Written by guide Anatoli Boukreev, this is the definitive counter-narrative to Krakauer's book. It provides the same timeline of the 1996 disaster from the perspective of a lead guide who went on to heroically rescue several clients.

It's not as fun or polished of a read as Into Thin Air, but the counter narrative by Boukreev is fascinating, and I would say more credible and believable than Krakauer's account. Suddenly the Russian villain is the Russian hero, which in the 90's was counter intuitive.