2024 started out strong on the heels of a year where much had been accomplished. I was hopeful to keep that momentum going. It did for a while, but then balanced itself out with many disappointments.
STATE HIGHPOINTS
My 50 state highpoint project stalled in 2024 with nothing new from where I left off in 2023: 28 of 50
A wedding in Michigan City brought my wife and I back to the Midwest in June. Afterwards, we thought it would be fun to spend a week in Wisconsin. It was my planned opportunity to get this highpoint. However, we ended up having so much fun fishing with family that I gave up Timm’s Hill for Post Lake.
I also kinda thought Wisconsin might be better done together with Minnesota and Michigan.
MOUNTAINEERING
Mountaineering was good to me in ’23, which rolled right into the new year. On the morning of New Year’s Eve, I stood atop the tallest peak in Mexico and the third tallest peak in North America.
The goal was to test my body at higher elevations in my continued preparations for Denali. I did well at 18,491 on Orizaba and 17,126′ on Izta, three days later. Not long after returning home, I found out my Denali team pushed our Alaska plans out yet another year. I immediately put together my own “Plan B“.
Meanwhile, I was excited about a trip back to Washington State in March for another Pacific Northwest volcano. This time was to make a winter ascent of Mount St. Helens. We knew it wouldn’t be a full-on mountaineering experience, but all were prepared for one if conditions required that level of intensity.
DENALI PREP IN ALASKA
When May came, I flew to Anchorage for a Denali Prep Course given by the Alaska Mountaineering School. I specifically chose AMS in order to experience what was supposed to mimic a true Denali Expedition. Spending a week on the Kahiltna Glacier, with “the tall one” right there, was totally surreal.
Unfortunately, this “prep” course was way too beginner for how it was advertised. While the intent was to mirror a real Denali climb, this training severely missed the mark on what I thought it would provide.
The most frustrating part about this situation was how it could have been avoided long before anyone arrived in Alaska. I was highly disappointed …my biggest “miss” of the year, and the experience that would kick off what I later called A Season of Misses.
A SEASON OF MISSES
The rest of the year just felt like a season of misses. Plans either wouldn’t line up or didn’t flow like they had in previous years. I couldn’t make the 3rd Annual Everest Ridge Climb with the friends I had done it with two years prior. I gave up Wisconsin’s highpoint and missed an opportunity to climb Rainier again, this time from the Emmons Glacier, in lieu of a conflict with my wife’s family reunion in Idaho. Then instead of doing Borah Peak for the fifth time, I tried for Leatherman Peak and struck out there too.
As August rolled in, an odd string of last-minute complications caused us to cancel our Utah Triple Crown attempt. Sigh. Later that month, I started too late for Cascade Mountain from Big Springs to finally wrap up the Wasatch 7. I also went for East Provo Peak twice, missing both for stupid reasons.
Miss after miss after miss — and that’s not all.
I was also set to take a shot at doing a real Grand Canyon R2R2R (as opposed to the Double R2R I did in 2022). As luck would have it, key logistical players in my group cancelled at the last minute which forced me to punt. I ended up just leading the rest of my family from South to North, making that my 6th crossing since 2016. It turned out good, but I really wanted to go for that grand crossing.
Last but not least, a guy from Denali Prep and I just couldn’t line up a weekend to meet up in California to do the Cactus to Clouds hike (C2C). He did it anyway, by himself, taking him 14+ hours to complete.
After hearing that, I realized this miss probably worked out for the best since I don’t think our hiking skills and styles are anywhere near alike. I’m also pretty sure I can talk my wife into spending a long weekend in Palm Springs next year for me to get this one on my own.
OTHER EPIC ADVENTURES
So what did I accomplish this year? Aside from a lot of learning, I did get a few good local ones done.
I finally bagged that Bastard Son of the American Fork Twins! Chipping away at my list of remaining peaks to finish the Wasatch 11ers, I only have 8 left of 35 (which I think are some of the tougher ones now). Anyway, I didn’t realize this bump was something worth getting when I initially did that group of AF Twins (with Red Top) back in 2018. It has loomed over my head ever since… but now ITZ DONE!
A group of us also did a ridgeline that I’m calling the Silver Lake Scramble. That route is a lot of fun.
Dates also worked out for me to join the same group on a weekend adventure to Ibapah Peak, which I’ve wanted to do forever. That area is so cool… as is the drive across the West Desert to get there!
INTERNATIONAL HIKES
Lastly, I got to hike to La Cruz de Alajuelita on the tail end of my last business trip to Costa Rica. In the foothills above downtown San Jose, this landmark has been on my list since 2019. Short and steep but still a jungle-like experience with numerous river crossings and all. Now I want to do Pico Blanco!
We did 4 more miles at Blue Falls the next day. Of the six falls we saw, my favorite is La Pintada.
As for 2025, we’ll see how things go after Aconcagua since I have no other solid plans beyond that.
