2025 Year in Review

Posted on by Backcountry Fever

The year began with an epic adventure in Argentina—climbing Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere at 22,837 feet. I chose the 360° Traverse and couldn’t have asked for a better experience.  Highly recommended!  Check out my 18-part guide that documents this climb in detail.

on the summit of aconcagua

South America may have kicked things off, but the rest of 2025 pulled me back to more familiar ground.

ANOTHER 14er

After being home only 10 days from my Aconcagua expedition, I was back on a plane headed for Denver to try a few winter ascents with my local hiking club.  I hoped to get two more 14ers out of that trip, but felt lucky to have at least bagged Bierstadt from the winter route after a weekend full of indecision.

MOUNTAINEERING

I was also able to jump in on a few local mountaineering adventures before our snow melted. We tackled the Wolverine Loop near Brighton in May, which was a first for me.  Then, in June, we took another shot at Deseret Peak via the West Twin Couloir.  It marked my fifth summit of this familiar favorite, but I found a way to make it a bit more interesting with a route I will now call “J’s Variation.”

up west twin couloir via J's variation

The final crampon climb of the season came on June 14, with a run up Mount Timpanogos from the snowfield above Emerald Lake.  It was my 13th time on this summit—but my first time enjoying a watermelon at the top.

1st watermelon on Timp

STATE HIGHPOINTS

I’m still stalled out on state highpoints, with my focus pulled toward Argentina this year and Mexico and Denali Prep last year.  It’s time to nail down a solid plan for Denali and get past the 28-state mark.

still at 28/50

GETTING THEM STARTED EARLY

With encouragement from my youngest daughter, I bought a small fleet of Osprey kid carriers to get these grandkids started early.

kid carriers

We enjoyed a few days of unseasonably warm fall temps, but still need to get them all out together.

backpacking with grandkids

Fun times ahead for sure!

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Scoping out snow levels for my annual winter campout this weekend. Yep, there`s enough to still make it fun!

#wintercamping #coldweathercamping #winterhike #sunset #weekendwarrior

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Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18093303244798082
Scoping out snow levels for my annual winter campout this weekend. Yep, there's enough to still make it fun! #wintercamping #coldweathercamping #winterhike #sunset #weekendwarrior

Yeah, you read that right — 5,000,000 vertical feet. That’s a million feet of vert every year for five straight years. Who does that? Well… these two average hikers from Utah have been stacking numbers like this since 2021 — quietly, but well beyond “average”.

The numbers speak for themselves. Get a summary and breakdown by month from the link in the bio ☝️

Think about that: we’re talking about an average of 50 miles and 20,000 feet of gain every single week.

It’s hard to wrap my head around that level of commitment. What they’re doing every month is roughly what I log in a year, all while holding down full-time jobs. That’s one serious fitness program.

In talking with Andee about what comes next, they took the week off after Christmas, then jumped right into the new year on a local favorite—Mount Olympus—with plans to log another million in 2026.

#goatworthy #biggoals #millionverticalfeet #hikerlife #hikemoreworryless

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Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17966367422867268
Yeah, you read that right — 5,000,000 vertical feet. That’s a million feet of vert every year for five straight years. Who does that? Well… these two average hikers from Utah have been stacking numbers like this since 2021 — quietly, but well beyond “average”. The numbers speak for themselves. Get a summary and breakdown by month from the link in the bio ☝️ Think about that: we’re talking about an average of 50 miles and 20,000 feet of gain every single week. It’s hard to wrap my head around that level of commitment. What they’re doing every month is roughly what I log in a year, all while holding down full-time jobs. That’s one serious fitness program. In talking with Andee about what comes next, they took the week off after Christmas, then jumped right into the new year on a local favorite—Mount Olympus—with plans to log another million in 2026. #goatworthy #biggoals #millionverticalfeet #hikerlife #hikemoreworryless

As the seasons change, each quiet mile through these trees feels like an invitation to let go of what was and move toward all that`s yet to come...

#seasonschange #lettinggo #movingon #pressingforward #lookingahead #newbeginnings #natureishealing #healingenergy #goodvibes #autumnvibes #autumnmountains #hiking #hikerlife #mountainlife #mountains

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Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17902202193279047
As the seasons change, each quiet mile through these trees feels like an invitation to let go of what was and move toward all that's yet to come... #seasonschange #lettinggo #movingon #pressingforward #lookingahead #newbeginnings #natureishealing #healingenergy #goodvibes #autumnvibes #autumnmountains #hiking #hikerlife #mountainlife #mountains

Fall colors are fading fast, losing the battle with winter.

#fallcolors #fadingfast #autumn #hikingtrails #hiking #hike #hiker #getreadyforwinter

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Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17913756879229216
Fall colors are fading fast, losing the battle with winter. #fallcolors #fadingfast #autumn #hikingtrails #hiking #hike #hiker #getreadyforwinter