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Backcountry Fever
← 2025 Year in Review
After a Year with the COROS Vertix 2S →

5 Million Vertical Feet Gained Over 5 Years

Posted on January 15, 2026August 18, 2026 by Backcountry Fever

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.

multi millioner friends

Multi-Millioners

Here’s a summary of their annual totals:

YEAR HIKES TIME DISTANCE ELEVATION GAIN DATE COMPLETED
2021* 335 974 h 2,522 mi 1,000,673 ft December 4
2022 369 978 h 2,690 mi 1,000,046 ft December 18
2023 405 864 h 2,320 mi 1,000,472 ft December 21
2024 334 902 h 2,515 mi 1,004,295 ft December 28
2025 400 901 h 2,433 mi 1,001,514 ft December 25
Annual Avg 369 924 h 2,496 mi 1,001,400 ft

Broken down by month, those numbers look like this:

YEAR HIKES/MONTH TIME/MONTH DISTANCE/MONTH GAIN/MONTH
2021* 30 89 h 229 mi 90,970 ft
2022 31 81 h 224 mi 83,337 ft
2023 34 72 h 193 mi 83,373 ft
2024 28 75 h 210 mi 83,691 ft
2025 33 75 h 203 mi 83,460 ft
Monthly Avg 31 78 h 212 mi 84,966 ft

*finished one month early; averages are calculated over 11 months.

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.

Is there a Guinness World Record for such a feat?  It certainly feels worthy.

congrats on another million

Annual Highlights

I asked them to highlight their biggest achievements and challenges over the years.

YEAR ACHIEVEMENTS CHALLENGES
2021
  • 52 west Grandeur summits
  • 4 Grandeur Yo-Yo’s (double summit)
  • 1 Grandeur Yo-Yo-Yo (triple)
  • 1 Grand Canyon R2R2R
  • 3 Squaw Peak summits (all in 1 day)
  • Andee suffered a broken rib for a month, a sprained ankle for another month, and a sinus infection the day of her big finish.
  • Greg wasn’t doing this goal with Andee at first, but logging 147,000 ft in November got him caught up and fully committed!
2022
  • 4 ultra marathons
  • 18 slot canyon trips
  • 8 west Grandeur summits
  • 9 hikes to Lake Blanche
  • 9 times to Mt. Olympus saddle
  • 12 Mt. Olympus summits
  • Andee struggled with a sprained ankle from January through March, then again with a sprained knee for October and November.  While these challenges didn’t stop her, they did slow her down a bit.  Instead of doing 20,000 feet of vertical per week, she and Greg were closer to 10-15k each week during those months.
2023
  • 15 slot canyon trips
  • 24 west Grandeur summits
  • 17 hikes to Lake Blanche
  • 16 times to Mt. Olympus saddle
  • 1 Mt. Olympus summit
  • The 2022-23 winter brought an unprecedented 903 inches of snow to Alta Ski Area, the highest total ever recorded in Utah.  Andee told me, “That record snow year really wore us out.”
2024
  • 1 Grand Canyon R2R2R
  • 31 slot canyon trips
  • 11 west Grandeur summits
  • 9 hikes to Lake Blanche
  • 31 times to Mt. Olympus saddle
  • 20 Mt. Olympus summits
  • Andee got a new job and had to adjust
2025
  • Tour du Mont Blanc
  • Teton Crest Trail
  • 22 slot canyon trips
  • 4 west Grandeur summits
  • 10 hikes to Lake Blanche
  • 17 times to Mt. Olympus saddle
  • 36 Mt. Olympus summits
  • Tour du Mont Blanc was 120 miles and 42,000 ft of gain, completed in 6 days
  • Greg and Andee picked up climbing… 😂 and joined the Wasatch Mountain Club on 22 of their outings 🥳

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.

going for another million feet in 2026

jan 2

jan 3

jan 4

Joining in on the fun

I get to catch a hike with this dynamic duo every now and again.  I was with them when they logged their first million in 2021, and several other times since.  The best part about hiking with Greg and Andee is how easy-going and accommodating they can be.  Even with their high level of conditioning and fitness, they’ve never made me feel like I was holding them back.  Still, keeping their pace is always a challenge.

Want to track their progress throughout the year?  Follow Greg and Andee on Strava!

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After a Year with the COROS Vertix 2S →

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I really wanted to do the loop, so I took another shot at Kessler, this time from the Relsek Trail. Let me tell ya, 2,000 feet of elevation in that 1-mile stretch from road to ridge is a real thigh-burner! 🥵

I also much rather liked climbing UP the gully to the summit, rather than the thought of going DOWN it (the part I didn`t want to tackle by myself last week).

As always, it felt rewarding to get it done and now I can say I`ve closed the loop on this one! 🥾⛰️

#kesslerpeak #relsektrail #loophike #wasatchmountains #legday

21 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18093421613420388
I really wanted to do the loop, so I took another shot at Kessler, this time from the Relsek Trail.  Let me tell ya, 2,000 feet of elevation in that 1-mile stretch from road to ridge is a real thigh-burner! 🥵

I also much rather liked climbing UP the gully to the summit, rather than the thought of going DOWN it (the part I didn't want to tackle by myself last week).

As always, it felt rewarding to get it done and now I can say I've closed the loop on this one! 🥾⛰️

#kesslerpeak #relsektrail #loophike #wasatchmountains #legday

Today`s sufferfest on Kessler Peak!

I wanted to do the loop, but when I considered the options down off the south ridge, I decided not to try that alone. Same with the mine I saw up there... not sure if that`s the same one I`ve seen others inside a tunnel?

Still a good time after not being out in a while.

#kesslerpeak #kesslerpealtrail #wasatchfront #sufferfest #legday

20 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17960032346983601
Today's sufferfest on Kessler Peak!

I wanted to do the loop, but when I considered the options down off the south ridge, I decided not to try that alone.  Same with the mine I saw up there... not sure if that's the same one I've seen others inside a tunnel? 

Still a good time after not being out in a while.

#kesslerpeak #kesslerpealtrail #wasatchfront #sufferfest #legday

I struck out on Leatherman in 2024, and added that to my list of unfinished business. With the help of some adventurous friends, we dropped it in the bag. The last 2,000 feet was grueling, but so worth it now that we`re done. Thanks Andee, Greg and Dave 👊 I wouldn`t have made it without you!

#leathermanpeak #hikeidaho #lostriverrange #peakbagging #peakbagger

23 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18446485450137775
I struck out on Leatherman in 2024, and added that to my list of unfinished business.  With the help of some adventurous friends, we dropped it in the bag.  The last 2,000 feet was grueling, but so worth it now that we're done. Thanks Andee, Greg and Dave 👊 I wouldn't have made it without you!

#leathermanpeak #hikeidaho #lostriverrange #peakbagging #peakbagger

Couldn`t have asked for a better day to climb Mount Adams. The conditions today (6/4) were absolutely perfect!

These 6 miles were waaaay different from the last six I did in LA. This 6-mile climb to the summit packed in 6,700 feet of elevation and took 6 hours 45 minutes (one-way).

#mtadams #mountadams #pnw #mountaineering #legday

45 4
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17988770517003932
Couldn't have asked for a better day to climb Mount Adams. The conditions today (6/4) were absolutely perfect!

These 6 miles were waaaay different from the last six I did in LA. This 6-mile climb to the summit packed in 6,700 feet of elevation and took 6 hours 45 minutes (one-way).

#mtadams #mountadams #pnw #mountaineering #legday

Spent the weekend in California for a wedding and managed to squeeze in a quick hike, L.A.-style.

After reaching Mount Lee behind the Hollywood Sign, I couldn`t resist tagging two other peaks along the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail: Cahuenga Peak, the highest point in Griffith Park, and Burbank Peak, home to the famous Wisdom Tree.

The hike came in at 6 miles with just 1,000 feet of elevation gain and took only 2 hours.

#hollywoodsign #cahuengapeak #burbankpeak #aileengettyridgetrail #hikela

19 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17874758856610450
Spent the weekend in California for a wedding and managed to squeeze in a quick hike, L.A.-style.

After reaching Mount Lee behind the Hollywood Sign, I couldn't resist tagging two other peaks along the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail: Cahuenga Peak, the highest point in Griffith Park, and Burbank Peak, home to the famous Wisdom Tree.

The hike came in at 6 miles with just 1,000 feet of elevation gain and took only 2 hours.

#hollywoodsign #cahuengapeak #burbankpeak #aileengettyridgetrail #hikela

Still chasing snow! Took my brother-in-law on his first-ever mountaineering experience. We went up Temple Couloir, over to Deseret Peak, and then slid down West Twin Couloir. Hard to beat spring days like this.

This was my 6th summit of Deseret Peak.

#deseretpeak #templecouloir #twincouloirs #mountaineering #chasingsnow

46 4
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17898155133454122
Still chasing snow! Took my brother-in-law on his first-ever mountaineering experience. We went up Temple Couloir, over to Deseret Peak, and then slid down West Twin Couloir.  Hard to beat spring days like this.

This was my 6th summit of Deseret Peak.

#deseretpeak #templecouloir #twincouloirs #mountaineering #chasingsnow

One of my favorite things to do between ski season and hiking season: kicking steps up a steep slope toward some snow-capped summit!

#mountaineering #kickingsteps #steepslope #snowcapped #summitday

33 4
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17939009859229790
One of my favorite things to do between ski season and hiking season: kicking steps up a steep slope toward some snow-capped summit!

#mountaineering #kickingsteps #steepslope #snowcapped #summitday

Another moderate day of mountaineering up the north slope of Mt. Superior, known as Cardiac Bowl. I`ve only been to this peak once before, from the typical summer trail, so it was way fun to get there from this direction.

#mountsuperior #northslope #cardiacbowl #mountaineering #wasatch11ers

32 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18131016616566455
Another moderate day of mountaineering up the north slope of Mt. Superior, known as Cardiac Bowl.  I've only been to this peak once before, from the typical summer trail, so it was way fun to get there from this direction.

#mountsuperior #northslope #cardiacbowl #mountaineering #wasatch11ers

With such good coverage and a big storm rolling in, I think Alta should stay open for at least another week!

#stillskiing #springskiing #skiutah #skiing #alta

15 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18013199525845115
With such good coverage and a big storm rolling in, I think Alta should stay open for at least another week! 

#stillskiing #springskiing #skiutah #skiing #alta
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