“Hiking is a bit like life…..The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other… again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit.” ~Unknown
Take a Hike! And witness life one trail at a time!
High Sierra Trail: 2015
This is where it began. My boss comes to me one day, and says “Hey Matt, how would you like to go hike the High Sierra Trail and climb Mount Whitney with us this summer?” I ask him what it is all about and he tells me to watch Mile, Mile and a half…. and I am hooked!
I only had two months to prepare, but I thought, I am a personal trainer and I am in great shape! I’ve got this! So I went out and bought some gear and I was ready.
Or so I thought.
My gear load was 54lbs. The altitude went form basically 0’ in Florida to 7500’ in California. And I got my ass handed to me.
Unable to push through, I made the decision to turn back and make my way home. The rest of the group pushed on, but was unable to summit Mt. Whitney at the end due to severe weather.
So my preparations began for . . .
High Sierra Trail 2016
I returned in 2016 with a couple friends and my pack load down to 34 pounds! Dropping twenty pounds was amazing! Unfortunately, all the preparations and training didn’t get me to the end.
Due to some unforeseen medical and personal matters within the group, we had to make a decision to turn back from Bearpaw Meadow. The trip was still amazing though, as we had opted to drive across country and we had the road trip of a lifetime! You can check out the pictures here High Sierra Trail 2016
This brings me to …
High Sierra Trail 2017
I returned this year with the intentions of finishing this journey, no matter what! When I originally applied for my permit, there was 8 of us going. In the end, it was myself and the man the got me started, my boss, Ricky, and a pack weight of 30lbs. Lighter, but those ups still get me….hence ‘Slow Climb’
But, we crushed it!!!
You can check out all the pictures in the following links.
Mt. Whitney 2017
After completing this amazing adventure, I knew that my hiking adventures were far from over.
And so, the journey continues . . .
TakeAHike 