Mt. McKinley Summit Success (20,320 feet)

     On Wednesday, June 23rd, around 3pm in the afternoon, we were successful in reaching the summit of Mt. McKinley.  My climbing party of 10 people (3 guides and 7 clients) all reached the top of the highest point in Alaska / the United States / the entire North American continent.  Mt. McKinley (or Denali as it was originally named) stands at 20,320 feet tall.  I left Phoenix on Tuesday, June 8th, and returned on Saturday, June 26th, for a grand total of 19 days, of which 15 were spent on the mountain.  We flew onto the Kahiltna glacier at 7,200 feet, and climbed the rest of the way from there.  The first event of my 4-event Endurathon is complete!
     The mountains have a special way of creating experiences that help you find out who you truly are.  The trials faced on those slopes test your physical and mental limits.  The battle of reaching the summit is a journey of self-realization.  It's amazing how the mountains can stand there for millions of years, virtually unchanged, and yet they have the ability to change YOU forever.  After spending time away from society for a few weeks, it's dramatic how much you realize you take for granted on a daily basis:  the ability to turn on a faucet to get fresh water, the ability to pick up a phone or turn on a computer and contact your loved ones, driving where you want to go, a comfortable bed, a warm home.....on and on and on.  The mountains also have a way of putting life into perspective:  what's really important.  After even a short time away you see the separation of what's really important, and what you thought was important.  When you come back to civilization, the volume of life is turned down, and the insignificant things don't seem to matter as much.

     I find myself still trying to let the entire experience set in.  If you've never been on that mountain, it's almost impossible to explain how immense it truly is.  I'm sure the entirety of the experience is still going to take a while to settle in.  I look back every day and feel humbled by the journey.  I feel proud.  I feel lucky.  I feel small.  I feel like the everyday-petty-nonsense doesn't matter (and I hope it stays that way for a while).  I feel like I've really accomplished something.  I feel like I did something that most people have never done/never will do/or can't do.  I feel great.
     Without rambling on too much further, I want to take a moment to thank my wonderful wife.  Without her support, this would not have been possible.  The time, the money, and effort it took to make this happen were all possible because of her.  I'm a lucky guy to have such a great woman in my life.  And now, as if she hasn't done enough for me, she's pregnant with our child.  I have a wonderful life, and it's about to become even more wonderful.  The baby is due around Valentine's day of 2011.....just after the Endurathon comes to an end.  Wow.  Just, wow.

     So, I'll be signing off for a while.  I need time to embrace this journey before the next one starts.  In the next few weeks I'll shift gears and begin figuring things out for round 2:  The half-iron distance triathalon.  Bye-bye for now.....