2025 turned out to be a fairly active year. We took on the 52 Hike Challenge and then kept going. Somewhere along the way. the question stopped being how often we hike and started becoming how hard. There is no better way to feel alive than the heart beating out of the chest! Its terrific.
By the end of the year, we’d logged around 65,000 feet of elevation gain. Doing 4000ft+ hikes is okay but the pace isnt great. To hit mountaineering qualifying times- need to hold 1,500 ft/hour pace with a 35- 40lb backpack. That’s where things start to feel different. Once the weight goes on, every weak point in the system makes itself known- screaming for attention. My 70yr old knees knees seem ready for bionic upgrades.
This year’s focus is strength. Not more miles, not more checkboxes—just building a body that can handle what our next goals are.
My physiotherapist summed it up in a way that stuck with me: “If you’re doing 10–15 reps with light weights in the gym, how will you ever build the strength to climb 10,000 steps on a mountain?”
After a humnling experience on the mountain last year, We owe it to ourselves to be better prepared and pay our dues. Up there – Its our mind, our body and our breath. Everything else disappears.
