Enjoy the Journey

Gearing up for Rainier, 600 miles away.

Human-Powered Mountaineering is a step backwards in the right direction.  Climbers a hundred years ago spent months approaching the mountains.  Their stories about the epic undertaking and the logistical nightmare just to reach the base of the mountain have always been part of what fascinated me about mountain climbing.  This is what I have turned my expeditions into.  I know that I am not the first person to climb these peaks, and I also know that there's almost no logistical nightmare anymore.   Even more I know that there are other climbers out there speeding past me in their cars, and that they will get to the mountains weeks before I do, and that they will climb the routes long before I even get there.  I am OK with all of this. I have slowed my life down in order to experience the whole journey, not just the destination.  It's a new take on a old idea.   I am not interested in driving as fast as I can to bag as many peaks as possible in a weekend just to be back at work on monday morning.  This is not the point for me.  It's not just about reaching the top.  I want the whole experience.  The unknown challenges.  The logistical nightmares and getting to meet Necessity, the mother of invention, face to face.

So this is where I begin.  As a Human-Powered Mountaineer.  Out there on the open road, towing an impossible amount of gear behind me on my bicycle.  I'm going slower and slower, in a world that's moving faster and faster.  I've done 4 expeditions now and I've met my logistical nightmare.  It's called shopping in a convenience store.  Looking for nourishment for my body to burn, but being surrounded by candy bars, potato chips and hot dogs.  It's truly become a personal battle for me.  The mother of my Necessity.  And the beginning of my invention, Human-Powererd Mountaineers.
    

North Face MT. Rainier

So this is the start of our blog,,,, 
enjoy the journey