why i hike

Langtang Valley October 2023

Last year, I made the journey to Nepal to hike Langtang Valley in Langtang Valley National Park. The trek involved a journey on foot from the village of Syabru Bensi, up the valley following the glacial-run river known as Langtang Khola. My goal was a summit at the north end of the valley called Tsergo Ri, a 16,500 ft. peak surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the world. Kyanjin Gompa was to serve as my "base camp" from which I was to launch a bid at 4:00a the morning after my arrival in Kyanjin Gompa. 

Some friends thought I was crazy to go this alone -- to travel solo to the furtherest reaches of Asia by myself to go hiking and climbing. Some asked why I hike, how long I’ve done it, and what draws me to the Himalaya.

I spent most of my youth outdoors camping, canoeing, hiking, and climbing during my my middle, and high school years. It was in these years when I gained a love for hiking. I managed to continue pursuing these activities occasionally during my college years and for a short while after graduating from University of Texas in 1982.

When my family and I moved to El Paso, Texas in 1971, I would take up climbing and more lengthy hikes of 50 miles or more in the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico. I enjoyed the days-long hikes and overnight camping trips that were the hallmark of my scout troop. Some of the more lengthy hikes included sections of canoeing and portaging with canoes on our shoulders. Some years, there were miles-long sections of the Rio Grande that were impassible on the water due either to the existence of damns and sand bars in the river.

In northern Minnesota, where I spent the summer of 1970, there were countless wildlife refuges, state parks, and places where long hikes were possible daily without ever retracing a step. My parents were fixated on my attaining the rank of Eagle Scout and had to provide encouragement from time to time as my resolve to stick with scouting during high school wavered at times. 

I spent much of my free time during my junior and high school year on the Franklin and Organ Mountains on my own and with friends, climbing to places such as Cottonwood Springs, Tin Mine, North Summit, the South Summit, Ranger Peak, Mundy’s Gap, Baylor Pass, Dripping Springs, and Aguirre Springs to name a few. To my parents’ delight, I eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1978 while a member of Boy Scout Troop 164 in El Paso, Texas. At that time, less than 2% of Boy Scouts earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

In my later teen years, I was tapped in to the Order of the Arrow. Although the Order is not a secret society, few people outside scouting are familiar with it. Formed in 1915, the Order's mission is to promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship, and to develop leaders. There are 150,000 worldwide members of the Order. I’m happy to be a part of its history.

Shortly after retiring in 2018 at the age of 58, I filled the void in my schedule with weight lifting, cardio training, hiking and climbing. By January 2020, I began devoting my mornings exclusively to outdoor physical activity, eventually shedding 70 pounds. I began hiking 5 to 10 miles daily, 6–7 days a week on and in the foothills of the Franklin and Organ Mountains while in El Paso, and in the mountains of Summit and Eagle counties in Colorado where we spend our summers and winters.

Since 2020, I have frequently climbed mountains ascending over 12,000 feet and have summited Quandary Peak (CO) (14,250') in 2021 and Mount Sherman (CO) (14,0343') in 2023. I completed my first Himalayan trek to Kyanjin Gompa (14,000') in Langtang National Park, Nepal in October 2023. I am planning my second Himalayan trek, this time to Mt. Everest Base Camp ("EBC") (17,598'). It requires 9-10 days of trekking to reach EBC, starting at Lukla, Nepal.

I enjoy hiking and climbing, because the journey is invariably full of surprises that lie in the next canyon, on the other side of the mountain, or on top of it. Hiking, climbing, and trekking are healthy and challenging activities requiring time, discipline, and in some cases, a sense of adventure. For those who wish to set, achieve, and maintain fitness goals, trekking is a wonderful activity accessible to anyone with a pair of shoes and trekking poles. 

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