'I completed an ultra event' is not a sentence that I ever thought I would say or write, but here we are. It has been about 5 days since Kim Clark and I completed the 29029 Everesting event in Whistler with the support of my wife, brother and son (and many people in the background sending us kind words).

The most common question I get is either 'what was it like?" or 'why did you do that?". I will begin by describing the 'what'. It was, simply put, a remarkable experience. We started the event at 6:00 am on August 23. That ascent was slow and dry and we completed it in about 3 hours and 15 min (our overall average by the end of the event). Despite the rain starting, the second ascent felt remarkably good and we accidentally finished a bit faster in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Ascent 3 was the most difficult by far - it was physically tough and mentally exhausting. We were deep in the hurt locker and Kim and I both struggled terribly for about 2/3 of the climb. It felt like the distance had somehow doubled and even the innocuous parts were straining. But we once again finished in 3 hours 15 minutes. My oldest son joined us for ascent 4 which was great as it injected a new energy into the hike and I felt like a tour guide (Jack - look at this tree!).

Ascent 5 was our night hike and by now it was pouring rain. Just prior to us heading up we ran into one of the event coaches who assisted us greatly with strategy. We then started walking in the rainy darkness with our headlamps on. Despite the fact we had now hiked for over 12 hours, everything seemed different. The only thing visible was where the headlamp pointed so other senses were heightened. I could hear the water falls more precisely, the rain falling on the trees and the steady clicking of our hiking poles. We somehow stayed on time and completed the ascent in - you guessed it - 3 hours and 15 minutes. The coach had said that we should then sleep, but to reframe it as a 3 hour nap, not a 3 hour sleep because a long nap is glorious but a short sleep is garbage. We slept for 2 hours and 45 minutes, got up at 4:00 am and began our journey. I never had any doubt we would complete the event but by now I was 100% certain.

Ascent 6 started in the dark but we knew that soon the sun would rise. This ascent was a bit tough because we were in a caloric and hydration deficit by not eating or drinking while we slept so we were very intentional about fluid and small, steady calorie intake. We completed this one at our usual pace.

Ascent 7 felt really long. It was like every step was doubled because it psychologically was overlaid by the upcoming final ascent but once again, we stayed on our steady pace. We then started our 8th and final ascent. I felt as good as had on number 1. Another cool ritual at this event is you put a red bib on over your white one to denote the final ascent. Everyone walking, participants and locals alike, then offer congratulations all the way up. We were our slow steady selves until near the end when Kim's energy waned a bit. But her mantra of 'forward is forward and up is up' was repeated dozens of times and we kept moving forward.

As we made our way to the finish line I was overcome with emotion (I had pretty much cried every time I saw Terri). It was overwhelming to see strangers and family welcoming us up a red carpet to receive the best hat I have ever got.

I know some folks like to see numbers, so here is the final tally over 8 ascents;

Distance covered: 51.2 km

32000 feet of elevation gain

Approximately 109000 steps

Approximately 12000 calories burned

So that is all the 'what'. Here is the 'why'. I was so lucky to have a wonderful career in policing and got to experience real and meaningful things with real stress and consequences. This event was a reasonable facsimile of that journey. There were ups and downs but not at all in a linear fashion. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why we felt good or why we didn't but we needed to keep moving forward no matter what. And by doing that it always got better.

Since I seem to like lists on this blog, here is one more of lessons learned/reaffirmed;

1. You can do hard things and we (I) put artificial limits on how much we can accomplish. Those of us in first responder populations (and those adjacent to that) take on tasks that would seem insurmountable to the average person. That skill set of achieving goals under difficult circumstances translates to other ventures. Being sleep deprived and navigating hiking wet rocks was no where near as difficult as having similar fatigue but having to interview a homicide suspect. And quite frankly, I need to test the edges of my crazy every so often.
2. The people you surround yourself with are critical to your success and happiness. I can't imaging completing this event with out my wife, brother and son meeting us at the top of the mountain with well wishes, hot tea and dry clothes. And completing the event with Kim was crucial as well as we could check on how we were doing, strategize fueling and add some levity to the journey. Find a small group of humans who make your life and day better and put your energy towards them by supporting each other's paths.
3. Find your Everest. I recognize that this event is kind of bonkers and isn't for everyone. However, it is too easy to get pulled into the muck of a job we don't like, or relationships that are taxing and lose sight of things that bring us joy. Dr Kevin Gilmartin, who presents to First Responders on wellness, talks about the 'used-tas'. As in, I used to hike, or used to write or used to knit but now I don't. In incremental, consistent ways, we need to do the things that feed our soul (sorry for the hippy language!).
4. Spend more time taking note of when you are happy instead of when you aren't. This translated literally on the mountain as we noted when the rain subsided, or the bugs went away or how our feet felt good. It is a tangible and practical gratitude practice that physiologically makes you feel and be better.
5. When you accomplish something take the opportunity to celebrate it. I have struggled my whole life to take compliments or acknowledge my successes. In this instance, I can actually say I am proud of myself.

Be well!

Scott

PS. There is a link below of the 29029 Everesting video of the Whistler event.

https://youtu.be/gV0AYDhY6jI?si=u0Rb7P179MdnklwV