I made it to 68 years old. To celebrate, I am climbing Mount Washington in September.

Why?

’Cause I Can………

Outstepping old age on the mountain trail.

Tugging on me as I climb.

Tugging harder than it used to.

I tug back and continue upward.

Momentum is key.

Sharks know this.

38 years ago, I decided that I enjoyed the company of my newborn son and that I wanted to be around long enough to A) participate in his life and B) embarrass him with childhood anecdotes and photos. I knew from watching friends who were already into the family-raising thing that children are time, capital and labor intensive from the start and escalate from there. I also knew from my own former career as a child that remote parenting from a cocktail lounge achieved suboptimal results.

I repurposed 60 minutes a day for some sort of physical activity, whether it be the gym, cardio, cycling or yoga. I quit smoking. I cut back on adult beverages. I avoided the prepared food aisles at the supermarket. Instead, I spent our food dollars on fresh meats, produce and cheeses sourced from the coolers and display areas of the store perimeter. Essentially, I changed my entire lifestyle so I could be present to help Junior grow up in a better situation than I had. One of the few positive takeaways from my childhood was having learned from my parents how not to raise a child.

My plan worked. Watching Junior grow and helping him over the rough spots has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I am also pleased to report that I have developed world class abilities to annoy and embarrass him in front of his peers and girlfriends.

An unintended consequence of my exercise and nutrition lifestyle is that I continue to enjoy it, long after Junior moved on to his own adulthood. It seems that regular exercise, a solid nutrition plan (notice I didn’t use the word “diet”?), ignoring social media and any show with Kardashian in the title has brought me to 68 years old with an empty medicine cabinet as well as the physicality and stamina of someone half my age. Who knew?

Don’t get me wrong; I’m no Puritan, nor do I expect others to be. Over the years, I have continued to do my part to support California wineries and the Scotch whisky industry. An occasional Macanudo or Romeo y Julieta cigar works its way into the rotation as well. The difference is that these occasional alcohol and nicotine physical insults are readily neutralized by a solid overall physical and mental well being.

So here I am at 68. I didn’t plan on making it this far. My 30 year old self would view 68 as absolutely ancient. My 68 year old self flips the bird at the 30 year old self, pointing to the souvenir bib number I wore in last weekend’s 10K, reminding the inner 30 year old that he couldn’t even spell 10K back in the day.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, I can look forward to lasting another 14 years or so before I exit the planet. I’m hoping I get a little extra credit for volunteer lifestyle changes made before there was a health problem. Extra credit aside, the best outcome to this life will be to check out after a 50K bike ride, sitting in the hot tub with a Macanudo in one hand and a balloon glass of smoky, rich Lagavulin Singlemalt in the other, knowing that I did my part in bringing up a wonderful young man.

The upcoming Mount Washington hike covers 4300 feet of elevation gain spread over 4 miles, topping out at 6288 feet above sea level. While this hike is not particularly long, it will be challenging as there are segments of the trail that rise at a 40–45 degree muscle burning, lung busting angle. Weather and wind are likely to be a factor.

Future articles will chronicle pre- hike conditioning, equipment choices and anecdotes about previous climbs at Yosemite’s Half Dome as well as 10,000 foot Mount Baldy in southern California.

I’m looking forward to journaling the run-up to my September 12 climb. Hope ya’ll will come along……………