14er Journey

Have an interesting or epic climbing story? Post it here.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
djkest
Posts: 1420
Joined: 9/7/2009
14ers: 58 
13ers: 19
Trip Reports (44)
 
Contact:

14er Journey

Post by djkest »

Hey guys, thought you might find this interesting.
In 2001, coming out of 5 months of military training I was 207 lbs.
In 2009, I hit my highest weight of 282 lbs at 6'1" tall. I hope to never be that heavy again. I started exercising in July 2009; going to 24-hour fitness 4-7 times a week, walking, running, hiking, and biking.

On September 4th, 2009 I climbed Longs Peak @ 271 lbs. We summitted in a respectable 4:40.
In 2010, I climbed Mt. Elbert @ 262 lbs and thought "since I've already done 2, maybe I should do the rest of them"
Last year (2011), I was climbing around 245 lbs.
This year, I'm hoping to drop a couple more and be down to 240 for summer climbing season.

14ers and "the list" are more than just a check to be ticked off. For me, it's motivation, it's dedication, it's a reason to keep going. I've never had it easy controlling my weight. Having a real-world goal has been the only way to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Will I ever get back to 207? Probably not, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to live a healthier lifestyle.

http://exploringandwine.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In my "just summits" blog that I just posted, you can see that in the last 2 years I've lost some weight- you can see progression. I hope to keep it going.
Life is a mountain, not a beach.
Exploring and Wine, my personal blog
User avatar
wildlobo71
Posts: 2080
Joined: 4/1/2008
14ers: 58  5 
13ers: 88
Trip Reports (3)
 
Contact:

Re: 14er Journey

Post by wildlobo71 »

Way to keep with it... There are many with similar stories here on 14ers, including me. I was at 235 pounds, or so, when I did my first one in 2002; hardest thing I had ever done in my "way too safe" of a life... A couple more 14ers in the next couple of years, and then found myself at almost 270 pounds in May of 2009, when I decided to hit the hills with a fever, for many reasons - health one of them. By August of 2010 I was at 188 pounds.

I've now slowed and settled back to the 205 pound range; 188 was mighty tough to maintain, but I know it's now an achieveable weight when I am in the zone. Just keep going with the lists, it's always a motivation of mine, as well. My working goals are 195 in summer, 200 or so in the winter. Good luck to you!
Bill W.

Time for the next great losing streak to begin.
#forcedrefocus
User avatar
big_red_pride
Posts: 390
Joined: 5/28/2010
14ers: 33  1 
13ers: 16
Trip Reports (6)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by big_red_pride »

Great job!

I too have lost a lot of weight for several reasons, one of them being able to hike up the 14ers. I hiked up my first one in July 2006, it was Pikes Peak and I weighed 300 lbs. I hiked up Barr Trail and took the COG back down. It was a grueling 12 hour day! Since then I have lost over 80 lbs, was down 100 at 1 point in time, tell you what it makes hiking these peaks so much easier and I get to enjoy it more! Currently my hiking weight is around 215, but hope to go through most of the summer at around 205. Keep up the great work!

Steve
User avatar
BobbyFinn
Posts: 451
Joined: 7/14/2008
14ers: 58  21 
13ers: 573 5 7
Trip Reports (19)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by BobbyFinn »

Congrats! Keep it up!
User avatar
RJansen77
Posts: 387
Joined: 5/9/2011
14ers: 52  3  9 
13ers: 6 1
Trip Reports (17)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by RJansen77 »

Congratulations! Nothing better than doing something you love that keeps you healthy and feeling alive, keep hammering away at it!
"But it doesn't matter if your in Valdez skiing out of a helicopter, or putzing around on a flat hill somewhere in Iowa. That adrenaline rush comes when you satisfy your most basic instinct, your own search for freedom."

-Warren Miller


I almost always wear a bathing suit when I climb. If you see me say hey!
User avatar
Papillon
Posts: 1240
Joined: 5/2/2007
14ers: 58  31 
13ers: 324 7
Trip Reports (18)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by Papillon »

Nice work. Always good to read these stories here.
The look in his eyes when it hit - Kid, it was tasty... - William Seward Burroughs
steelfrog
Posts: 564
Joined: 6/30/2009
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by steelfrog »

Love your blog!
User avatar
zoriloco
Posts: 640
Joined: 11/10/2008
14ers: 18  1 
Trip Reports (16)
 

Re: 14er Journey

Post by zoriloco »

Wow thats an impressive comeback! Keep up the good work.
User avatar
globreal
Posts: 1885
Joined: 7/7/2008
14ers: 58  1  26 
13ers: 198 2 6
Trip Reports (61)
 
Contact:

Re: 14er Journey

Post by globreal »

Congrats on the new healthy lifestyle!

Nice blog showing your peak progression. I like photo #21 on Lindsey.....with the cloud exploding out of your fists!
User avatar
Monster5
Posts: 1759
Joined: 8/7/2009
14ers: 58  31 
13ers: 289 37
Trip Reports (27)
 
Contact:

Re: 14er Journey

Post by Monster5 »

Congrats, man. You move pretty fast for a former 280 - trucked up Eolus.
"The road to alpine climbing is pocked and poorly marked, ending at an unexpectedly closed gate 5 miles from the trailhead." - MP user Beckerich
User avatar
djkest
Posts: 1420
Joined: 9/7/2009
14ers: 58 
13ers: 19
Trip Reports (44)
 
Contact:

Re: 14er Journey

Post by djkest »

Thanks so much for the compliments and encouragement. This site has been great to stoke my enthusiasm and enable my "success" so far. And thanks for the compliments on my blog. I shelved it for a couple years because no one read it- I figured it wasn't worth my time. I am working on polishing my 3 blog posts about Chicago Basin and then I am going to put them in a trip report. I need to link more photos! It's almost impossible to have too many photos if they are useful and/or interesting.
Life is a mountain, not a beach.
Exploring and Wine, my personal blog
Post Reply