I grew up at about 50ft above sea level, the highest point within a hundred miles driving was about +400ft above sea level. Huge. There was an American Flag on that hill to mark it. First time I saw a mountain of sorts was 1993, first time I climbed a mountain was Autumn 1993, but I didn't think of it as a mountain much less mountaineering, I didn't even know that term until years later. It was just hiking in the woods and I was in the woods all the time and hiked many "hills" the names I don't even remember, I probably never knew their names, I just walked in the woods, there was a hill I walked up, some of these hills were characterized as mountains I suppose. When living upstate New York later, I bought my first pair of "real boots" looking back at some old photos, they were actually an early pair of Asolos that I bought at EMS. These looked very different and much cheaper than modern "hi tech" Asolos but I thought that and my school book bag was all I needed to be "in the mountains". I didn't fly on a plane to anywhere meaningful until 2001 when I went to Arizona and took that Saturday off after work and for the first time saw a snow capped peak, I'd recognize years later to be Mount Humphreys, which I've yet to climb. My first real ascent to a higher altitude mountain (above a few hundred feet) was Half Dome in 2003. That started it. I loved it and clinging on those cables for dear life scared the crap out of me
, but loved it anyway and to this day despite the crowds now (and permit required now!
), ranks as one of my all time favorite hikes. On that hike, I was dreadfully unprepared for hiking at altitude and not fit for "endurance" and was the first time I was above treeline looking down at the trees. Awesome.
