Hi, I'm Bryan
I got slow and squishy by my mid 40's. After a health scare, I got fit — and I discovered the outdoors.
I fell in love with the beauty and awe one can only experience in wild places – especially in the High Sierra. What I thought was a midlife crisis ended up becoming a midlife renaissance. This blog is part personal gratitude journal, part invitation to step out of your comfort zone and explore the outdoors. Welcome.
Here are Some of My G.O.A.T. Adventures...
I don’t have just one G.O.A.T. (Greatest Adventure of All Time) adventure. It’s just hard to compare one to another. Some adventures just stand out because I reminisce about them years later. The John Muir Trail, for example, was not the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Not even close. But at the time, it felt life-changing. Other adventures stand out because they were scary, extremely hard, or exceptionally beautiful. Whatever the reason, here are some of the adventures I will never forget…
How I Keep Score
I want to age well and stay in great shape all the way until I stand before God face to face. If I’m honest with myself, I won’t train hard or stay consistent for the long haul without something challenging I need to show up for. Always having a mountain to climb or hard terrain to cross with a heavy pack drives me to keep a high level of fitness year-round. Staying fit also means keeping score. To that end, I track a lot of stats. At the highest level, I track peaks, trails, elevation gain, and backcountry mileage annually. Here are my stats so far…
| Years | Peaks Climbed | NEW Peaks Climbed | Elevation Gain/Loss | Backcountry Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | 2 | 183,470 | 587 |
| 2024 | 70 | 22 | 181,515 | 628 |
| 2023 | 52 | 14 | 119,594 | 393 |
| 2022 | 18 | 8 | 84,200 | 245 |
| 2021 | 39 | 13 | 127,005 | 529 |
| 2020 | 23 | 12 | 109,526 | 422 |
| 2019 | 12 | 5 | 49,930 | 125 |
| 2018 | 38 | 27 | 132,250 | 412 |
| 2017 | 17 | 6 | 67,380 | 202 |
| 2016 | 26 | 7 | 111,980 | 338 |
| 2015 | 6 | 5 | 24,280 | 67 |
| Total | 399 | 121 | 1,191,130 | 3,948 |














