Miles & Mountains
Join Nick, a social worker and coach by day, as he unravels the inspiring stories of athletes and the public, uncovering the motivations behind their actions, from conquering mountains to participating in ultra-endurance races and competing in rodeos. Get ready for heartwarming tales of community support, acts of kindness, and the revelation that everyone has a deeper story to tell. Whether it's running, climbing, or participating in rodeos, these stories will inspire and uplift. #Running, #Climbing, #EverydayAthletes, #Rodeo
Miles & Mountains
100 Summits w/ Andrew Okerlund and Ross James
Meet Andrew Okerlund the youngest to conquer Washington's 100 tallest peaks—the Bulgers—in a single season. Andrew and Ross James sit down to talk about their journey that is shot in a compelling documentary titled "100 Summits Bulgers in a season.” We're taking you behind the scenes of this monumental endeavor, from Andrew and Ross’s phenomenal display of endurance and determination. Their stories weave through the rigorous preparation, the unpredictable challenges of the elements, and the bonds of camaraderie that are solidified with every step upward.
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Shoutout to:
Range Meal Bars
Andrew Okerlund
Ross James Wallette
Chris Price
The Okerlund Family
The Wallette Family
The Price Family
Jason Hardrath
Nathan Longhurst
Alter Ego Ambassador: https://alteregorunning.com/
Miles & Mountains Promo Code: MMyr2
Ross James how are you man? Hey, I'm good, nick. Yeah, yeah, it's good to see you. Good to see you. People know you because you were on the episode a while back. Ross James Photos you mentioned this project but we didn't get too far into it because he said there might be part two. This is part two. This is part two. So welcome back, ross. Thank you, dude, welcome back from the injury as well. I know you don't want to talk too much about that, but, dude, I know about exploding and wheel and you definitely explode your will man, but you're. You came back and killed badger mountain, our, our local mountain, badger hill. Badger hill, yes, it's not a mountain, but you know people treat it like man, it's their everest yeah, no, yeah.
Speaker 2:Breaking the ankle isn't fun.
Speaker 1:I won't say that it's fun it didn't look fun, but, dude, you're killing it, so congrats, you know, with the recovery man. Who are we here with right now? Part two we mentioned his name last time, but who are we here with? Andrew, andrew oakland or why is he here?
Speaker 2:well, when we did the podcast, I believe last july, I was in the middle of a project with Andrew and the project's finished and we're working on something. We're working on a film.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes. So, andrew, welcome to the show. Thank you, it's great to be here. Andrew, a lot of people know you in the athlete world, but a lot of people outside of it don't even know you. Yeah, they don't even know of you, but you are the youngest to finish the Bulgers list A hundred tallest peaks of Washington.
Speaker 1:And then uh like the, and then in a single season style, yeah, yeah, in a single season, so so I was going to get there, but it was called Bulgers in a season. Yeah, it's also the name of the documentary that's coming out next month.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we, we finally tweaked it a little bit. It turns out not a lot of people know what Bulgers are, so it's 100 summits. Smaller title Bulgers in a season.
Speaker 1:Bulgers in a season. Bulgers in a season, okay, all right. Yeah, all right. Okay, 85 days. Did you have that planned? Did you have a different time period of finishing it? Or did you say, hey, you know, you had Hardrath mentoring you, you're going to try to beat 50 days.
Speaker 3:No, yeah, I was just trying to finish it. I had predicted it to be a little faster actually. But I mean, how could I know how long it was going to take? Right, it kind of I was like. In a perfect world it probably would have been a week or two shorter, but a lot of things could happen in Climbing Mountains. So 85 days is what we ended up with and I was super happy with that.
Speaker 1:Super happy. Okay, All right. I was wondering, man, because I was just like are you going to try to do 75 days or, you know, are you going to do it again?
Speaker 2:It was more days off than I think, than we planned. More rest days or days waiting for things to open.
Speaker 3:Yeah, basically Because of fire season and everything else yeah, fires and um, I mean in the very beginning, like, um, I did have to take like one or two just rest days that were just completely unplanned because of, like I, body reasons, um, and then as I was trying to avoid like soloing a lot, so I was often coordinating with partners and trying to get people out there and I had it very thoroughly planned at one point but then someone who had committed to climb a few dozen peaks with me they had torn their meniscus, so they were out and then Ross stepped up to do a lot more than he originally planned for, but it was still like a really big scramble to kind of find people to climb with and, um, I was trying hard, like I said, not to solo stuff just for like safety and right I don't know just kind of my decision.
Speaker 3:So, um, I was typically like postponing stuff at least a little bit in order to find someone, um, so that that was part of it in the fires. And, uh, there were some bad weather days where we just didn't just decided to wait a day to give or take.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you thought about this, but give or take. If you didn't have that logistic problem or issues, when do you think you would finish?
Speaker 3:Um, I mean like problem or issues. When do you think you would finish? Um, I mean like maybe two weeks earlier, I don't know. Like maybe two weeks would be kind of what I'm thinking, but it's kind of hard to remember how, how much of that skewed. I mean, I definitely remember like losing, uh, yeah, probably two weeks actually. I think there's one point where I like stopped for like three days or something okay, but still 100 peaks in 85 days, dude, that's crazy, that's.
Speaker 1:That's quite the feat, man, especially for you and and ross man, you know, you guys do hand in hand. You guys didn't duke it out. You guys, you know, enjoyed it out there. You oh yeah, you took some of some of his food. He took some of yours.
Speaker 3:You know that kind of thing food was a centerpiece of our friendship yeah, yeah, and we'll get there.
Speaker 1:We will get there. So, james, climbed 42 peaks with you. Yeah, which one was the difficult one man of all, and was with? Was it with ross?
Speaker 3:most difficult one of all. Um, there was, I, I think, like the, the one of the difficult stretches, like it's it's kind of hard to quantify like a single difficult peak, just because, um, yeah, I mean it. Just I would say it's like it's it's kind of hard to quantify like a single difficult peak, just because, um, uh, yeah, I mean it, just I would say it's challenging, like there's, like you know, the peak that is like technically the most difficult. But I think, like it just comes down to how you're feeling on that day.
Speaker 3:Um, like I, I like to kind of think the first trip was the hardest with. That was with ross. Um, I can't think, and that, just like you know, first I just didn't really know what I was getting into and we had really wet, cold weather and uh, we had like a really beefy schedule in terms of mileage, what we were trying to get done that first trip. And you know, it's like working out all the kinks right there on a big one, and I think that was at least the most uncomfortable, maybe just because I I did not know what to expect and like, yeah, it was all kind of new.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, we really set up the first day as a test, kind of like test ourselves, see, like if we're going to be able to do all of this itinerary, you know, let's say, make day one kind of a big goal to make sure like we're on track. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean the first two days. We did like 70 miles and then did three peaks in those first two days and in like rain and it snowed and it was like, oh yeah, there's some. It was a lot for sure.
Speaker 1:Did you know you were going to get into the bushwhacking?
Speaker 3:I had heard rumors.
Speaker 1:I had heard rumors and and what's your take on it, man? Yes or no?
Speaker 3:uh, I think it is. It's maybe. Yeah, it can be really bad, but I think I think overall it's probably not as bad as they say, but it's a lot Definitely. You got to like it, ross. What about you, man?
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you expect it, then If you don't expect it, then it's going to be like kind of one of those game changers where you're going to be whining and complaining about it for you know, months.
Speaker 1:Yeah, why the Bulgers?
Speaker 2:man, why great start with the bulgers?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, well, I think a lot of it has to do with living in washington and growing up around the cascades and, uh, just just always wanting more of them.
Speaker 3:And you know, I I got to be in them in the summers when I was in high school and stuff and like summer break, and then I mean, really it was like summer break was kind of my exposure to them and I always like wanted more every time I left it was.
Speaker 3:It was always kind of disappointing not to be able to spend more time there and it was super clear to me just like how little I had seen and how much more there was and how you know how wild they can get out there.
Speaker 3:So, um, as I was climbing the volcanoes the summer before, I was like, oh, like I'd really like to do this more and I really don't feel like I'm good enough for this and or I even like know my state or my wilderness, my mountains, very well at all and I definitely kind of felt, um, felt somewhat of a calling or like a duty. To like a duty is kind of a weird word, but I felt some sort of attraction to just be really familiar with the mountains in Washington and like really spend quality time and like invest getting to know them, and I felt like the boulder list was like a really good way to do it because of the variety of things it takes you to and like just I mean, yeah, it definitely is somewhat selective, but also like you're climbing all sorts of things good, bad, you know it's, you're getting out there getting around.
Speaker 1:Okay, how did you know the Boulders project was the project for you? How did you know the Bulgers project was the project for you?
Speaker 3:85 days, you know a hundred peaks, and then the project documentary. Yeah, um, I, I guess, uh, once, once I thought of it um, it kind of like. It kind of like we kind of had some sort of relationship going back and forth for like a month or two where I was like, oh, I don't know if this is, if this is it, like I don't know, like this seems pretty pretty far out, but I, yeah, I really just couldn't kick it. Um, like I, I kind of just knew it was right, based on how I felt Like it was really weird because, like, like you know, I hadn't told anybody about it and I was just thinking about it, but I was like, oh, I feel like if I had this idea and I and I know I could try it, like, and I didn't try it, I'd be just like, I just wouldn't be happy with myself so it was, I mean, in my point of view, almost just a continuation of, like you were 19 years old, um, in in the summer you climbed all of the volcanoes, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean there's the five in Washington. Summer you climbed all of the volcanoes, right? Yeah, I mean, there's the five in Washington. I think you also did Hood, right when you were 19. And so, like for me too, also, having done the volcanoes, the boulder list was kind of like one of those natural, like next objectives you know being from.
Speaker 1:Washington Okay, but outside of Washington a lot of people don't know about the boulders.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. Yeah, inside washington people don't know right, right.
Speaker 1:So you know, you have to educate them. The equipment for the documentary. I mean ross, he told me, you know he carried a lot of it. Don't know how he did all that. And then they climbed the mountains and everything else and was was the planning? How far back did you plan? Or was it all on a whim? Yeah, no.
Speaker 3:I had like nine months of planning, like I mean not consistently, but I started planning nine months before, okay, yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:All right, he's a mastermind, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:At that age, man, and you're in college, correct? Yeah, I was partying and not even thinking about tackling mountains, man. So, hey, dude, more power to you, man. How did it all start your love for adventures?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it goes back to having a couple of good friends and all kind of getting our driver's licenses together and then, um, like from there on, kind of just just like tackling local things, trying to like see what's out in our, in our local woods, whether it be like fishing or kind of like. I mean, there's like, from Southwest Washington, there's like the whole Columbia river gorge, so it's getting out there, and um, we, there's like the whole columbia river gorge, so it's getting out there, and um, we used to like to like go try to find abandoned mines and stuff or like, um, just like abandoned structures. And then, as you got older, you could drive further. Uh, we'd go up to the cascades and like go on backpacking trips and then, um, from there it's kind of like a natural thing of like you're, you're in the scenery when you're backpacking, right, and you can see all these peaks, but you typically don't touch them. But we had just, you know, some sort of curiosity if we could get up there.
Speaker 3:So, um, yeah, you just try to get up there. You look on, like on google maps, and kind of see what's around and you're like, oh, maybe next trip we try to see if we can get on that and then, um, it kind of just started like that until we actually figured out like, oh, this is like a thing people do, this is like this is peak begging and mountaineering, like we can actually like you know, there there's like more to this, there's aesthetic and lines, and like people climb these for reasons and um. So that that was kind of it. I mean, when I was really young too, I would like go camping with my family and, um, my grandpa was super outdoorsy. My, my parents took me camping and stuff, so I, I always liked it, but, um, I think it really spawned once I was like able to be a little more independent and kind of explore with my friends how did you know you would be able to, uh, compete with other elites, because, I mean, this does put you in elite status.
Speaker 1:I mean, believe it or not?
Speaker 3:yeah, you know I didn't have any idea.
Speaker 3:You didn't have an idea, yeah I mean I kind of just like, well, yeah, um, yeah, for some reason I thought of, like the boulder. I mean I I like had heard about it because of jason and nathan, like they had done it, and I read something about it and, um, for whatever reason, yeah, it just seemed like, oh, like five cascade volcanoes that you know that that went down. Like maybe I could do this, I don't know, and like it wasn't so much like oh, I can definitely do this. It was like, oh, maybe I can. I don't know. Like yeah, should just try it.
Speaker 1:Okay, but, dude, you're within the elites man. Did that ever come to mind when you were doing this? Dude, in 85 days, 100 peaks, man.
Speaker 3:No, not really.
Speaker 1:You get where I'm coming from, right yeah yeah, I see what you're saying All right, man, you don't have to be humble dude. I'm just saying, hey, yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy talk 19, 20 years old dude hitting 100 peaks in a season. Come on, all right, jason hardrath mentored you. How did you know to get with hardrath man?
Speaker 3:uh, it's because I read, um read an article about him and Nathan. So like, just when I was thinking about the whole idea and I was like looking for beta and stuff, you know, jason was a very natural person to reach out to because he would. He, you know, was the only person besides Nathan who had done it in a season, so it made sense he'd understand the logistics and be able to answer some of the questions I had. So I just just reached out to him over Instagram, basically.
Speaker 1:When you first met him. What did you think?
Speaker 3:Um, I guess I met him in person, like this fall. Um, yeah, maybe he was like, I think he made more jokes than I thought he would. Maybe. Right, exactly, he catches you off guard man, but he's dude.
Speaker 1:Such an athlete man, yeah, and he took you in, he showed you the ropes and was able to share logistics and how to tackle certain regions.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we'd have some meetings and he was able to kind of like Give us two cents, give advice, correct Anything. He thought that wouldn't go. But yeah, he was able to kind of like give us two cents, give advice, correct anything. He thought that wouldn't go. But um, yeah, he was. He was there to answer questions, basically yeah, you know what I noticed?
Speaker 1:they're not so much competitive they they are more helpful than you think because they want more competition out there yeah, I know exactly like their records don't matter if nobody's going after him exactly so the more I get involved interviewing you guys, the more I understand.
Speaker 1:Like dude, they are more than helpful to share when you're on the street or on the road. When I say street, I run a lot of races right. People on trail are more helpful than the people on the road, you know, because it's all guts and glory, so it's it's awesome to hear that you know he was able to take you in and and uh, share the rope. So, dude, the King of FKTs, helped you out.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:How did you and Ross come around?
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, I mean originally I I had just seen him posting stuff like about different posting stuff about different climbs he'd done and stuff. And I just reached out for a question about something originally. And then that was when I was talking to Volcanoes, I think I asked him about something about camping on top of Glacier Peak maybe. And then the summer after, when I was thinking about After that summer, when I was thinking about doing the Boulders, ross was just someone in the back of my mind who was like, oh, I bet this guy, I bet this guy would probably be interested. So I, uh, yeah, asked him and he was interested yeah, yeah, yeah, we shared the interest, yeah what was your first reaction?
Speaker 2:um, well, there there were several yeah, reactions. But you know, I think, like when you make a goal and like, so maybe you don't know if you can really do it, or maybe you don't know how to do it, or you have doubts, but you have this goal and like, but you find someone else who also has that goal yeah it's like making that connection is is only going to get you a step closer to the goal, and so, um, but yeah, I mean Andrew being so young, and it's like I knew he'd have the drive.
Speaker 2:you know, I, I didn't know anything really, though it's like we could meet up on day one, you know, and like you know this, this guy I just met could, like, twist his ankle and be like sorry, I'm done. You know, I don't know, but yeah, but um, we spent time on on video meets, planning it out, and we were talking more about just, you know, not only the climbing, talking about, you know, documenting it yeah, so you found him on instagram?
Speaker 1:yeah, found him on instagram. That's random man and how did you not know? You know he's some guy that wouldn't pan out well, I mean Instagram.
Speaker 3:It does kind of provide somewhat of a virtual resume, like for, you know, mountain athletes I guess, like Russ is a lot of. I mean, I think he posts like all of his climbs and stuff and it was clear he was out there a lot and, like it was, it was obviously he was doing bulgers and he was, you know, in the 40s and, uh, it was more than I had done. So it seemed, seemed, seemed like he was legit. What about the?
Speaker 1:age. See, I'm 42 and if I see a 19 year old or 20 year old, I will do my best to be like dude. Yeah, man, you know, because I'm a go-getter, I power hike, I climb and everything else, but you never know. So how did the age come around, sir? Come about, was it an issue? Did you guys think of that meeting? If that's okay, if I can ask, yeah, I think.
Speaker 3:I think ross said something about it, like in one of our meetings. It was something about the age and I was like, oh yeah, my friend said I spent all summer with a 40-year-old or something is what I said.
Speaker 2:But I mean, it was definitely something we acknowledged, but it was not really anything more than that, I would say probably was not really anything more than that, I would say probably, yeah, I mean we could talk about pacing differences and and just body recovering and stuff, because you know so, when we met up, um, yeah, I think I had done 41 bolters is that what you said, andrew um, and I was 41 years old, um, yeah so.
Speaker 2:So at that point I was thinking like, well, maybe I'd get to like vulture 60 when I'm 60. But no, that's like the. The point there, you know. It's like well, you start climbing. With a 20 year old, this is gonna go a lot quicker and it's a lot different too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a lot different, yeah especially, uh you know, with the plan of documenting everything.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Camera Did you guys use like video recorder and whatnot too?
Speaker 2:I was kind of set and planned to like bring along my professional camera stuff. Mm-hmm, that didn't last long, yeah. Camera stuff um, that didn't last long, yeah. So a lot of it is is on um action cam iphones. You know there is a good amount that's on on mirrorless cameras, but not as much as I would have liked who else was out there with you recording uh, yeah, this guy, lucas gibbons, uh came out for a week in the chillowax and he's like a professional videographer.
Speaker 3:He brought like a full frame camera and tripod and lots, of, lots of stuff. So he also joined us for a week in a pretty, pretty amazing part of the Cascades.
Speaker 1:And some of this footage will be in the documentary. Yes, a lot of this footage will be A lot of it.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, yeah, talking about Andrew like planning this thing out, like he really was kind of masterminding it and like, um, I didn't even realize until like pretty far into the project that it was going to be more than just the two of us like, um, not only recording the footage but like editing this documentary, right, but but Andrew did kind of um plan all this together and so there's there's a team of people now, um, that are working on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the planning of the documentary, did you have thoughts of where you want the cameraman to be? Did you have that or was it all on the whim? Like your struggles, your, you know your congratulatory summits?
Speaker 3:yeah, it was it was pretty much kind of all on site, like what we're feeling, what we're thinking. I I had thought of like specific scenes, maybe in advance, and like maybe, oh yeah, at some point during this project I want to film this scene, and like that was probably the extent of of that. I think, um, yeah, mostly I just kind of let it unravel and just like see, see what made sense to film. I guess, um, it did. I mean, we hardly followed like plans for what, what order of climbs we're going to do and climbing in general, and we're always making new changes. So I think it kind of made sense to film it in a similar fashion. I guess of like, you know, we don't know what's going to happen, but we'll try to capture what we can.
Speaker 1:Is production done?
Speaker 3:complete Uh it's getting pretty close. We're getting a rough draft. This weekend is the goal, and then, um, I mean it has to be finalized by like first week of June.
Speaker 1:So and you have looked at it. You, you've been the mastermind behind the production as well.
Speaker 3:Uh, I'm just one of them now. Um, I mean, yeah, we, we kind of meet every week and go over footage and stuff and like talk about it and talk about what needs to get done, and uh yeah, yeah, shout out to chris price.
Speaker 2:He's.
Speaker 1:He's kind of the the mastermind behind editing the whole thing together overall, whatever you were at and doing the mountains and thinking what felt good? Did it all come to play? Did it all come to completion of how you wanted it?
Speaker 3:Like experience climbing, or like for the film or the film. Yeah, I mean, we're definitely like short on footage in some areas. But I think the thing with video is like you can, you can add a lot of stuff like short on footage in some areas. But I think the thing with video is like you can, you can add a lot of stuff. Like a lot of the emotion we're conveying at this point is kind of added in with narration and kind of going over journal entries and like reflecting on it and stuff. Um, so I guess, like I think I think it's able to convey energy and feeling and emotion, but I, I, um, I guess like the thoroughness of it is really good in some parts and then in some parts it like we just didn't film quite as much. So, um, yeah, I guess, I guess that's kind of how it goes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean we also have to be selective. Um, because the edit's not going to be, it's not a full length, um, I mean there's, it's not going to be, it's not a full length. Okay, I mean there's, there was four days that I lost all my video from and like I, I, yeah, like that was really hard to accept for months and months because it's like I really wanted that footage okay, but in, you know, but now it's like, well, it's not that big a deal. We, we have, you know, 85 climbing Right and we got to fit into an hour, yeah, Okay, are you happy with the end result of the documentary?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually haven't seen it start to finish. We've kind of just been going over section by section by section by section. But so far I'm happy. That's awesome yeah.
Speaker 1:So the project turned out great. Then, yeah, I mean so the project turned out great. Then, yeah, I mean, 10 out of 10. Yeah, once that premiere is going to definitely be 11 out of 10, right, yeah, I'm getting excited for that. That's awesome, man. Okay, when, when meeting ross and others right to the team, how did you know it was going to be okay? Like, how did you guys know you guys were gonna mesh and and and just be all right yeah, I mean, there's no way to know, right?
Speaker 3:uh, yeah, I think, I I think like sometimes it was kind of like you would only commit them to one climb and then that would kind of be like a little test run and it's like, you know, the worst thing that happens is you, you just have a less than you have an okay time, I guess, and you know, maybe you could have a bad time. But, um, yeah, you can kind of like kind of screen them a little bit, I guess, like give them a, a chance, and then if you, if you had a good time, like keep climbing with them, but if you didn't, then you know, at least you got one peak with them maybe the, maybe the question could be when?
Speaker 2:when did you know like, okay, how long did we have to climb together? Yeah, what points, what climb?
Speaker 3:was it when you knew, like, yeah, oh, I mean kind of after the first group, but definitely after the shell rock group, which was like the second, second big peak group, ross and I did and, um, that was a big one and more really wet conditions, um, and yeah, I mean after that I was like, oh yeah, ross is in this how did you know you had the right team?
Speaker 1:um and when did you know, like Like you know, like when you said all right, let's start this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I mean, the team changed a lot, Okay, but I knew, like that individuals were really solid, like Ross and Kevin, because I could, like you know, just tell them I needed them and they would try their hardest to get out there. So they were both dedicated client partners over the summer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, who who had to bring each other back. You know, if you saw something extreme, especially weather, was it you or ross?
Speaker 3:um, I think we both probably played that role. Um, yeah, I think I think we did a good job kind of going back and forth, but I mean, it's kind of just like whoever was the person I guess struggling was the person who needed help, right, so it's the other person's job, like all right, they gotta get the shit back on the road like we got stuff to do the project at this age.
Speaker 1:Like I said, a lot of people don't even have this kind of insight, this kind of adventure in them. They're just trying to get their feet wet in the real world. This project, I mean dude, how? Why? I mean it's it's crazy to even think that somebody your age you will go out and do the PCT and document it. You know, or Appalachian Trail, or the Divide, the Bulgers, or you know SPS and the East Sierras, you know. It's just crazy to know that you and others like Nathan Longhurst, so young, tackle such a feat. It's crazy to even fathom, man. Have you ever even thought of it, ross? Did you ever think of that when you were 19, 20 years old?
Speaker 1:no definitely not see, okay. So so like I'm pointing it out because it just it's just crazy to know that somebody your age has a project like this and conquers it in 85 days. Dude, a lot of people do maybe five bulgers a season and maybe complete it in their lifetime. But here you are, here's you know others 50 days, 85 days, less than 100 days. I mean you guys are doing two, three peaks a day, mostly you know, and it's just crazy, that's unheard of. What brought that about, man? Like how did you come about that?
Speaker 3:dude. Yeah, I, I was just feeling inspired, I guess, or just like um, just really really wanted to see if I could do it. Um, like I, I think, yeah, just it just like became a whole thing of like I. I mean, like I said, it was just a really weird thing, like I just heard about it and then all of a sudden, like I, I just felt like I couldn't do anything else. So it was like I was just kind of absorbed in the idea of trying it and, um, I mean, I definitely didn't know how it would go at all. Like, uh, seriously, the only thing I wanted to do was try it. I was happy just trying it. That was success to me, just not being scared of failing it and just like, okay, yeah, I'll just try it, maybe it'll work, you know.
Speaker 1:You tried it and you knocked it out of the park, dude, yeah, with the recording and everything else. I mean you documented it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Andrew, in your first message to me that I remember you saying that it's like, you know, whether it's whether it succeeds or not, it's just, um, you know an idea and a goal to do it in a season, um, and I think I mean I I don't obviously don't speak for Andrew, but but I I see it um, just more as like challenging myself. You know. Know, it's like it's not about other people, it's not about like the fkt, you know, or what, what anyone else's time is. It's um, you know, I've climbed these other mountains. I climbed the, the volcanoes, you know, and I was. So it's like what's the next thing for me? And so, yeah, I mean, some people have been kind of in this sport, I guess you'd say, for a longer amount of time, and so, you know, maybe they are thinking more about like the FKT and stuff, but for me personally it's not, you know there's not really much focus on that.
Speaker 1:Okay, not in this project.
Speaker 2:What do you say, Andrew?
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely not in this project.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you hit the fkt, the youngest right that's yeah, I guess that was like.
Speaker 3:uh, that was like one appeal in the very beginning was like when I read about nathan being, you know, 21 and I was younger than him, that was definitely like a realization like, oh, I could be younger, I could be the youngest if I did it, but that definitely got like kind of pushed to a lower rung on the ladder of like motivations to do it. But it was definitely like an initial, like kind of just reason at first, I guess.
Speaker 1:You said, knowing Nathan's fee and Jason's fee of the Bulgers, that who inspired you? But what inspired you from the beginning to do adventures? I mean, some people they pick a movie, sometimes it's a book. You know what? What got you going, man? What was like, dude, I need to go on adventures.
Speaker 3:Uh yeah, I think it's just a super like unique feeling of freedom and simplicity and excitement, and I think it's just like a I mean yeah, it's a feeling you can't really get anywhere else and and I realized that's how I like to spend my time is is like feeling that way and making decisions about things you know in. In that regard, I guess like I mean, yeah, when you're climbing, it's all problem solving, and like you just have a very specific goal and very, very specific things you're doing every day and it makes life simple and exciting.
Speaker 1:How much training did you do before this feat?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I mean, over the summer like was climbing the volcanoes. Then got back to school and I was like okay, like the things I need to get good at right. Like it's like I really didn't have any technical rock climbing skills, so I needed to like learn how to trad climb, learn how to climb like at climb like at least lead climb up to like 5, 8 or something for tripper track climbing, um, and I needed to get like better rope systems and then just needed to like I mean physically. I kind of felt like, okay, like I'll probably be able to kind of just like adapt to it. I guess, like I need to condition myself as much as I can, but like I'm not going to worry about that too much. Need to condition myself as much as I can, but like I'm not going to worry about that too much because you know I'll do all I can and then ultimately, I'll get in shape when I'm out there too, to an extent.
Speaker 2:So, um, so like at first I was running a lot and then I just started, power hiking was kind of like my main method.
Speaker 3:I mean, I was a student so it was like I was pretty busy. So I would like power hike and then just rock climb in the climbing gym. So yeah, I would just choose a hill, load up a pack and do that a few times a week. And then throughout the school year I was going on big climbing trips. I went to Utah for two weeks and climbed in the Fisher Towers and Indian Creek and Moab, went to Joshua Tree a couple times and just like went to Colorado, just tried to get like as much trad climbing experience in as I could.
Speaker 1:Basically, what was your training mountain? Your local training mountain, like, like I said earlier, badgers, the big one here along the others. But what's your, your go-to training ground there, man?
Speaker 3:yeah, well last year I lived on campus and it was like this there's like the cal poly p, it's like this hill, and there's like a. It's like there's a letter p in the middle of it, but there's like the top of it which is like probably like another five, seven hundred feet, like probably 500 feet higher. So it's like like from the bottom to the top of the hill is like seven or eight hundred feet and I would just do that like three or four times um and try to do it like in an hour or something caloric intake.
Speaker 1:Now, okay, yeah, very important topic. Yes, yes, very important. So, ross, I need you on this one man, all right, from start to finish. How many pbjs did you have, man?
Speaker 3:oh, I don't know if I actually had any jelly, really okay, just peanut butter nutella was like the main source of enjoyment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, ziploc bags full of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we did have that yeah but yeah, it was like I mean, I think ross mentioned what he was eating last time and it was like the tortilla wrap that you just load the heck out of, basically Like you put candy bars and stuff inside of it, and like chocolate chip cookies and just all sorts of dense stuff. I did, I did that too.
Speaker 2:You did too okay.
Speaker 1:What was your go-to, what was your main staple when climbing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, for a long time, for a long time.
Speaker 1:Or wait, say the question again. I guess what was your go-to meal or snack, what was your go-to that never failed?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, they all fail eventually. But I mean Snickers, pop-tarts and then these tortilla wraps with like you put like Nutella, and then trail mix, and then like I had like share size candy bars or like the small candy bars so I would like crush those up. And then my mom sent me some cookies so I crushed those up, then kind of wrap that up and I'd eat that. Um, and then eventually I got super sick of like sweet things so I started doing a block of cheese and wheat thins and that was like a super that's. That's probably a healthier option. Um, very tasty.
Speaker 2:Um, let's see, those are like also between all the climbs you have a double stovetop. You know, in your trailer yeah, you were you were cooking up some real meals.
Speaker 3:I mean those were good yeah, breakfast I would do like like on rest days, like my favorite activity was to make, like just a massive breakfast. So I would do like four or five eggs, like four or five pancakes, like hash browns and then like half a can of spam, or like hash browns, or like I made bacon and get of spam, or like hash browns are like I mean bacon and get a lot of Nutella on there, so like that was a big, big thing.
Speaker 1:Um, but Ross was like the one to bring tortillas wrapped.
Speaker 3:Yeah, ross showed me like the possibilities of tortilla wraps I was just doing like a simple filling and then Ross is, like you know, taking candy Halloween candy from his daughter and putting it in his tortilla wrap.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember several trips. It's like we were like comparing pack weight and it's like it's like how, how is Ross's pack so much heavier?
Speaker 3:Yeah, those tortilla wraps are. Here's my lunch. Yeah, they're so beefy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but what candy surprised you the most?
Speaker 3:flavor wise I uh, I pretty much like only ate snickers and milky ways for candy. I feel like mp m&ms, so it was all pretty like reliable things. I had a lot of experience with you know.
Speaker 2:Nothing really surprising there, I guess um, yeah, like we I would make trips to, I mean, grocery outlet was probably the main one, and you know, you know donuts. I mean yeah, it just went all weird directions with the things I would end up bringing.
Speaker 1:So with the trash food like I enjoy when I'm out there because it's easy, it's fast and everything else, Did you lose weight during this project or did you gain weight?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, definitely lost weight. Yeah, lost weight. How much weight did you lose? I think only like 10 or 15 pounds. Yeah, I think like 10. I don't know, I didn't have like a ton of weight to lose to start with. Premier when the first one is June 1st. Yeah, june 1st in Camas and then June 2nd Seattle. I think june 9th is portland. Yep, um, yeah, so we got pacific northwest focus right now what about spokane, east of the cascades man?
Speaker 2:uh, yeah, I mean yeah, talk to zach about that yeah, I think we are um having one a showing set up here. Nice um, the date it's not confirmed and it's going to be after the, the youtube premiere.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, okay all right, what's next for you?
Speaker 3:uh, that's a good question.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean it's been on my mind for sure and I don't exactly know yet, but my gears are finally starting to turn again in terms of just like thinking of something big, since, like for a while I mean I didn't really I felt kind of lost afterwards for a little bit and really did not know what I wanted to do.
Speaker 3:But there were some people when I was doing the boulder list, there were some other guys Langdon, ernest Beck and Jeff Hashimoto, the human powered boulders and they were like biking between all the peaks and I thought that was super cool and like a super unique way of just experiencing mountains or just just challenging yourself and just like traveling and like because they were doing something already huge, like climbing you know, a hundred peaks in a season, right, and they're like well, we're also going to do it all human powered, and it was kind of just like like, yeah, you can do that, like you can do things that already seem unfathomable and then you can do them all off your own energy. That seems like an attractive way to do things. I know people have.
Speaker 3:You could try, but can you do that From the States to Denali and climb Denali. That seems like that could be a cool thing. I'm kind of interested in the winter 14ers a little bit. I really want to climb a big wall. I'm kind of interested in the winter 14ers a little bit, um, and then I mean I really want to climb like a big wall in Yosemite, like really want to get into big walling is kind of the their thing.
Speaker 1:I think it's massive. I love, I love Yosemite man.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, um and Pico, or or Zaba, or how do you say it? Oh, Ojos del Toledo. Oh yeah, okay, sorry, wrong one. Yeah, the tallest volcano in the world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was there at winter break with Jason Hardrath, nathan Longhurst or not, nathan Chris Fisher and some others.
Speaker 1:How did that?
Speaker 3:go. I mean, we came there to try to do an infinity loop but we didn't have the acclimatization with, like, our time, our time window, so we couldn't do the infinity loop. But it was like everybody summited and like I think, we basically went from, like you know, the States to the top of Ojos in like six or seven days and which was, like you know, it's like 22,800 feet.
Speaker 3:so it was yeah, we were like, well, we had all pre-acclimatized, uh, in the states, like in some regard. Like I was sleeping in an altitude tent, uh, this woman, emily, was sleeping in an altitude tent, jason was sleeping in an altitude tent, and then some people lived in colorado and we're like getting up from 10 to 14 feet, you know, 10 to 10 to 14 K. Yeah, uh, like pretty frequently. So it was like we were at least a little pre acclimatized. Okay, all right, are you guys going back? Um, I'm sure, yeah, jason will eventually. Okay, I don't know, he'll probably. He likes to mix it up in terms of his teams. In terms of his teams, he likes to give different people different opportunities.
Speaker 1:So okay, yeah, Ross, what's next for?
Speaker 2:you man. Uh wow, yeah, I'm still recovering from from a bimallular um ankle break.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, when you broke that, I was like oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've, I've got a big plate on the, on the fib, um fib with six screws and that's healed up. You know, as expected, that's good. But the bottom of the tip, like the ankle bone, it's called the medial malleolus. I don't know if I'm saying that right, but that broke off and there's two screws holding it in place. But the bone hasn't actually bonded together yet, and so, you know, originally I got, like the doctor's expected recovery time and it was. You know that I'd be recovered around now, um, but because of that it's, it's set me back, okay. And but I, I have 11 bolters left, 11, yeah, when I broke my ankle I had 89 out of 100. So that that's still my, my goal, I guess. Okay, okay.
Speaker 1:All right. And when did they say it would probably be full healed? They don't know yet.
Speaker 2:I'm wearing this bone stimulator every day. Yes, and that's yeah, it's um, it's been about a month of doing that, and so I think that's about when we should see progress. So I'm going to get an x-ray here towards the end of the month.
Speaker 1:Do you think Jason will recruit Ross for a project in the future?
Speaker 2:Maybe he's asked, but yeah.
Speaker 1:He has Nice Heck, yeah, man. So, ross, dude, dude, I'm proud of you man, that's awesome man, you guys are unbelievable man people and what you guys do is just amazing man. So I get stoked just knowing that you know you guys are part of that. Let's see, you know. So it might seem like I might be joshing, but no, this is true emotion. Man, I'm proud of you guys, dude, this is awesome. Just to know that you guys are amongst men in the elite world. Dude, it's crazy. And women and women sorry, and women Emily's a beast too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean she's going for two million feet of vert this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, yes, yes. So are you going to compete in the FKT world or are you just going to go on adventure?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just want to go on adventures for now, like you know, like, just like I want to try to do, like the Wonderland Trail around my Rainier, like I want to try to do that, just like you know, in a single push, see how long that takes. Do stuff like that for just like. Whatever I want to do, I just want to do it basically and my own pace. Have fun with it, yeah.
Speaker 1:Ultimate plan, ultimate goal man Um.
Speaker 3:I mean I'm not planning like more than two years ahead at this point, uh, but I uh have plans to do some sort of be be on the road with my best friend Cole for like a year at some point in the future. That's, that's a plan of ours and we want to do do some big climbs kind of like, get a good, get a good feel of the biggest stuff in the West basically.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Only the West. Yeah, I don't think we're going to go to the East coast Telling you, do the the.
Speaker 1:The trails on East coast are deceiving man, yeah, I don't think we're gonna go to the east coast. I'm telling you, dude, the trails on the east coast are deceiving man. I'm sure they're beautiful, but, ross, what is yours, man, right now?
Speaker 2:the ultimate goal yeah, it's gonna be tying in creating visual content with my passion basically, and so it's been a journey in photography, shifting through all kind of the normal photo genres but, you know, finally bringing it to the mountains, bringing it to the mountains and um, so, yeah, I'm going to like continue to push myself, um, you know, in the mountains, but it's also going to be trying to find how to create, um, you know, video and photo in a meaningful way, I guess. Overall, um, I mean especially Andrew, but you know, for this whole thing and the, the, the and the lack of seriousness in injuries, although there is a short list of them, Name a few, Name them all, Name them all. Well, okay, I think Andrew rolled his ankle on the first day and then I punctured we'll just say my crotch with a spike of a branch. That's day one. Yeah, Andrew had knee issues, right, I slid down the scully, scraped up my whole side. Yeah, that was like purple and bleeding.
Speaker 2:There was a really close call with Andrew and me, I mean on Sinister coming down where he almost got like took, taken out, um, but yeah, an exploded eardrum, is that what?
Speaker 3:it was. Oh yeah, I popped my eardrum and, yeah, I like got a really infected too, and then it was like oozing for several days when I was yeah it was it was gooey, it was really gooey it, when I was yeah, it was, it was gooey, it was really gooey, it was gross.
Speaker 2:Thanks for the visual guys and you and you also like, got like the slash on your face, this cheek. It's gonna be visible in the, in the documentary, for sure yeah, that was funny.
Speaker 3:It was like the first day we were in the Chilliwack, the videographer Lucas who was taking like all the good footage, like we were in the Chilliwax with the videographer Lucas who was taking like all the good footage, like got hit super hard with like a branch just from, like someone walking and just like gave me a big cut, which is funny.
Speaker 1:Did the rolling of the ankle always come back to bite you? Obviously it didn't, but like did you walk on it gingerly, tenderly, you know, throughout the 85 days.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I wore like an ankle brace on that ankle for like the most of the time after that okay, yeah, you didn't let it hold back, man.
Speaker 1:Anything to do with the wheels, man, it's like the legs it's. It's difficult. It's difficult to go around, man, but you conquered it, okay, ross um, stung by 12 hornets at once.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, there's another thing that should have been on that list.
Speaker 1:Do you remember good days, good times?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I remember lots of good times Were those the days off. No, the days off were good, but like they were, I most of the good days were days on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Favorite summit Um view wise. Yeah, Favorite summit, View-wise.
Speaker 2:View-wise it's like standing on the summit like that experience. I got no idea.
Speaker 1:This one stands out more than you know. 99.
Speaker 2:The 99th rest of them.
Speaker 3:I mean anything in the North cascades national park is pretty incredible, like um. I mean, yeah, like summit of forbidden peak is great, like you got inspiration glacier and boston basin and I mean like horseshoe basin, like there's a lot of great, great stuff there, and glacier peak wilderness is amazing. I mean I I don't think I have a favorite, a favorite summit view um, bonanza was awesome because we got to meet ross and kelly at the top. That was just like a fun, a fun thing, and we had like a pretty gnarly night before.
Speaker 2:But yeah, you can find, like all you know, different reasons why a summit is is great, like osceola, for example. Is is just, it's not technical, it's it's um the climb, but we got up there and the sunset was just amazing. Right, it's like yeah, like for, for, because of the sunset being up there. That was a really nice summit where we're standing on something else, you know, um, with all the smoke from the fire, it's like you, you don't get the views when when those views normally would be amazing was there ever a moment when you said or doubted yourself, just said, basically I don't think I'm gonna do this?
Speaker 3:uh, yeah, to the extent of you like the like the first day when we were like basically, like it was like we had done a ton of bushwhacking, just stepping over a blowdown after blowdown after blowdown, and we like summited one peak, then summited this other peak cathedral peak, and it was snowing and it was really cold, and then we were hiking back to camp and we had, like you know, hours ahead of us and it's like 8 pm and then we're walking through just like extremely wet brush and it's like super overgrown, like fireweed, because the whole place had burned and there's like not really any trail and you just absolutely soaked and there's like streams of running water everywhere and you're just kind of walking through it and it's like very dark and it just feels like it's going to go on forever. And I remember thinking like, oh, I'm not miserable, this is what I want to be doing. And I definitely remember thinking like, oh, I hope it's not all like this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Ross, did I leave anything out? You want to add anything else? You too, Andrew.
Speaker 2:We can just maybe plug the screening dates and the times. Um, and also, yeah, so zach um with range meal bars, has been really vital in this um. He stepped in and organized um, you know, the, the documentary and the creation um. So, yeah, we've got a page up on his website, so it's rangemealbarcom forward slash 100 summits. The trailer is also on YouTube. So, yeah, it's on his YouTube channel on the Range Meal Bar YouTube channel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those Range Meal Bars are pretty good. You've had them. Yeah, he sent me some. Oh nice yeah yeah, yeah, they're good, yeah, so shout out to him yeah, yeah, yeah, they're good, yeah, so shout out to them man, yeah, yeah, those are great. Right in the middle of bars.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I didn't. I mean, I didn't meet Zach until August, late August, so it's, like you know, really far into this whole project, and so I didn't even know about him until then. I wish I had him from the beginning 700 calories.
Speaker 1:Man.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:In that small and I'm like ah, okay, all right. When I first saw him and then I tried it, I was like oh, dude, great, Good stuff, man, Good stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so on the website there's a link to the trailer, but then you can see the three main screenings. So the first one, Andrew's from Camas and there's a lot of connections there. That's kind of going to be the big premiere. That's at 8 pm on the first, but 8 pm on the 1st. But Varsity Theater in the U District of Seattle is on the 2nd at 2 pm, and then in Portland it's Mission Theater, it's the McMenamin's Mission Theater. That's June 9th, also at 2 pm. Okay, man, you guys are big time Pretty affordable. I think like between $7 to $10, depending if you're getting your tickets online or not. But these are just the one-time screenings. It's affordable, I think like between seven to $10, depending if you're getting your tickets online or not. But but these are just the one time screenings and there'll be um Q. I know, I know in Seattle and Camas there'll be the Q and a after with with Andrew and I'll be there Um and yeah so, and then Chris price.
Speaker 2:He's also so um he, chris price, he's also so um. He's also mentioned here on the website.
Speaker 1:He's heading up the the video production um, so, like directing the the edit, yeah, what were your thoughts of yoda, since you? Guys spent that many days together and you guys didn't mention yoda once this whole conversation. So here it is there. Here's there's a story for you all. I was waiting for you guys to bring up Yoda.
Speaker 2:I'm the real child.
Speaker 3:Yeah, at first I thought it was pretty funny. I didn't really get it at first. I didn't really get it at first, but then, seeing it in the footage now it's great. It's really funny. But Yoda definitely got pretty beat up. I think Ross had to retire Yoda at one point, like he couldn't bring him out right, ross he needed a cleaning.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, that was the goalie coming down from kosho, maybe yeah, yeah, I think when you fell so you took a little break, yoda um, well, maybe yeah, no he, he, just that was when I scraped up my pretty bad yeah and yeah, there was just, you know, moraine mud and stuff all stuck in his hair and so, um, that.
Speaker 1:That means he's just, you know, out there to go for it, you know. So why can't have him continue?
Speaker 2:just have him continue yeah, no, he, he's great. Sometimes, like normally, he sits on the the ice axe on the backpack right yeah, right, and so it's like he's over my shoulder, kind of like I'm giving him a ride on my back, you know um, just like the movie, yeah, just like the movie, but a lot of times when we stash stuff, it's like having this head thing, this Yoda, standing up on a, you know, on a stick of some sort with our gear.
Speaker 2:I feel like it fends off like the crows and stuff, cause, you know, sometimes that's a thing or or, or. The little, the, you know, the little creatures, the marmots.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those kinds of things he protects protects our stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, was he a distraction andrew, is that what you were trying to get at at first?
Speaker 2:no, all right, I don't exactly remember what it was about him you're probably just like why is this 41 year old, like so childish?
Speaker 1:nah, nah, it's unique man. It shows character man yeah, yoda is quite the character. I mean, when you're out there for so many days, right, and then you see a guy with a yoda on his pack, you're like, oh my god, I could only imagine the stories or conversations you can start with just seeing a 41 year old with a yoda on his back dude, right yeah, because I think I think sometimes ross would talk for yoda.
Speaker 3:and there was like one situation we were going up dome and Ross was like oh, yoda, like he was talking to these other climbers passing, and he was like yeah, yoda does not like that guy up there, or something like that. And they, they did not think that was funny.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. The things you forget, yeah.
Speaker 1:But that that's that's's.
Speaker 2:That's that's you, man. Sometimes you just need you know someone to talk to right, yeah, or or you need some other voice to talk as yeah, I got you, you ought to have fun, yeah the the youtube premiere is um, we do have a date. I didn't mention that, but um, that's june 14th 14th, so, yeah, no, it's not on here. Um, yeah, june 14th at 6 pm is the plan to have it up on youtube and do you have to pay?
Speaker 1:no to no, it's gonna. It's gonna be free, yeah, yeah, okay, some people will charge and I was just curious and how long are you guys? How long is the the film? Probably be an hour, probably be an hour.
Speaker 2:That's the goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my question. Last question pet peeves man. What was your biggest pet peeve while on the mountain?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I think I actually do this one.
Speaker 3:Um, I think it would be like if I really felt time pressured and really wanted to move fast and then just other people did not like intuitively feel that same pressure and then, like I did never like well, it's like sometimes I just, you know, you just kind of hope that they're going to read you and see that you really want to be moving, but then like, yeah, I guess, when they're really not moving and you got to like kind of facilitate like going, or just when people don't understand the gravity of how fast you need to move, because, like for me, it was like for the people I was bringing along sometimes, if they were only doing like a few peaks or this one peak, it's like they don't understand how this fits into like everything else and how important like another hour of sleep could be. So like if you, if you know, if you hustle and you get there an hour earlier, like you can sleep an hour longer is kind of how I always saw it, but people don't always get that and that was kind of a pet peeve.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's tough, man. That's why I was asking those questions about meshing man. Because, dude, when you bring other people involved, man, you, you find the real people out there. It's not pretty, man. It's not pretty. So, dude, for you to even come up with this idea, this project, and bring others in and then complete it the way in the fashion you did, man speaks volumes. So, dude, you and Ross and the others, man and you have to give each other a pat on the back because I don't know how you did it. You did it.
Speaker 1:I don't think I could have done it with so many people. I'm a loner when I'm out there and when it comes to pet peeves. If a pet peeve bothers me, dude, it's time to go. You know, I'm glad you answered those truthfully, man, but, dude, all I have to say is what you did is amazing, man, and and uh, you put those people you know the guys that uh did the manpower to.
Speaker 1:You know the mountains, you spoke highly of them, but, dude, you got to think of what you've accomplished in the time you did, especially with the, the group that you've had, and ross, you too, man, you know, I know it's a downer to have the ankle. But, dude, like you guys coming together and completing the way you did, man, it's just, it's incredible, especially to to first meet and then document on the mountains. I mean there's so many things. It could have been like, hey, dude, I'm done, you're on your own, get another, you know, photographer, videographer, you know, and. But you guys didn't do it. You guys did it in 85 days, dude, and you're the youngest one to ever do it. So I mean, who else is going to go out there? Do you know anybody else? That's right now, that's going to one-up.
Speaker 3:You, uh, I heard, like I I don't know. I heard some, some mention of somebody, but I don't know their name. I didn't get their name or anything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see, the FKRT world is so competitive that the moment you start thinking of it and then you put it in plan and then go out there, there's always another person. Be like all right, I'm going to beat that one, yeah.
Speaker 3:In terms of age, I think the biggest threat is kind of like a father-son duo. It's kind of like starting.
Speaker 1:Starting them off real young, I think would be the there was that, yeah, father's daughter that we met and I think she was older than me, though oh, was she okay, yeah, but but yeah, okay, never mind any, any plans on the highest peaks, though wait, say that again any plans on completing all the highest peaks in the 50 states, man?
Speaker 3:oh no, no plans on that okay all right all right.
Speaker 2:What about the rocky mountain slam?
Speaker 3:um, yeah, also also no thought there yeah, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:What's your next mountain to conquer?
Speaker 3:dude um school. Yeah, I I mean, yeah, I don't have one right now okay yeah, school was a huge mountain for me, yeah yeah, school and, um, I think I'm gonna be firefighting over the summer, so that'll be something that's a workout too, too Okay. Yeah, forest fire, forest fire, wildfire fighting, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:And I've had a buddy in there for over 20 years and uh, he, he's been doing it for years and he's uh stationed uh Northern California and he's all like, dude, how do you do all these these peaks? I can't even do it. You know I, I, I fight fires. You know, this is him talking, I fight fires. There's no way I can just do this for fun. So, yeah, it's just like dude, you probably go out there and you don't want to tackle any mountains because you're you're tackling the fire on the mountain and you lose the enjoyment out of it when you fire, fight fires there.
Speaker 2:So, but, I, was just curious, andrew, you when you fire, fight fires there. So but and I I was just curious, andrew, you said you could mention some stories. I was curious what, what ones you were thinking.
Speaker 3:Oh, like ragged Ridge and the bands of direct traverse story, with Kevin almost almost having a grim end and um, I mean, yeah, like those two kind of came to mind, oh, okay yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2:And then there was like jack mountain where we oh yeah this climber who you know had died up there and came across all his stuff and we decided like we should probably take on the responsibility of uh packing everything out. And yeah, it's like, yeah, the old, a completely different kind of a side. Yeah, like that's a pretty unique day and story.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, now, his stuff was there everything everything, yeah no, no, no, the body was recovered, I think, but by hell 10, two persons sleeping like two people sleeping equipment, I mean all this guy's like contents of his backpack, basically, were all on the all over the mountain, yeah, all over the place wow, what mountain jack, jack yeah, wow, geez.
Speaker 1:Talk about a story man, and what? What do you guys do with the stuff? Did you guys mail it?
Speaker 2:to the family. I got it back to the widow yeah. Several kids. Yeah, it's a pretty sad story. From what I understand, it was a rappel failure, probably the biggest danger. Yeah, gosh man, okay.
Speaker 1:Talk about a downer man Ross. Ah, man Dude, would they were thankful. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, how did you take that when presenting it to them and leaving?
Speaker 2:um, I, I was able to get it to them the day after the climb, um, because this had been I forget how long it was, like three months or something that like the mountain was closed because of the fire, but also it's just out of all the nine thousanders in washington it may be the least climbed one.
Speaker 2:um, so, and the, the people that we didn't know that had gone up there, you know, maybe didn't come across this stuff or just didn't have time to to, um, take that responsibility. But yeah, no, I would say like actually coming upon it and like just having that effect, like the tone of the day. But then also, andrew and I like trying to talk through that, like what do we do about it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a lot to take in and anyways yeah, no, and you guys both agreed to pack this stuff there yeah, yeah at the end of it yeah, yeah, that's, that's, that's good man, that's that's tough, because there's so many emotions in you, out there, you know, when you're climbing the mountain, you know, and to deal with that emotion, dude, that's I mean.
Speaker 2:It's just completely unexpected.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're dealing with it now. You know, right now in this conversation, dude.
Speaker 2:So it's wow bonanza.
Speaker 2:um, like this was a big logistical, it was a choice um andrew made to to do this traverse to hit dark peak from coming, you know, from the north, from stahikin and then traversing to bonanza, so that you don't have to split those apart, right, um, but yeah, so doing that it's like really, um, ideal to have just two people, um, and you're doing like some sort of trad climbing. It's really chossy and I don't know, because I didn't go there, I've just heard the stories. But so I brought along a friend, kelly, and the two of us came up the more standard route, the glacier, the Mary Green Glacier, and we got up onto bonanza in time to watch kevin and andrew finish the traversa crossover and then, yeah, then the four of us could do the glacier together. But yeah, I don't know, what else did you want to say about that?
Speaker 3:oh well, like, yeah, the night before that we were trying to like make it to the summit of bonanza in a single day, but, um, at one point we were traversing on the ridge and, uh, I was only able to place one piece.
Speaker 3:And then I like built this, I kind of lowered myself into the snow moat that was like had separated from the rock and kind of shimmied across, built an anchor and was belaying kevin, and he cleaned like the only piece that was placed, and now there's like 20 meters of rope out and he like goes to the beginning of the snow moat, kind of, where the snow transitions to a rock, transitions to snow, and he takes a step and like you know, if he falls, like he's gonna fall like 60 feet, right, because there's nothing stopping him, um, and he immediately falls when he takes a step.
Speaker 3:But he had flicked the rope, um, in between the snow and the rock, so like there's like a, you know, a few inches of separation between the rock and the snow, and because he had flicked the rock or the rope over this corner of snow, it had caught him. So he fell a couple meters. But like it was just like super crazy because it was so coincidental, unintentional, and like it possibly saved his life. And then, like you know that we had this whole matter of like getting kevin across the snow safely and like protecting it. And then the sun set and we just like had to bivy on the ridge and then, uh, like then we woke up to ross, like like yelling at us on the radio and it was like pretty full-on why did you have helens as your last mountain?
Speaker 3:uh, very local. It's like uh 90 minutes from my house.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah adams is kind of local too that was, that was 99, so okay, all right yeah okay, andrew ross, I appreciate you guys, man yeah sharing your story, dude, and you know, promoting what you guys do and did, and it's just amazing in itself.
Speaker 1:So, um, andrew, as humble as you are, dude, you're, you're quite the athlete. Ross, dude, you are too, and it's just it's, it's an honor to have you guys on. So, thank you, appreciate what you guys do, what you bring to the community, not just my community, but the climbing and mountains and miles and everything else. And, um, look forward to knowing what you do next. Rossi, too, you know, speedy recovery, man. Hopefully it's probably not as fast as we would want it, you know but, dude, it's tough, but uh, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1:So much guys, thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you very much Bye.