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JAMES 'JUNIOR' HOGANS

You have to do one more

By 29029 Everesting

July 30^th, 2021

You are strong. You are capable

Nothing worth having in life is easy, and the feeling of accomplishment from tackling 29029 is something worth having. For James Hogans, known on the slopes of 29029 Idaho as “Junior,” he had embarked on a journey with 29029 that would change him forever.

I was on a Zoom call with Junior, listening to him and his wife relive their experiences at 29029 Idaho. His entry into the event is almost comical, but nevertheless impressive.

His wife, Nicole, was the first to discover 29029, and mentioned the idea of registering for the event in Idaho.

“Absolutely not.” was Junior’s reply. Said with conviction too.

Right up until the day Nicole went to sign herself up. Junior didn’t want to miss out being there for Nicole, and there was no better way to do that than register himself. This is how he found himself on the start line of 29029 Idaho. Junior’s journey was about to begin.Nothing worth having in life is easy, and the feeling of accomplishment from tackling 29029 is something worth having. For James Hogan, known on the slopes of 29029 Idaho as “Junior,” he had embarked on a journey with 29029 that would change him forever.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face

Junior’s plan going into the event was 10 ascents before taking a break for sleep, then completing the remaining 5 ascents in the morning.

“Mike Tyson’s quote: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face, fit my experience perfectly,” Junior mentioned as we continued to talk about his experience at 29029 Idaho

His plan started to go sideways only a few ascents into the event.

“I had a hard time staying motivated during the training,” Junior mentions. “After only the first ascent, I already realized I should have done the hip mobility exercises!”

Aching hips this early into 29029 is never a good sign, but it was only just the beginning of Junior’s experience on the mountain.

While hiking up for his 3rd ascent, he started chatting with a friend on the mountain who let Junior in on a story unfolding on the mountain: other 29029 ascenders were talking about Junior - they found him inspiring.

“That was the most devastating comment,” Junior told me.

Most of us would be flattered if called an inspiration, so I asked Junior what made him feel that way.

“As soon as I heard that, I felt the world on my shoulders. Inspiring others was not a job I was prepared for. I didn’t want to let myself down, but now I didn’t want to let anyone else down either. The pressure went up several notches after that.”

An Empty Gondola and a Chance for Reflection

Junior purposefully waited until an empty gondola was ready to take him back down after his 3rd ascent. He wanted time to reflect. He talked to himself out loud on the way down and was surprised to find his mind wandering to some negative spaces.

What the **** are you doing this for? This **** is crazy! You don’t have what it takes. You didn’t train like you should have. You’re the biggest person on this mountain - there’s no way you’re going to finish.

It was a constant stream of doubt, which Junior called the “devil on his shoulders.”

Yet, he found comfort in a few themes he remembered from Jesse’s pre-event speech.

One step at a time. Go left. When you get off the gondola, go left. Back up the mountain.

Junior went left. Junior was headed back up the mountain, one step at a time, ready to make his 4th ascent. Quitting was not an option.

29029 is Give-and-Take

I asked Junior where he was getting his energy from. It’s one thing to go left, but something else entirely to find the energy to climb the mountain again after each gondola ride down.

“I took all the energy the 29029 staff, volunteers, and athletes were giving out to push me forward. I wanted to give back, and the way to do that was to not quit. The way to give back was to let everyone see that I was continuing, up that mountain. 29029 is give-and-take.”

After a grueling 4th ascent in the heat of the day, Junior took a rest before boarding the gondola down. The give-and-take of the event was in full force, as event volunteer, Arianne, approached asking Junior if he wanted a hug.

“It was a genuine hug. A long, comforting I care for you hug. It was a game changer for me. As soon as I got on the gondola, I cried my eyes out.”

Junior had reached the first summit marker on the burn-board, and he had a renewed energy and purpose.

Reunited, briefly

On Junior’s 7th ascent, he caught up to his wife, Nicole, at the 1st aid station. Nicole was struggling with some significant back issues but had kept going. One foot in front of the other. Although they were both hiking their own hike, it was a chance to reconnect on the mountain.

Unfortunately for both, Nicole’s injury would prevent her from continuing, and she was forced to catch a ride down.

From the high of a renewed purpose on the mountain, to a new low, Junior continued his battle, both with the mountain and with his mind. Knowing his wife wouldn’t be continuing weighed heavily on his mind.

The gondola ride down from that 7th ascent was the first time Junior genuinely considered quitting. As he sat in the gondola, slowly chugging its way back down the mountain, Junior texted Nicole. “I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to quit and be with you.”

The reply came quickly; “Hell no. Take your ass back up that mountain!”

Nothing like a little tough love to keep the legs pointed in the right direction. Junior started his 8th ascent at 10 pm. There was no stopping yet.

The first ascent in the dark is always a struggle. It’s easier for negative thoughts to creep in under the cover of darkness. Creepy shadows from branches and trees cast by the headlamps, the accumulated fatigue from a day of climbing, and of course the natural desire to go to sleep all challenge even the most-prepared minds.

For Junior, he endured 3 hours of the difficult night - his longest hike to the summit yet. With the fatigue from a long day on the mountain setting in, rest was needed, and he settled in for a brief stint of sleep.

A mere 4 hours later, it was 6 am, and Junior’s alarm went off, blaring beside him. His immediate thought? “Do I really want to go back out there?”

Junior was alone, and the decision whether to continue was his, and his alone to make. His wife, Nicole, was sleeping in a separate accommodation, giving Junior the space to hike his own hike.

“I knew if he woke up the next morning and went, he would finish,” Nicole told me. The motivation had to come from within. Achieving something remarkable can’t be forced by others.

Junior channeled his internal mantra, you are strong, you are capable, and put one foot in front of the other again.

Denali

With time running out, Junior started what he thought was his last ascent - his 11th time up the slopes, under the gondola, up the steep pitch infamously known as the wall, and to the summit. He caught up with a friend from Atlanta on the slopes.

They talked about the experience, talked about how they were the biggest guys out on the mountain, and talked about how this ascent would be their last. Number 11 would be the equivalent elevation of Denali, which is no easy feat.

As they neared the summit, Junior noticed his wife, standing on the side of the trail, cheering loudly.

After having been unable to continue herself, Nicole took on the role of cheerleader for everyone else on the mountain. “Once I could let things go [stopping her own attempt at 29029], I became present for everyone else. I wanted to help them make the summit!”

Nicole looked lovingly at Junior and said five simple words.

“You have to do one more.”

Junior had just finished his 11th ascent in 3 hours. He’d summited the equivalent of Denali. It was an incredible accomplishment. With only 2 hours to go, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to throw in the towel and bask in achieving something amazing.

But those five words, “you have to do one more,” said by his loving wife, awakened a drive.

Junior had just completed an ascent in 3 hours, and now he was going out to try to get one more: one last summit without much time to spare.

“I left it all out on the mountain,” Junior tells me, before adding how much the community and support around the event helped him along the way for that final summit.

Tight for time and passing an aid station, Junior spots Coach Brent. Coach yells out telling him to keep going. “Don’t stop walking, I’ll fill your water bottles and bring them back to you.”

Everybody wanted to see Junior succeed in his final ascent. When he reached the top, a heroic effort with some time to spare, Junior broke down crying for the third time.

“I’m not an emotional person. I tend to keep my feelings inside. But 29029 broke that barrier - it was exhilarating! I released every emotion I had kept bottled up for years, and it felt great!”

The community of 29029 willed Junior to the summit. He’s but one of many incredible stories from an incredible inaugural Idaho event. One mountain. Hundreds of stories.

For Junior, 29029 was only the beginning. With his experience from the mountain, Junior realized he is strong and capable, in both mind and body. The mantra I am strong, I am capable applies to far more in life than just the mountain. Seizing the momentum, Junior is taking the time in post-event bliss to make his life even better. The newfound purpose and motivation bleeds into Junior’s life off the mountain. Personal changes for the better, career development, and even more endurance events are in-store for Junior going forward.