As you’ve probably heard - because it’s been talked about a lot at 29029 ever since - 2023 in Stratton was the mountain of torrential rains.

It was hard to stay positive through the downpours.

Why am I doing this? 

I thought about my grandson, who was at the summit watching me climb. 

I wanted to set a good example for him. 

So I kept climbing.

Not really understanding the challenge, I went to bed a bit too early and probably slept in a bit too late… the clock was against me and I wasn’t taking it seriously. 

Realizing the mistake I’d made, I thought again about quitting. The weather was miserable, and I knew that the Red Hat was out of reach. 

Why keep climbing?

I quickly realized that wasn't an option. I didn’t want to set the precedent. I didn’t want to quit on myself.

And I didn’t want my grandson, Carter, to see me quit.

By the time the clock ran out, I had climbed Stratton 9 soggy, water-logged times. 

I was laser-focused in my training for 2024. I did everything I possibly could to set myself up for success. I trained with all the food and gear I’d use on the mountain. I put in the time. I game-planned out as much as I could.

Seriously, I had Plans, A, B, C, D, E… I was ready!

It worked until it didn’t...

Around 8 pm on Friday night, my stomach started to shut down. I couldn’t eat anything!

I had done 9 ascents, matching my previous high marker.

But that wasn't enough.

I knew I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room, so with a mostly empty stomach, still struggling to eat, I kept climbing through the darkness of the night, forcing down what little sips of protein drinks whenever I could to give my body at least a tiny bit of energy. 

It was a dark, cold, challenging night.

As the day wore on, I started to fall behind the Red Hat pace.

But on the bright side, I'd finally been able to stomach a tiny bit of solid food. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing!

I kept hiking up the mountain, trying tiny bites of whatever food I found at the aid stations, looking to find something - anything - that I could stomach. 

That’s when I decided to try a sip of Coke. 

The sugar and caffeine were exactly what I needed! I found a new fuel that I was hoping would get me to Everest…

I summited Stratton for the 16th time at 4:25 pm.

I was just one more away from Everest, but I also only had just over 90 minutes to do it.

There’s no way… I’ll leave here with the Red Bib, but I won’t be able to earn the Red Hat. I still have to ride the gondola down, and there’s no way I can climb fast enough to get back up here by 6 pm…

I didn’t speak any of that out loud, but mentally, I’d thrown in the towel. 

My daughter, Carter, and Lisa met me at the summit like every other time, rushing to grab me whatever I wanted from the aid station. By now, the routine was set - they hurried me into the gondola and started game-planning for me on the way down.

I was too spent to even muster the little energy it would take to tell them I was done, so I just went along with it. 

“Okay, when you get to the base, take the ramp, not the stairs. You won’t have time to brand, so we’ll do that for you. Carter, run to the board, grab Grandma’s bib, and bring it back so we can put it on her while she starts climbing.” 

It wasn’t really registering with me what was about to happen as the gondola car reached the base. 

As the doors opened, Carter sprinted out of the gondola to the board, grabbed my Red Bib, and rushed back to me as I hobbled down the ramp. My daughter and Lisa tied it around me and sent me on my way. 

I guess I’m going to try to climb one more. Quitting wasn't an option.

I was the last person to start their final ascent, and I was "lucky" enough to have Coach Chris with me for the final half.

Why do I say lucky like that? Well, do you know that really nice, calming voice that he uses for his Mindset Minutes? Yeah… that’s not the voice he uses on the mountain when you’re close to the cut-off time.

“Tracy, I need you to find another gear.”

“Tracy, you don’t have a lot of time left, you can’t stop now.”

“Tracy, okay… you can stop and take a break here, but just 30 seconds.”

“I know your IT band hurts, but it will heal.”

He was very firmly pushing me to achieve my Everest.

I was so focused on climbing - full tunnel vision - that I only had eyes for the summit. As it came into view, Carter came running down towards me to tell me how long I had left.

With 6 minutes to go, absolutely spent, I crested the last steep rise. The Red Carpet was almost in reach!

Exhausted and ready to collapse, I felt Carter’s hand on my back, willing me to make it to the Red Carpet.

My slow shuffle turned into… well, still a shuffle, but a slightly faster shuffle. To me, as tired as I was, it felt like a sprint! 

I hit the Red Carpet and immediately collapsed.

I had done it! 

Then panic hit…

Is the finish here, or at the end of the Red Carpet? 

“Mom, you’ve gotta get up!” I heard my daughter yelling. 

I got up as fast as I could, and made it to the end of the Red Carpet, finally - finally - pulling on the Red Hat.

35 hours and 58 minutes after starting, I pulled on the final Red Hat of the 2024 season.

The feeling was overwhelming. 

I did it.

I was proud, but also surprised. There were so many moments where I doubted I would make it. 

But now, I had the Red Hat to show for my efforts. It wasn’t just proof of my perseverance, it was a testament to the strength we can find within when we keep going, even when we're filled with doubt.

For my grandson, Carter, it showed him that we can all do hard things. 

And for me? It’s a reminder that no matter how many challenges lie ahead, I can always keep climbing.

I’m a grandma that can do hard things!