Utah #1: Day One

We Can Do This

By 29029 Everesting

August 21^st, 2021

Anticipation

The build up has been long - for some, 2 years have passed since registering. Virtual events and a virtual community helped, but nothing can replace the real thing.

It’s what you’ve been waiting for – the chance to achieve something remarkable, alongside 250 others – the chance to climb 29029 feet. It’s finally here. It’s 6 am and it's time to conquer the mountain.

Thin Air

The air is a bit thinner up here in Utah. Snowbasin Resort sits at 6,391 feet, the highest base elevation of all 29029 events. And you only go higher from here.

29029 feet won’t come easy, but if it did, it wouldn’t be worth it. Do you feel the vertical yet?

Summiting Kosciuszko

Kosciuszko. The highest peak in Australia. The first summit you reach at 29029. The first milestone on the burn board. It’s worth celebrating. Take a moment to enjoy your accomplishment. The charred board and marked bib act as reminders that you’ve already accomplished something special.

But don’t lose sight of the true peak – Everest – 29029 feet. Keep going. Leave it all on the mountain.

Disconnect to Reconnect

Life pulls in many directions, usually all at once. Work, family, chores, and the rest of everyday life all demand your attention on a regular day. But 29029 isn’t a regular day. When is the last time you did something solely for you?

29029 is that thing. There’s no time for work emails out here. No chores to be done. No dog to be walked. 29029 is a chance to disconnect, to reconnect with your true self.

All of your focus and attention must be directed at one thing, and one thing alone: putting one foot in front of the other. 29029 feet is the goal, and the only way to get there is a single footstep at a time.

We Are in This Together

The mountain is the great equalizer. Everyone here is fighting their own battle to achieve something remarkable. There are accomplished endurance adventurers here, alongside first-timers who have never identified as athletes or explorers. But it doesn’t matter. Everyone is part of the same community now: 250 like-minded people looking up at that summit and saying “we can do this.”

We can climb this summit together.

Change is Coming

Soon, day will turn to night. The sun will set on day 1. Change is all around. But no change is more significant than the change happening inside you – the change that happens on the mountain.

You started 29029 as a different person. You’ll finish as someone new. Braver. More courageous. Stronger. More determined. This is your journey and you get to write the ending.