Imagine standing on the summit of a mountain. It’s cold: so cold the air sears your nostrils every time you breathe in. You’ve climbed for two days, across glaciers, over crevasses and up sheer rock walls. You’re exhausted, but you can’t rest.
You have about 10 minutes to take in the spectacular vista and taste the snow in the air, before your muscles seize up. That can’t happen, of course, because you still have to get back down. And getting down is even more dangerous than climbing up.
Now imagine doing that 54 times. That is what Heff Doiron and John Goulet hope to do.
The Jasper boys want to climb every single mountain peak that sits at over 11,000 feet in the Canadian Rockies. If you stacked 305 school busses end on end reaching into the sky, they wouldn’t even make it that high.
If they succeed they will be the first to summit all 54 as a team. If they can stick to their schedule of five years, they will also break the record for the fastest completion of the task. Included in those 54 peaks, and crossed off the list already, are Mount Edith Cavell, Mount Temple, Snowdome, Mount Woolley and Diadem Peak.
“We go on mountains where people die. It’s not a game. It’s real life,” Goulet said. He jerks his thumb in Doiron’s direction, “He gets that. I get that. That’s why we talk and plan and figure these things out. But things happen, and we both accept that.”
They planned to start their quest last year, but when Doiron broke his leg playing hockey they had to put it on hold.
Doiron trained hard and recovered fast. By June the two were already back up Mount Edith Cavell, their first major alpine climb. They’ve climbed five “11,000ers” since then.
Climbing again so soon after a major injury was huge for Doiron.
“Two years ago we were staring at that mountain, at that ridge, dreaming of it,” he said. “Going back out, I wasn’t just climbing the mountain I was getting back to myself.
“We were both back at it. It was a huge achievement for all my hard work and training.
“In April I had to learn how to walk again. From that to where we are now, is absolutely amazing.”
“It’s the same motivation he brings to climbing,” Goulet chimes in, not missing a beat. “That makes him a pretty good partner.”
It’s hard to appreciate how truly amazing Doiron’s quick return was unless you understand how mind-bogglingly challenging climbing a mountain is.
You have to walk differently on different types of terrain, you have to pick the exact route up, you have to carry 25 lbs of gear, watch for holes and falling rocks and react to the weather.
“It’s about knowing different skill sets and applying the right skill for the moment. There’s no right answer. It’s all about managing that,” said Doiron.
“You have to think about everything you do,” Goulet adds, nodding.
Along with the physical challenges, climbing mountains is mentally exhausting as well.
“You get times when you’re done. You just can’t go anymore. And the weather’s good and the conditions are good. All you have to fight is yourself. Breaking through that barrier is the hardest thing for me,” Goulet said. “You just have to push on, because if you stop, you’re not going anywhere.”
“And that doesn’t help anybody,” Doiron chimes in.
The two are continuing to push: scrambling up mountains whenever they get a chance, and uploading terrifying and amazing videos and pictures to their Facebook page (11000ers: 54 peaks to seek).
They say they hope to inspire people to get out in nature, to challenge themselves within their limits. They also want to show people that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.
Doiron says there’s something incredibly satisfying about driving by a mountain, staring up at the summit and knowing “I’ve been there.”
Trevor Nichols
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