Ben Traveling around the World: Carpe Diem

I awoke to the brutal sonorous ringing of my alarm clock well before the sun was even thinking about showing itself. I dressed for the day's expedition at base camp(1051 W Calle Excelso) where I had been adjusting to the altitude at 3000 feet and acclimating my body to the the rigors of high altitude excursions with the help of my trainer, Ruth Creagh. I hesitantly checked the day's forecast and was uplifted to see that the weather will hold, and the unrelenting winds and snows had past, maybe overnight, maybe earlier. I knew the task I was about to undertake would seem reckless and heedless to some, but I knew deep down in my heart it was something that needed to be done. I was going to do what no other human being had ever done before in the history of the world, I was going to risk my life ad wager my soul to summit the last unknown peak on our planet Earth: Mt. Wrightson. For centuries man has wondered what magical views and spirits lay atop that rocky and rugged terrain, and I, Benjamin James Creagh, son of John Creagh Sr. was about to go up and conquer that mountain once and for all. This summit would not be for personal gratification, or mearly to chart the unknown, but more to celebrate the nature of man-kind in our continual pursuit of exploring the unknown.
At the base of Madera Canyon, I began my assent armed with the bare minimum to allow for a quick assent and to stay light of foot in case of an unruly wild encounter. Within the first hour I was bombarded with tens of birds, ranging from migratory to native to woodpecker species. They continually made dives at my head, trying to keep me away from the secrets their fortress has been able to conceal for so many centuries. I made my way up and made eye contact with a mountain lion, who quickly recognized the viciousness in my eyes and retreated because my stare. Nothing could stop me to find the apex of that mountain, not even the ice and snow that greeted me at 7500 feet, no I was a man on a mission.
The rest of the world depended on me for this. Did Lewis and Clark turn around when they saw snow? Did Christopher Columbus about-face when the Arctic winds blew? Did Ferdinand Magellan head north when it got cold in South America? Did Neal Armstrong give up when gravity ceased to exist? Was Benjamin James Creagh about to let snow, wind, and ice deter him from creating history? no.
On I marched my slow and steady gait leading me up the mountain over downed trees, around frozen waterfalls and head into the fierce, bitterly cold blowing wind. My legs felt as if they were about to fail me on every step, I probably was delirious from the altitude and cold, but all of a sudden, I looked up and realized I was about 1 mile from destiny. The one place that has held the millions of people's thoughts and imagination was soon about to be seen, from an entirely new perspective. Up I went, switching back attempting to negate the steep mountain side. Finally after a little under three hours, I was on top of the world with a view of Mexico, Green Valley, Tucson, and Sierra Vista. Oh the joy I felt looking out over the southern Arizona landscape feeling the complete and euphoric bliss the accompanies such an epic achievement. Standing on top of Mt. Wrightson I knew that the feeling I felt up there could never be translated into archaic words, but needed to be discovered from the soul within.

Correction: Apparently the hike I did was a popular day hike in the national forest reserve. Honest mistake. But seriously it was a fun hike. I hit the trailhead at 7:20 am, and reached the peak around 9:45. I had an early lunch at the peak and nearly froze myself solid. If I were to do it again, I'd bring pants to change into, hat and gloves. I'd guess it was in the high 30's with a nice wind on top. The trail was snow and ice covered for the last 1.5-2 miles of the hike which made the climb down very interesting. I only fell twice coming down. Also in the morning I did see a mountain lion walking up the mountain about 30 minutes below Josephine's saddle when I stopped for some water.