Homie's Homecoming

Homie is home... And he is in great spirits. It seems like maybe the whole climbing community wanted him to succeed even more badly than he did. I sure seem more broken up over than he does. Perhaps, for him, it was like Cave Dog. It wasn't necessarily about the record. That was just the stake in the ground around which his exploration revolved. It was about pushing his limits...to the absolute boundaries. That his boundaries were so astronomically far was immensely impressive, but what was so inspirational was to see how hard he drove to find those limits. It inspired us all to find ours as well, modest as they may be compared to Homie.

When Homie first told me he was going to do all the 14ers in a push, I thought, "That's cool. Should be a fun adventure." When I realized he was going for the record, I thought, "Are you serious? That record is flat-out ridiculous. That is the realm of super beings like Cave Dog and Andrew Hamilton, for professional adventure athletes. That's not for guys like us." How wrong I was to think that I was like Homie. I'm not remotely close. How egotistical to imagine it...

Before the event started I already knew he was in a different class. I knew from Hard Rock and from other adventures we had. A long time ago, I'd lead. Now I'm thrilled to follow in his footsteps whenever the pace is slow enough. I knew he could go non-stop for two days, but could he go for 11 days in a row? I didn't know. Homie didn't know. That's what this was all about. We now know he can go 7+ days in a row. If he tried it again, I suspect he might go 11 days in a row.

There is no failure here, as he succeeded on his goal: finding his limits. He climbed those 41 14ers faster than anyone has climbed them before. And, yes, Cave Dog is still the top dog, and rightfully so. My opinion on that feat hasn't changed at all. Just the people who are capable of it has.

I started this thread by talking about how knowing famous people somehow makes you feel better about yourself. Now Homie is probably the most famous person I know. I'm proud as hell to call him my friend, but no more so now than I was before this started.