Humphreys Peak
Arizona
June 2013
Y’know, this Highpointing adventure of ours is full of conflict for me. I fight my demons so that I can scale these sometimes soaring places. I grapple with my altitude anxiety, my discomfort with travel including the terror I feel when on an airborne craft and a bunch of other personal obstacles and hiccups. I have been called heroic by some for facing my issues. Yeah, thank you very much.
The day after we climbed to the top of Arizona, nineteen firefighters were killed while contending with a raging wildfire between Yarnell and Prescott, Arizona, not too far from where we were vacationing.
I’ve known some firefighters in my life and I’ve known some police officers. When the World Trade Towers came down in 2001, one policeman I know, instead of doing what most of us would do, ran in the direction toward the disaster. Some firefighters are gonzo, full goose Bozo crazymen, but ultimately, their screwiness, or simply their commitment and compassion, saves lives, property and natural resources, a righteous bonus for the rest of us.
I want to keep this whole thing in perspective. Nineteen young men. The elite squad, the “Granite Mountain Hotshots”, they called themselves. You guys are the heroes.