I climbed a mountain last weekend. No really, I did. Without the aid of motorized vehicles or Sherpa. AND it was in the dead of winter. This isn't something I typically do. I'm a self proclaimed reptile when it comes to temperatures. I just don't do well in extreme conditions, so I was even more astounded to find that I could hike with only two layers - a fleece and a softshell jacket. Amazing.

This whole thing started when Sara Lingafelter (@theclimbergirl) was chosen to go to Nepal with the Hanes Brands Everest team. She took a mountaineering course to prepare and reported about it on her blog. Katie Levey (@adventuregrrl) announced her intention to take a similar class shortly thereafter. While the idea had been planted in the back of my mind by Sara, I hadn't seriously considered taking a class myself. My man mountaineers and ice climbs. Last year I tried ice climbing to see why he likes it so much, so I figured this year I should try mountaineering, or "walking slowly uphill while not feeling well."