Salty Britches® works.
I haven't been able to put our most recent event into words. I signed up for "29029 Everesting" in 2019 scheduled for Oct 2020, which didn't happen. We were rescheduled for 2021 thanks to Covid. This event was created and hosted by Jesse Itzler, Marq Hodulich, and Colin O'Brady. 29029 is an endurance event to seriously test the mind, body and spirit. The goal is to climb a mountain (Snowbasin, Utah; Stratton Mountain, VT; Whistler, Canada new for 2022) 17 times to reach 29,029 vertical feet, the equivalent vertical gain of Everest. You have 36 hours to complete the challenge. This is not a race. It's you versus you.
Thanks to Salty Britches®, we found ourselves surrounded by goal setters unlike anything we have ever seen the likes of. This journey has taught us we have to put something stupid hard and scary on our calendar at least once a year. This accomplishes several things:
1. You have an event to train for. It forces you to physically train your body. Put it on the calendar even if you know you are not in shape to do it. This date will give you something to work for and motivate you.
2. You meet incredible high performers. Networking with goal crushers, high achievers, business owners, people who have high expectations for themselves, which is always a good thing.
3. You dig into depths and beliefs of yourself that you have never explored. You move your baseline up. If you hike 22 miles and have more in the tank, that changes your perspective of what you can accomplish.
The best part about this experience has been the people I have met throughout this journey. When you spend time in the complete suck with others, you create a bond. Only those that have spent time on the mountain can understand this. Special shout out to Jeff Forrester, Meghan Sharron, Britton Barbee, Jenny Levison, Noah Pines, Jen Pines, Shelly Weed, Amber Bishop, Elizabeth Dickson, Kristin Ribley, Kris Palin, Kevin Combs and so many others. I am better because of you guys.
Seeing Salty Britches® in use is always surreal. Many people had no idea I was the creator of the brand. That allowed me to observe. I prefer to be behind the scenes anyway. Writing blogs and posting our story is still so out of my comfort zone.
Salty Britches® was most certainly a hot commodity at the event. People applied it all over their feet to protect against blisters and chafing. I did this as well and am happy to report I had zero issues with my feet. I didn't even think about them, never felt a hot spot or discomfort from spending 24 hours in muddy, wet shoes. Did you know chafing between your cheeks is a thing? And I mean your bum...it's a thing and it hurts like the devil. A little bit of Salty Britches® on toilet paper applied where the sun doesn't shine and you are good to go all day long. Crack chafing doesn't have to be a thing. Thank the good, sweet Lord for that. I have learned through training that my exercise bra can irritate my skin and I often may not know it until I hit the shower. Yikes, that is painful. So I proactively applied Salty Britches® there, as well as under my arms and inside my biceps. That first shower was like manna from Heaven and I had no chafing at all! We had moments where it was really hot, rainy, cold, and hot again. If you can do an event like this and not suffer from chafing of some sort, you are just built different! This mountain provided every chafing scenario possible. Salty Britches® holds up in all sorts of conditions. IT is built different!
Salty Britches® did its job on the mountain for sure. It was like watching your kid achieve something great and being so proud. I am most certainly thankful that God planted this little brand in our life. It has single handedly gotten me out of my comfort zone, forced me to grow and explore what life has to offer.
I did not make the 17 ascents to meet the goal. I made it 11 and then pulled the plug. I'm still hungry and feel like I have unfinished business. I climbed the equivalent of Mt Kilimanjaro 19,341 vertical feet. Thanks to a super angry Achilles, I didn't push it. However, It's a weak spot that will need strengthening. I saw people push through much worse. The mental game is incredible. It can be practiced and learned but only through being in the arena. I have many more goals and plans to keep pushing my baseline. Salty Britches® will keep leading me personally on this path of self development and physical trials. It may not ever get easier and that's the point. Now I know for sure, we built something that’s different.