Calgary couple hiked 65 summits in 2021
There are climbers who tackle more mountains in a year or even more technical climbs but Ben Berg and Larry Welsman wanted to hike 65 summits in the year Berg turned 65 and they did it.
"We started in January with hike number one at Yates Mountain, Prairie View and then ended in the end of September in Lake Louise with Mount Richardson," said Berg.
They walked over 825 kilometres in horizontal distance over the 65 hikes, gaining 73 kilometres in combined elevation. The couple says the elevation gain is like going from sea level to the top of Mount Everest eight times.
"Years ago when I started hiking with Ben, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack if I tried to climb a mountain," said Welsman. "I didn't and we started low and slow, just do one kilometre, maybe next time we'll do a kilometre and a half, two kilometers and build yourself up slowly."
The two say they stayed away from technical climbs where ropes and harnesses are needed. Most of their summits were hikes and some involved scrambling, a technique where hands are used to assist a climber along with their feet.
"If you can walk you can hike," said Welsman. "And you don't have to race to the top of the mountain you go as slowly as you want."
The couple is retired and some months they would hike up to six summits but in the summer they doubled that.
"We had to commit because you have to keep up that pace of doing 12 summits (each month of) June, July, August," said Berg. "You have to sort of rearrange your life, even if you're not working."
The avid hikers say even if they've already climbed a mountain, a second trip can reveal new challenges and views.
"We have a lot of favorite hikes that we do every year and it's always a little bit different every time," said Welsman. "Or there's a slightly different version of the same hike whereas there's a second or third trail that goes up the same summit but it's a different route."
The two received a lot of support for their adventure on social media from the hiking community.
"But I think for me, what I felt best about is that I could do it with my partner with my husband," said Berg.
Berg and Welsman are also fans of exploring Canada, all of it. In 2019 they realized they'd visited ten provinces and two territories, needing only one more. Last year they reached their goal by visiting the Yukon.
"I feel almost better about that than about the 65 summits," said Berg. "Like I think if you ask people how many Canadians have actually been to all ten provinces and three territories, I don't think there's lots."
The two will continue to climb in 2022, but not quite as much.
They recorded each of their 65 climbs that can be seen online:
On YouTube
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.