Client Close-Up: Scott Becker

Scott Becker is a phenomenally hard worker and a genuine nice guy to boot.  He recently had the opportunity to travel to Alaska and.... well, why don't I let him tell the story.

I’ve been going to Fitness Together for almost two years now.  I really enjoy working out there.  I benefit from the level of training that I get and the exercises that I know I wouldn’t do on my own.  I also benefit from the consistency that working with a trainer gives me.  I don’t have those days that turn into weeks that turn into months where I have not worked out.  The training keeps me accountable and continuing to reach new levels.  Recently, I had an opportunity to do something really amazing and all of the hard work at the gym made that possible.

I joined a group of eight people who traveled to Anchorage Alaska and headed over to Denali National Park.  Once we arrived, we flew a ski plane 7,000 feet up on the Eldridge glacier where we were dropped with our backpacks for eight days.  During the eight days, we did a full mountaineering course and reached the summits of four major mountains in the Alaska range.  To say it was one of the great experiences of my life is a major understatement.  The Alaska range is a demanding place where there is a brief hour of dusk in the long days.  On an average day, we woke up at 11pm and roped our teams together.  We would hike miles in our snow shoes across a glacier filled with 200 foot crevasses.  We would arrive at the base of the mountain and change into crampons to begin an ascent up slopes that I never would have thought we could climb.  Near the peaks, we would carefully work our way across steep ice slopes staring straight out over 5000 foot cliffs that fell straight to the Ruth glacier below.

The reward at the summits was unimaginable and barely describable.  The immensity of Alaska and the place we were in can’t be captured by camera nor would any words be sufficient.  Regardless of religion or spiritual beliefs, it is humbling place that left an impression on me that I will never forget and always be grateful for.  After a long day, we would make the decent back to our tents, refuel our bodies, crawl into bed at 4pm, and sleep like bears until midnight when we would start another day and push ourselves a little further than the day before. 

I want to thank everyone that I have trained with at Fitness Together.  The endurance, strength, balance, and fitness that I’ve gained through a consistent effort at the gym not only allowed to take on this type of trip but to enjoy it while I was there.  Several of the climbers that I was with have been doing this for years.  I never once felt like I couldn’t keep up or even lead the rope.  On one particular day, the temperature was about 15 degrees, very windy, and we were standing in a very damp cloud that had rolled onto the mountain.  To keep warm during a break, I started doing some squats to warm myself up.  I caught more than one odd glance from my fellow climbers whose legs were burning.  I’m looking forward to my next adventure and just re-signed for more sessions to help me get there.  Wishing everyone success in their goals and adventures whatever they may be. 

Sincerely,

Scott Becker