Happy New Year, everyone!
Now that 2018 is upon us, I’m officially launching My 100 Summits Project: Nihon Hyakumaeizan 2018!
As I mentioned in December, I’m under contract to climb and write a book about the Nihon Hyakumeizan (100 Famous Mountains of Japan) as described in Kyūya Fukada’s 1964 mountaineering book by the same name. Fukada’s book has inspired generations of Japanese mountaineers (and many from other countries around the world) to climb his “Hundred Famous Peaks” – which Fukada selected on the basis of their history, beauty, and essential “Japanese” character.
The world record for climbing all 100 peaks is 47 days – and especially after my cancer diagnosis, I’m not aiming for anything so rapid. However, to my knowledge (and based on my research) if my efforts are successful, I will be the first non-Japanese woman over 45 to summit all 100 mountains in a single year and the first person to do so within a year of completing chemotherapy for breast cancer (or any cancer, for that matter).
It’s a daunting task – especially since I’m still on the uphill slope of what my oncologist calls “the one hundredth summit plus one” – chemotherapy itself. However, I hope you’ll join me on the journey, which I’ll be chronicling throughout the year on this blog, my Facebook and Instagram accounts, and ultimately in 100 SUMMITS – which will release in 2020 from Prometheus Books.
Look for more about the summits themselves – and my adventures in Japan (and in chemo!) in the days to come.
And in the meantime, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and active 2018!
What are your plans for the new year? I’d love to hear!