Climb

Chapter 4: You Are Not Prepared*

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 12, 2020August 13, 2020100 Summits, Akagi, Climb, Climb photo companion, hiking in Japan, hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Akagi

Due to “exigent circumstances” (discussed more in the book), we had to make due with short term rentals during our first four months in Japan. Fortunately, I had already booked our initial six-week stay through 1/3 Residence–a company that rents short- and medium-term furnished apartments in Tokyo.

Chapter 2: One Hundred and One*

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 11, 2020August 12, 2020cancer, Climb, Japan, Tokyo Christmas Markets

I don’t have many photos to document Chapter 2 of CLIMB,* which chronicles my cancer diagnosis, surgery, and early treatment. (In fairness, I suspect I’m not alone in the fact that my first reaction to learning I had cancer wasn’t “SOMEONE GRAB THE CAMERA”) I also have no photographs of my beloved grandmother, Peggy, whose cancer story I also share in Chapter 2. For those details, you’ll have to read the book… However . . . although this is the shortest chapter in the photo companion, it’s not entirely without pictures: Four weeks after my double mastectomy, I flew to

Chapter 1: Victory–And Misery–On Misen*

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 11, 2020August 12, 2020#100Summits, Climb, hiking, Japan, Japan photography, mountains, Mt. Misen, sacred mountains

Mountain: Mt. Misen (弥山), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (The short caption directly beneath each photo matches the text in CLIMB.) My first view of Miyajima: (original photo taken in June 2015). The Otorii is visible at center left, and the mountain rising just to the left of center is Mt. Misen. Historically, the entire island was considered sacred ground. The first Otorii was built before the tenth century; the existing gate dates to 1875. The Ōtorii (great torii) measures 24 meters wide and rises 16 meters high (measured from the sand on which it sits). Torii are sacred Shintō gates that

Prepare to CLIMB!

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Appearances, Blog July 29, 2020July 29, 2020100Summits, book release, Climb

Dare to Dream, and You Can Change Your World CLIMB – the narrative nonfiction story of my journey to overcome cancer and conquer fear by climbing 100 of Japan’s most famous mountains – releases this coming Monday, August 3, worldwide. (Purchase links for online and local bookstore sources are here.) Advance praise: “Spann’s journey is a tremendous reach into uncertainty amidst a cancer diagnosis, and ultimately her summits become a reward far more than the tops of the mountains she attains. ” — Erik Weihenmayer, Athlete, Adventurer, Bestselling Author and founder of NO BARRIERS USA Due to COVID-19, I don’t have any

Three Days in Nikko

Susan Spann Blog July 4, 2019July 4, 2019Climb, Japan, matcha, mountains, Nikko, travel

I recently spent three days in Nikkō, one of Japan’s most important historical and religious sites. The area is not only a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, but an excellent place for hikers and mountain climbers.

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog May 14, 2019May 14, 2019#100Summits, Climb, climbing, Japan, memoir, mountains

I’m thrilled to announce that the memoir about my #100Summits journey, titled CLIMB, will release on January 2020 from Prometheus Books! From the jacket: After more than forty years of living “safe and scared,” California attorney and mystery author Susan Spann decided to break free by climbing one hundred of Japan’s most famous mountains, inspired by a classic list of hyakumeizan peaks. But when an unexpected cancer diagnosis forced her to confront her deepest fears, the mountains of Japan became the setting for an even more transformative journey from pain and fear to a new life fueled by hope, confidence, and strength.