In September of 2023 our gym, Axistence Athletics, hosted an All-Terrain Conditioning™ seminar taught by StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor Derek Toshner and StrongFirst Certified Team Leader Kenneth Bolyard. Walking into the gym I was surprised to see Jin, one of our gym members. I was only expecting to see our coaching staff, who enjoy nerding out on sets, reps, and percentages. However, after just a few minutes of talking with Jin, I quickly understood. Jin had signed up to climb Island Peak in April of 2024. Island Peak is a 20,226-foot mountain located in the Nepalese Himalayan Mountain range. In fact, she was not only going to climb this peak, but she was going to undertake twenty days of hiking at 14,000-18,000 feet in elevation, including a day trip to Mount Everest’s base camp.

Simply setting this goal was courageous and inspirational, but Jin was driven by something more than just accomplishing a physical feat. Twenty-seven years ago, Jin and her husband were in a plane crash. She survived. He did not. Out of 254 passengers, only she and 24 others survived. Living with the burden of surviving weighed heavily on her for a long time. Her healing began when she started climbing mountains. The first time she summited a peak and was above the clouds, she felt she was seeing the world for those who did not survive. Instead of viewing survival as a curse, she became driven to honor the memory of those who died by appreciating the life she was given. What better way to do that, than climbing high mountains? Taking on this 20,226-foot climb held a deep purpose for her, and it was her physical and mental strength that helped her accomplish this goal.