“Why haven’t we been doing this every year?” and “Where are we going next year?” These were great questions.
In between climbs of the 4000-footers, I took a few intermissions to pursue other adventures. One was a ski trip with my buddies to Park City where we climbed up Murdock Peak one day, and to the top of Scott’s Bowl on another. I still had about a year to go before turning 40, but skiing out west was my 40th birthday present to myself.
Climbing Up Murdock Peak
The quest to climb the 4000-footers was starting to have an effect on me—I wanted to climb everything I saw. Staring out at the peaks now belonging to the collective Park City, I wondered which ones we could hike up and ski down. I like that one. And that one. And that one… I wasn’t the only one having these thoughts. Maybe it was the fact that 40 was lurking around the corner, but we were all up for something a little more adventurous than just skiing. After making some inquiries and consulting the trail map, we set our sights on Murdock Peak.
Hoisting our skis onto our backs, we tackled the steep slope. Using “lock-steps,” also known as rest-steps, where you literally lock your knee under you as you complete each step, we methodically made our way up. It was a big effort in ski boots, but having met the challenge, we were all smiling like crazy when we reached the top. It sounds trivial, but efforts like this are so restorative. They let you know you’re not as old as you thought you were, giving you a new outlook on everything.
After summiting, we strapped on our skis and collected our reward: fresh powder! If you’ve never done something like this, I can tell you that you are guaranteed to giggle. It’s like Halloween candy for adults.
Dropping into Ski Scott’s Bowl
The ability to hike up something big and drop into an untouched area to make fresh tracks had us excited. So, the next day, we tried it again. This time on the Iron Mountain side of the resort on a section called Scott’s Bowl. We threw our skis on our back once again and ascended, hoping to find fresh snow. It was another bluebird day and while the novelty had worn off from having done Murdock Peak already, it was worth every step.
Park City Round Up
After two big hike-ups to “earn our turns,” the group felt satisfied. We spent the rest of the time skiing it out, grabbing some pints, and laughing about old times. This was exactly the kind of thing turning 40 was prompting me to do more of. It was all part of what I viewed as a “healthy” midlife crisis, taking stock of where I was at in life, and who was important to me.
“Forty was approaching and we had said something about it.”
Mountain Reading
If you like reading about adventures in the mountains, check out more stories at 4000s by 40.
Looking for photos from 4000s by 40? Head back to the 4000s by 40 Visual Companion to explore the other peaks.