From the beginning, my motivation has been life-long learning because I get challenge, satisfaction and fun from learning. My early interest in forestry took me to UBC where I studied forest engineering, which earned me the degree I needed for a career in the forest products industry. Several years later, I got my Master of Business Administration and after five years of international consulting, I returned to work in the B.C. forest products industry as a Woods Manager at Sauder Industries. Throughout the next 23 years, I climbed the corporate ladder until I reached the peak as President and CEO of Interfor, a public company of nearly 4000 employees and $1 billion annual sales. In 2000, I apprehensively entered the world of retirement.

Fortunately, my years in the workplace and in life prepared me for the adventure awaiting me. Not willing to simply lie on a beach and “take it easy”, I sought instead a lifestyle strategy that stimulated me intellectually, kept me in good physical and mental health, and provided the excitement of my previous career. Hiking and mountaineering fit my criteria.

When faced with retirement, some may see boredom and despair ahead, but I saw opportunity. Fortunately, in this new phase of my life, I possessed enough confidence and curiosity to pursue a hobby that took me into the great outdoors. Hiking and mountaineering became a passion that started as a couple hours of hiking forest paths with friends and then developed into longer treks climbing mountains locally and abroad.

Some of you might be facing, with a little trepidation, that transition from work into retirement. This book is my attempt to encourage you to take a chance on yourself and try an exciting new venture in mountaineering, or if this sounds too far out for you, some other challenging pursuit. Through careful instruction, encouragement, and anecdotes of my hiking and mountaineering experiences, I hope to embolden you to take that first step into a fun and fulfilling retirement. Using my case as an example of what can be achieved, follow me into British Columbia’s backcountry.