Giani's Summit to highest mountain peak in Texas—2024

I made the summit of Texas's highest peak but it was the hardest challenge of my life. This is not a class 1 climb! I had all but quit because of dehydration. I brought 4

Liters of water and electrolytes and still not enough. Families were being rescued this week and another guy was also having severe cramps. We had agreed to notify the park rangers of whoever made it down first. Aside from one couple going up to the campgrounds —I was the last climber left on the mountain. God came through lots of prayer. I never knew I would be scrambling to the top on all fours—so many cliffs and edges. One seasoned climber said this climb was harder than Mt Elbert in Colorado. The photo below is just one ledge of the climb. I have a severe fear of heights (acrophobia). I gave up but I didn’t. I was stuck on a ledge with cramps so bad I couldn’t get up. As I sat there on that ledge I had 3 fears running through my mind.

1) Fear of Death

2) Fear of heights (ie death)

3) Fear of failure

I had decided to go down as soon as I could safely stand up.

As I was looking down the slope for a way down, I see a nice couple (from Dallas) climbing up.

They sat beside me and first told me to turn around then said “but you are so close.”  That did it.

Only ten climbers all day and most of the day I was alone. When I arrived at 0630 there was only one car in the parking lot. Uncanny for a week before a holiday.

Never stop challenging yourself. You only have one life on this blue rock. We were not born to just stay in one rut. I’m still not over my fear of heights but the more one is exposed

To a fear—the less it has a stronghold on us. God orders our steps—we need to do the walk. Pushing through life’s obstacles seldom is easy. Just enjoy the journey. Thank you Jesus. Psalms 32:10

Takeaways:

1) Don’t let others set

limitations for you. We all have a mountain.

2) Fear is an emotion and emotional decisions are mostly unreliable.