Daniel Thomas Smithson
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Bio: I was born in Marrero, Louisiana and grew up in the metropolitan area of New Orleans. WHERE'RE Y'AT!? I'm a native born Louisianian, and that makes me a 'Coon Ass' and proud of it! (It's a cultural heritage thing.) My formative years were through the lens of my parents' strip tease businesses on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. I ran away from home to England for six months while I was a teenager. After the Orleans Parish Public Schools and working in financial accounting for Texaco Producing, Inc., I graduated from the University College, the part-time and summer school division, of Tulane University, with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Computer Information Systems. I married, served in the U.S Army and medically retired to Kentucky, where I made five kids and raised them up, until divorce twenty-two years later -- following a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2011. Before the Appalachian Trail I completed two professional graduate school degrees: first in 1993 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green with a Master of Arts degree majoring in Communication and second in 2002 at the University of Louisville with another Master of Arts degree majoring in Linguistics; I became an educator. After divorce I moved to Las Vegas in 2013. I joined Hiking Las Vegas, 52 Peak Club with MeetUp.com, because I wanted to hike again and felt I needed to get back in shape for more long distance hiking. Las Vegas became my home base for completing the two western legs of the Triple Crown. In 2014 I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. For the winter I went back to making progress toward completing the 52 Peaks, then I thru-hiked the Continental Divide Trail in 2015. In August 2016 I did the Mount Charleston peaks for the 52 Peak Club and set myself up for becoming a 53er award including the Joker card. But first I went to the 2016 Gathering, a long distance hiker convention, for the American Long Distance Hiking Association--West and accepted their Triple Crown Award for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, approximately a total of 7,700 miles of hiking. But nothing compares to Hiking Las Vegas, 52 Peak Club, because it's scrambling par excellence.
Age: 56
Why did you join the 52 Peak Club: I was tired of sitting around my apartment feeling sorry for myself and I wanted to do something about that, to change, so I Googled information on hiking Mount Charleston and 52 Peak Club came up in the search results.
Date completed all 52 Peaks: October 30th, 2016.
Toughest Peak: Rainbow
Favorite Hike: Turtle Head Junior (Double Slot Route) or Oak Creek Overlook or White Rock Pinnacle or Ice Box Peak; one of those, I can't make up my mind.
How did you feel once you became a 53er: some people are natural born whiners, but I was taught not to cry, still, at becoming a 53er, it was one of those emotional moments with those pent up feelings--I was exstatic!
Advice for new hikers: You know if you're not a quiter, then you might become a member of the most exclusive club in Nevada if you just stick to it and prosecute the program to the end and conquer the 52 Peaks! Many can, but the manequins are left at the retail displays in Bogustan. Lol!
Age: 56
Why did you join the 52 Peak Club: I was tired of sitting around my apartment feeling sorry for myself and I wanted to do something about that, to change, so I Googled information on hiking Mount Charleston and 52 Peak Club came up in the search results.
Date completed all 52 Peaks: October 30th, 2016.
Toughest Peak: Rainbow
Favorite Hike: Turtle Head Junior (Double Slot Route) or Oak Creek Overlook or White Rock Pinnacle or Ice Box Peak; one of those, I can't make up my mind.
How did you feel once you became a 53er: some people are natural born whiners, but I was taught not to cry, still, at becoming a 53er, it was one of those emotional moments with those pent up feelings--I was exstatic!
Advice for new hikers: You know if you're not a quiter, then you might become a member of the most exclusive club in Nevada if you just stick to it and prosecute the program to the end and conquer the 52 Peaks! Many can, but the manequins are left at the retail displays in Bogustan. Lol!