Henry Schott
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Bio:    Born and raised in Louisiana, I then spent the next 20+ years traveling the world until I retired from the military.  I moved to Las Vegas in 2014 and started hiking in the fall of that year.  After two months of thoroughly enjoying my new hobby, I joined the 52 Peak Club on New Year’s Day with the goal of completing all the peaks within the year.  On 1 January 2016, I stood on top of the same peak where it all started to celebrate the accomplishment with many of the folks who helped get me there.                                                                            
Age:  46

Why did you join the 52 Peak Club: I was enjoying the hikes but wanted something more.  Joining the 52 Peak Club allowed me to take advantage of a pre-determined goal and focus my efforts toward this.  It was about half-way through my journey that I started to feel that sense of direction paying off as I took great pride in conquering each peak and watching my progress toward the goal come to fruition

Date Completed all 52 Peaks: 12/19/2015
 
Toughest Peak: Mt Charleston.  The sheer length of the hike drained every bit of energy I had.  I felt like a zombie walking down those last 2 miles on pure muscle memory 

Favorite Hike: Sisters - it had everything to do with the group and the day we went  out. The most fun I had on any one hike.

How did you feel once you became a 53er: The sense of accomplishment and finality of reaching my goal was an amazing feeling.  I stood at the top of that last peak looking out over all the others I had previously stood on and said to myself… “Congratulations.  You did it!  Well done!”

 Advice for new hikers:  Keep a journal and document your experience along the way.  Make note of how you felt during and after each peak as well as the experiences you shared with your fellow hikers.  You’ll be amazed at some of the experiences when you go back and read your early entries.