Leif Whittaker, son of Jim Whittaker who was the first American to summit Mt. Everest, grew up on a sail boat with his family sailing the Pacific. Initially not interested in climbing, that all changed at age 15 when he and his older brother hiked 20 miles into the wilderness without their parents and climbed Mt. Olympus. Since then, he has traveled across the globe and climbed some of the world’s highest peaks, including Aconcagua, Mt. Vinson, Denali, and two ascents of Mt. Everest.
Leif worked for more than a decade as a Climbing Ranger for the U. S. Forest Service on Mt. Baker protecting it’s wilderness and engaging in emergency rescues. He is also a founding member and top coach for Evoke Endurance where he specializes in coaching mountaineers.
His book, My Old Man and the Mountain, was published by Mountaineers Books in 2016 and won several awards. One of the best true adventure books of 2016.
Follow Leif at his website leifwhittaker.com/
Hosted by Michael J. Reinhart
MichaelJReinhart.com
Whiskey and a Map. Stories of Adventure and Exploration as told by those who lived them.