How a Mountaineering Accident Taught Doug Beardsley to Live Life to the Fullest
After losing a toe in a mountaineering incident, Doug vowed to never let that stop him from living the adventures and seeking the awe he craved.
Doug Beardsley has a background in pediatric neuroscience and as a public school science teacher. He’s filled his life with adventure, from velodrome racing to alpine guiding and from the first known solo completion of the High Sierra Route to crossing the USA and Canada by motorbike.
Many of his experiences were alone and in places where mistakes had real consequences. Doug’s taken the lessons from loss and success and has interweaved them into the parallel parts of his life like fatherhood, teaching, and being a good husband.
We talk about...
Growing up wanting to be a mountain athlete
Biking from Banks to Portland, Oregon in order to get a ride to the mountain
Getting permission from his dad to do things by himself since he couldn’t find friends to go with, setting him up for a life of adventure
His first backpacking trip fully self-sufficient with simple gear in the elements, and after 3 days knowing he wanted to do that the rest of his life
Losing a toe in an accident on Mt. Rainier
Being a mountain guide in his early 20’s and wanting his entire identity to be an alpinist
Losing his big toe to frostbite on a Rainier climb where he was guiding and one client perished
Sleeping in a snow cave and descending in a whiteout
Having to relearn how to walk after amputation and healing his feet
Promising his dad to never use his injury as an excuse not to do something
Shifting identities in his twenties
At 20, thinking he knew everything, then getting in a life-threatening situation
Being a competitive velodrome cyclist
Training was all-encompassing: no dating, squeezing in training during work breaks
Realizing it made him be a person he didn’t want to be, so he got ready for a new adventure that would give him a massive change while testing him physically and emotionally
Completing the High Sierra Route (a technical, remote route with climbing and scrambling) and being the first person to do it solo
After all the years of adventuring solo, discovering that relationships with others is most important
Fostering an adventurous mindset in himself
Loving being in places where you can’t make a mistake
Doug’s wet towel theory: every drip of water wrung out of the towel is a life experience, and he welcomes them all and intentionally wrings drips out
The thirst to experience everything in life so that when he dies, his towel will be bone dry
Taking on more difficult challenges with more wisdom as life goes on
A 3 month motorcycle trip across the USA and Canada peppered with saying yes to all experiences
Living for the awe found in adventure, with a period of becoming numb to it
Finding a zone of disequilibrium in order to grow: the knife edge of pushing yourself without dange
Being vs. doing and the confusion of it all
Sharing his zest for the world with others
Knowing it was time for him to start sharing all his skills with others
Taking kids on adventures to places they’ve never imagined
Organisms adapt or die to new circumstances: he helps others find that uncomfortable place of adapting
Taking really big goals and putting them into bite-sized, progressive chunks
“PPPPP” in learning skills
Taking what he’s learned about physical challenge as he embarks on a new emotional challenge
Getting comfortable with fear and transferring skills
Raising an awesome family and teaching children
Raising children who can make their own decisions, even if they’re different than what Doug would choose
Getting an RV for his family: his 20 year old self would scoff, but now his family gets out often
Experiencing a school shooting where two of his students died
Teaching science to kids is teaching them about life
How to connect with Doug:
Doug’s feature length documentary about the solo Sierra High Route project
How to connect with Jeni and Angie:
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Music: The Kind of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins
Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.