Description

Dan Wenker was approaching his 50th birthday when he decided he wanted to do something bigger than throw another birthday party.

A self described city guy and Boy Scout dropout, Dan set his sights on climbing Mount Rainier. He lost 30 pounds, got into some of the best shape of his life, reached the summit, and discovered a passion for mountaineering that would completely change his life.

Years later, that passion nearly killed him.

While descending the Grand Teton in 2022, Dan lost control while glissading down a snowfield. He shot between two boulders, went over a cliff and fell roughly 60 feet into a dark ice moat next to an underground waterfall.

Dan was knocked unconscious and eventually woke up alone, injured and trapped in the darkness with no clear way out.

As the cold set in, his climbing partner Jim desperately tried to find a way to rescue him. Then Jim remembered something that would ultimately help save Dan's life: the extra climbing rope he had volunteered to carry.

Dan eventually felt the rope hit him in the darkness and managed to climb out despite later discovering that he had broken his leg. After his rescue, an EMT told him just how extraordinary his survival had been. Three other people had previously fallen into the same ice moat. All three had been body recoveries.

Dan was the first rescue.

That experience became the foundation for his book, Staying on Guard.

In this episode of the Books4Guys Podcast, Dan shares the incredible story of his fall and rescue, the role faith played in his experience, and why nearly losing his life changed the way he thinks about the time he has left.

In this episode:

• Why Dan started climbing mountains at 50
• Going from city life to becoming a mountaineer
• Climbing Mount Rainier and Mount Kilimanjaro
• The Grand Teton accident that nearly took his life
• Falling 60 feet into an underground ice moat
• The climbing rope that helped save his life
• Why Dan believes his survival was a miracle
• The meaning behind Staying on Guard
• Refusing to use age as an excuse
• Living what Dan calls a "What If" life
• Returning to the Grand Teton and eventually reaching the summit
• How the outdoors transformed Dan physically, mentally, and spiritually
• Writing as a way to process a traumatic experience
• Why a near death experience changed his perspective on time
• Finding purpose in sharing your story with others

Dan eventually returned to the Grand Teton at 65 and reached the summit.

His message isn't that everyone needs to start climbing mountains. It's that we shouldn't automatically close doors because we're getting older.

Instead of saying, "I don't do that anymore," Dan encourages people to ask a different question:

What if I could?

For Dan, the day that almost became the worst day of his life ultimately became one of the most important days of his life. It gave him a different appreciation for faith, family, adventure, purpose, and the time we're given.

https://www.danwenker.com/store/p/staying-on-guard-book