Phoenix
In June 2020 SierraDescents went dark and so did I. And, in many ways, I'm still coming to terms with that. I'm not the person I was before the pandemic started.
I knew, even as that year was unfolding, that someday I'd want to write about it.
At first I envisioned telling a heroic story: me, battling hard, triumphing over impossible odds. But in time that idea faded, replaced with something very different—a desire to somehow share what I might (or might not) have learned.
That is a project that is ongoing.
It will never be finished. It will never be ready. But it is online, for better or for worse, and if you ever find yourself lost in the dark, I hope you find something useful in it.
Please note this will not replace my work here, nor will I stop doing what I'm doing—what I love doing. I'm not the same kid who started this site in 2005, but as long as I'm able, I'll keep sharing adventures and moments from our glorious California mountains. That much will never change. :)
— November 11, 2023
Andy Lewicky is the author and creator of SierraDescents
Lurker November 13, 2023 at 4:59 pm
❤️
Brad Brown November 13, 2023 at 6:17 pm
Andy,
Thanks as always for your honesty and personal revelations. Life gets hard at times and has a way of making personal change the only way through. The last 2 years saw me lose my wife of almost 50 years in May of this year after 7 years of care taking combined with my personal battle with cancer surgery/radiation/male hormone suppression. The last 2 years were the hardest of my life and have left deep marks. So I dedicated this summer to improving myself both with mental and emotional healing and with getting this 72 YO body back in shape. I’m grateful to have come so far in just 6 months. Despite all I set a PR for single season ski days last season (32) and got in some descent high mountain time as well though nothing spectacular. Next climbing season I see myself going big and climbing objectives I’ve failed on in the last few years due to my illness. I’ve also worked on being closer to friends and family. Overall, I’ve become a better version of me. That improvement made it possible to meet my new love, my Chapter 2 as they call it in the widowers grief community. I’m really excited to continue the quest as this young (ish) body of mine returns closer to the mountain fitness of old. And as my heart heals from my lovely new gift. Hope to see you out there my friend, our better selves await.