Ascending California’s 15 highest peaks marks a great achievement for anybody, but it was thrilling for a climber who thought he was more likely to lose his foot than climb a mountain. 

Mike Tagg of Thousand Oaks climbed all 15 of California’s 14ers (mountains at least 14,000 feet tall) within a four-month span last summer. Climbing even one 14er was unimaginable after he broke his foot in a skydiving accident ten years before. 

“I was told by a surgeon I have very little articular cartilage left in my foot, that I will live in pain the rest of my life, and to give up all outdoor sport,” Tagg recalled. “I spent the next three years going through the darkest period of my life. I didn’t want to walk or move at all because to walk would mean hastening the degeneration of my foot leading to either fusion or amputation.”

Finally, Tagg decided to keep hiking and climbing despite the potential consequences. He learned to tape his foot and pace himself. He discovered climbing and summited Mount Whitney.

As Tagg built up his strength and experience over the years, he learned how much he could push without incapacitating himself. 

Years of hope and preparation came together this year when he attempted California’s 15 tallest mountains, starting with Mount Shasta in June. Next came Mount Langley, Split Mountain, Mount Tyndall, Mount Williamson, Mount Sill, Middle Palisade, Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, White Mountain, Mount Whitney (again) and Mount Muir. 

Finally, Tagg completed the set on Mount Russell in Sequoia National Park on Sept. 17. Accomplishing what had appeared impossible gave him an “incredible” rush. 

“Seven years ago if you told me I would have been able to do one 14er, let alone all the 14ers in a calendar year, I would have laughed in your face,” Tagg said. “I want to share this as a message in a bottle to anyone diagnosed with an incurable disease like osteoarthritis. There is hope. You can still do incredible things because the human body is a strange powerful machine that is built to adapt.”

California saw plenty of other good-news stories from the outdoors in 2025. 

Dusty Baker, baseball legend and World Series winner as both a player and manager, won induction to the California Outdoors Hall of Fame. “Not only do I love it, but I need to be out there. I just gotta be outdoors, There’s something about it,” said Baker, an accomplished fisherman and duck hunter. Baker became the first Black member of the group.

Catherine Breed became the first person to swim the 60-mile circumference of Lake Tahoe over five days. Climbers Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau became the first women to complete a coveted triple crown in Yosemite by scaling El Capitan, Half Dome and Mount Watkins all within 24 hours. And ultrarunner Olivia Amber raced atop the Sierra Nevada’s 13 tallest mountains, covering 105 cross country miles and gaining 40,000 feet, in a record time of 89 hours and 47 minutes. 

Two young harriers clocked the most impressive high school cross country races in California history. Jackson Spencer of Herriman High School in Utah sprinted the Woodward Park 5,000-meter course in Fresno in 14 minutes and 16 seconds. Summer Wilson of Irvine High School charged the same course in 16 minutes and 20 seconds on her way to a first-place finish at the CIF State Cross Country Championships. Those are the fastest boys and girls times ever recorded on the course which has hosted the cross country state meet and hundreds of thousands of elite high school runners since 1987. Way to go, kids. 

Those who prefer to experience athletic exploits from the comfort of home will enjoy “Girl Climber.” The film follows standout climber Emily Harrington’s effort to climb El Capitan’s formidable Golden Gate route (36 pitches covering 3,000 feet, rated 5.13a) in less than 24 hours. She faces no shortage of hardships along the way. Viewers will enjoy the breathtaking cinematography and a rare female-focused climbing story. Find the movie at jolt.film.

Turning to the bookshelf, climbers will love “Rock Climbing Yosemite Valley,” Erik Sloan’s new guidebook including 750 free routes of all difficulty levels. Sloan has been living and climbing in Yosemite for more than 20 years and applied his experience to produce a book that’s both helpful and beautiful. I appreciate the inclusion of easy and moderate climbs; we don’t all lead 5.13a, after all.

Unfortunately, 2025 saw bad news for parks and forests, like Pres. Trump’s mass firing of 4,400 rangers and other workers. A long government shutdown and budget cuts in the billions reduced staff on public lands even more, harming public lands and public safety. 

But here’s better news: a widely-criticized effort to sell more than 3 million acres of public land failed in Congress. Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s bill would have required the government to sell public property in California and other western states. 

“Americans across the political spectrum have made it clear they oppose selling off the natural heritage of our public lands to fund tax cuts for billionaires,” said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program.

Your scribe enjoyed some special moments outdoors in 2025, like competing in The Great Ski Race at Lake Tahoe and hiking 250 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with friends and family. 

California’s 14ers called to me as well, and 30 years after I climbed my first, I finally completed the set, too. What Tagg did in four months took me three decades, but who cares? I experienced mountain-sized joy achieving the summits with companions, finishing with perfect days on Mount Tyndall and Mount Williamson in July. 

“Never settle and do whatever you need to do to keep the inner fire burning bright,” Tagg suggested. That’s good advice to remember in 2026.