During
the 1990’s, I built and sold one of the most profitable companies in the
corporate housing industry. I continued to run the business as a division
of the country’s largest REIT, serving hundreds of employers from New York
to Boston.
But after the 9/11 attacks, I began to reevaluate my life and
realized I had a long list of things to do and places to go which I would
never experience with a job that I loved. I had an extremely competent
GM, whom my boss agreed could run the business so on May 31, 2002, I
retired.
The
next day I was at Denali Base Camp learning the skills I would need to
climb North America’s highest mountain three weeks later. I originally
thought my training, confidence and perseverance got me to the summit, but
now realize that knowledgeable guides, great teammates and fortuitous
weather played a much more important role.
After reaching the summit of the highest mountain on
five of the seven continents, I set aside my climbing ambitions after an
aborted attempt to climb Cho Oyu in Tibet. Aside from
climbing, I have visited and hiked in three-dozen countries on
six continents. I have participated in
disaster relief efforts in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami and here on the US
Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita.
Sadly, on the five-year anniversary of 9/11, my niece’s 22-year old
husband Harley, of whom we were all very proud, was killed while serving
in Iraq. This is their son, Ayden.
I’ve
met fascinating people – most notably my wife Ying,
whom I met on my first trip to China in 2002 and married in December 2008.
We are currently touring the USA.
This
site includes the itineraries, journals and selected photographs of my
adventures. There are also links to other websites, containing additional
information about some of the places I’ve been. I hope you enjoy these
places as much as I have.
- Gary Bacon,
Miami Beach, FL
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