Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Will Forman, 84, climbs Mt. Whitney

Will Forman hadn't hiked in 60 years, but he asked his daughter if he could tag along with her to the top of Mount Whitney.

"Unfortunately it was my idea to climb it and then he wanted to come along," daughter Kathy Corvin said.

To get into shape, Mr. Forman joined his grandson's Boy Scout troop, and for eight months walked the stairs of a 10-story building.

"It was about time to do something different," Forman said.

Last week, that something different had Mr. Forman climbing the highest peak in the continental United States.

"It was really blowing hard and storming," he said.

Despite all of that training, Forman underestimated the staggering switch backs combined with thin air and aging lungs.

"I was sucking air in a greater volume than the younger people were," Forman said.

Throughout the hike, a fatigued Forman fell behind the pack.

"You think if they can make it, I can make it, and I started all of this and I did all of those stairways. I'm not quitting on this deal if it kills me," Forman said.

"He's like the Energizer bunny and just kept on going," Kathy said.

Three days later, Forman fought his way to the summit.

"It was a lot of rock. It's a big mountain," he said.

So what's next?

"I have not quite decided. Those pyramids look like they'd be interesting, but that's not much of a climb," Forman said.

Forman says his bucket list keeps getting shorter. He's already jumped out of a plane, and last year he learned how to surf.