At 65, Mary Cowan Lundquist decided to celebrate her birthday by doing something that scared her: climbing Wyoming’s Grand Teton.
The 13,775-foot peak rises above Jackson Hole and represents far more than a physical challenge for Mary. Twenty-five years earlier, she was diagnosed with lymphoma. Treatment—including chemotherapy and radiation—saved her life, but it also damaged her lungs and ended her dream of climbing Mount Everest.
Mary did not let that become the end of her story.
Instead, she kept moving. She walked, hiked, biked, worked, raised her son, and gradually learned what her body could do after cancer. When she turned 65, she looked at the Grand Teton she had admired for years and decided it was time for a new goal.
“I thought it would be a great goal and something to build for,” Mary said.
A Goal Worth Training For
Mary and her climbing partner, Heather, prepared for the Grand Teton with long hikes, elevation training, climbing lessons, and plenty of time outdoors. Mary’s regular routine already included walking eight to 10 miles, but the mountain required something more: steeper climbs, higher elevations, ropes, rappelling, and learning how to move confidently on rock.
The climb was planned as a three-day adventure. The first day would bring the group to base camp, followed by an early-morning summit attempt. Climbers leave well before sunrise because afternoon storms and lightning can make the mountain especially dangerous.
For Mary, the challenge was both physical and emotional.
After cancer, she had to learn to trust her body again. She wanted adventure, but she also wanted to see what was possible when she took her health, training, and determination seriously.
One Foot in Front of the Other
Mary’s message is bigger than mountaineering.
Many people see a challenge in front of them and immediately think, “I could never do that.” Mary understands that feeling. Before her climbing lesson, she looked at a cliff and thought there was no way she would go up it. Forty-five minutes later, she had done it—and enjoyed it.
Her approach is simple: take the next step.
Whether the challenge is starting a business after 50, recovering from illness, caring for family, training for an event, or simply getting through a difficult day, progress often comes through small, consistent actions.
“Every day, it’s a different mountain,” Mary said. “You just have to decide what that is and then put one foot in front of the other.”
She also emphasizes that resilience does not mean every day is easy. There will be setbacks, fear, and days that bring you to your knees. But tomorrow can be different—and a difficult day does not have to define the journey.
The Mountain Made the Decision
Mary and Heather reached the saddle of the Grand Teton, but the mountain’s conditions became too dangerous to continue.
They faced sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, gusts up to 75 miles per hour, heavy rain, below-freezing temperatures, and ice-covered terrain. Many strong, experienced climbers were forced to turn back.
Mary did not summit the peak, but the adventure was still a success.
The goal was never only to stand at the top. It was to prepare, show up, test her limits, and embrace the experience. She did all of that.
As her climbing partner put it, “The mountain is no joke. Having the adventure was the goal.”
Mary’s story is a reminder that success is not always measured by reaching the exact destination we imagined. Sometimes it is found in the courage to begin, the work it takes to prepare, and the wisdom to recognize when the mountain is asking you to come back another day.
Watch the full episode of Crazy Good Aging to hear Mary’s story of cancer survival, resilience, adventure, and choosing a bigger life after 50.