For Dave Boyer, the road to the highest peak in North America began in a place far removed from Alaska’s snow-covered mountains.

Nearly a quarter of a century ago, after six days lost in the flooded forests of the Brazilian Amazon, Boyer and his friend were exhausted and desperate when they saw two men paddling toward them.

He yelled for help in Portuguese and the two men rescued them from the rainforest. And Boyer says the experience fundamentally changed the direction of his life.

The ambitious young man who ventured into the Amazon emerged with a renewed sense of purpose. Today, the educator, husband, and father of two daughters still has an appetite for challenging himself in some of the world’s most remote places.

Boyer is one mountain away from completing what he calls a “50 Before 50” project: reaching the highest point in all 50 states before his 50th birthday. The final summit is Alaska’s 20,310-foot Denali peak. He has been accepted onto a guided expedition with Rainier Mountaineering Inc., scheduled to begin in May.

Getting there, however, will require considerable preparation — and money. Boyer estimates the undertaking will cost $30,000 or more, including expenses like equipment, training, and guide services.

For now, he is focused on preparing for the physical demands through weight training, hiking, and running, despite lingering issues with his right knee following surgery.

As he wrote in his blog, the personal pursuit has found its way into his middle school science classroom. He has introduced “Denali Brain Breaks,” or short exercise sessions during class that allow him to work on his own conditioning while encouraging students to stay active.

That experience in the Amazon, Boyer explained, taught him that the opportunity to live another day comes with an obligation to make the most of it. He hopes that by sharing his journey, others will be encouraged to take on challenges of their own.

“Even personal goals don’t have to be done in isolation,” he wrote. “Asking for help doesn’t take away from the work required to complete difficult tasks.”

Boyer is seeking support from the community through the end of the year to help cover the costs of his final expedition. Contributions can be made via GoFundMe, directly through Venmo at @Dave-Boyer-21, or by purchasing equipment from his online wish list.

He plans to publish regular updates here, documenting his training and other preparations in the months leading up to the climb.

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