Hayes resident Bruce Pully is currently between two major adventures, a pair of trips that many could only dream of taking.

In August, Pully ascended 18,510 feet to the summit of Mount Elbrus in southern Russia. Next month, he will go even farther, planning to climb 22,841 feet to the summit of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

His desire to embark on these challenging and potentially dangerous adventures arose out of his lifetime passion for backpacking, hiking and long-distance running. One backpacking adventure in particular, a trip around the base of Mount Rainier in Washington, sparked his interest in climbing to the highest peaks.

Pully and a friend had lost the trail while on that hike and were sitting on the side of a snow bank when the clouds opened up to the sun shining on Rainier’s snow-covered peak. “That was when I told myself I have to do that,” Pully said.

Pully made the 14,410-foot climb to the top of Rainier in 2006, and didn’t sto...