Hulda Crooks was born in Saskatchewan in 1896, where physically demanding farm work became part of her childhood routine. Impressed that she needed an education, she left her Canadian farm and began the rigorous climb from fifth grade to a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics. She struggled with health problems over the next 25 years, which eventually caused her to reevaluate her diet and exercise habits.
With the encouragement of her husband, she began climbing mountains near their Southern California home. At age 66, she made her first attempt on the 14,495-foot Mount Whitney and turned it into a yearly challenge. At 70, she began jogging to improve her endurance for climbing mountains. At 75, she started taking extended backpacking trips of a week or more. The next year, she completed an 80-mile backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, from Sequoia to Whitney Portal. Two years later, she completed the John Muir Trail by section-hiking all 212 miles over the course of five summers. Not ready to slow down at 81, she then focused her efforts on the Sierra Club's registered list of 268 peaks in Southern California, which ranged in altitudes between 5,000 to 11,500 feet.
Hulda Crooks gained international acclaim when she broke a mountaineering record in 1987. At 91 years old, she became the oldest woman to climb Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan. A mere six weeks later, she broke her own record as the oldest person to climb Mountain Whitney during her 23rd and final ascent to the summit.