Last year, when 43-year-old mountaineer Monique Richard and her climbing partner attempted to reach the summit of Mount Logan, they had to turn back.

This year, Richard, a Montrealer, is returning to complete the journey.

This time, she will face it alone as she attempts a solo climb of the nation’s highest mountain at 5,959 metres.

“It’s a very beautiful mountain,” she said in a recent interview.

She described the expansive width, noting that knowing the mountain from her 2017 adventure will likely help her as she climbs toward the peak.

Richard admits it was very disappointing to have to end last year’s climb just around 12 hours from reaching the summit.

With her climbing partner not fit enough to make the final part of the climb, she said, they opted to end it there.

In the interests of his safety, she accompanied him off the mountain.

Since then, conquering Logan with the knowledge from her last experience has been a goal.

“I know the mountain,” she said of the southwest Yukon feature.

To start, she will go in better equipped with skis rather than snowshoes, for example. She will also have two tents this time to ensure she has proper shelter in any inclement conditions.

In total, the journey will see Richard carry her full 100 lbs. of gear on her back.

Training has meant focusing a lot on strength, including time four or five days a week on a Versa Climber machine and weekends spent training in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state.

As it’s the highest peak in Canada, there’s a sense of national pride in completing Logan.

“It’s my passion,” Richard said of climbing.

That passion is clear from the list of more than 30 ascents she has made since 2010 – which, among others, include Mount Everest.

She spoke of “many confidences” that she’s well-prepared and can make the climb.

She also acknowledged that the weather conditions may change those plans, with Logan being impassable some 300 days each year.

“If I don’t feel safe, I’ll turn around,” Richard said. That wouldn’t be easy, she noted, and she will take things, quite literally, step by step.

It’s estimated that more than half the attempts to summit Mount Logan are unsuccessful.

With a full-time job with Canada Post to get back to at home, Richard said she has allocated 22 days to make the climb.

Richard will arrive in Whitehorse on May 11 and stock up on supplies.

The next day, she will head to Haines Junction, where she’ll meet with officials from Kluane National Park and Preserve before the climb.

On May 14 she will begin her challenge.

If Richard summits Logan, she would be the first solo woman to do so.