The list of people completing the 14ers in 2002
The 14er files
Carolyn Markham ekes out a bit more vertical on Mt. Massive.
Neither heat nor drought nor fire could keep climbers from their appointed rounds on Colorado’s high peaks this year. More than twenty individuals finished out their lists in 2002, some ticking off the last mountain several decades after the first. One guy who just doesn’t know when to quit has alighted on every one of the state’s 54 summits a dozen times each. It’s safe to say it’s business as usual (or unusual, as is so often the case) among the 14ers.
Rich Adkisson’s first fourteener climb was Mount of the Holy Cross, “straight up the cross with a roped rock climb at the very end. It was fantastic and I was hooked,” he says. Both Terry O’Donnell and Arthur LeMaster recount climbing Longs Peak by the old cable route. O’Donnell also describes a climb of Capitol Peak in fog and found the “dreaded exposure” on the knife edge ridge wasn’t a problem because he couldn’t see it. He crossed and just kept heading up until there wasn’t any more up and found the register.
Terry O'Donnell rests atop Mt. Meeker
Steve Helle climbed his last nineteen peaks as part of a fundraiser for the American Brain Tumor Association, following successful treatment. D. Roger Burton laments that he was unable to do a headstand on the true summit of Sunlight Peak (ŕ la Carl Blaurock) due to hail and static on the rocks. Gary Stebleton says, “It’s been a fun and rewarding experience, and my wife has given me a book on Colorado’s high thirteeners to keep me out of the house on the weekends.”
The length of time to finish all the 14ers was 33 years for Neal Zaun, who says “I think I remember Gerry Roach saying that you should spread climbing all of them over many years, which I certainly did.” Leland Anderson reports climbing them all after age 59. Terry O’Donnell, says, “I completed a quest I hadn’t even realized I was starting 44 years ago. I reached the top of Longs Peak, my first 14er, during the summer between my 5th and 6th grades. It was during that hike up the old cable route that I learned what 14ers were and what a joyous feeling it was to be on top of them! The next 35 years saw only a few high ones added to my list, but with retirement and finding a couple of friends who shared my interest, the pace picked up!”
Greg and Deborah Richford report, “We have enjoyed the challenges, overcoming obstacles, encountering all four seasons, enduring the elements, and witnessing the unprecedented beauty of wildflowers in bloom and the splendor of nature. Climbing all the 14ers in the state wasn’t just about accomplishing a lofty goal, but a journey, accomplished one step at a time.”
Personal Lists
From the list of Ben and Holly Bruestle:
Scariest—Mt. Lindsey (off route with ice)
Worst Road—Blanca
Most Expensive—Culebra
Number of Times on the Wrong Peak—Two
Favorite Trail Snack—Craisins (Holly), Cheetos (Ben)
Packages of Ramen Eaten—102
Total Miles Hiked—390
Best Advice to Others—Travel light and know your descent route
(Note: Ben and Holly met while hiking and their first date, three days later, was a climb of Kit Carson and Humboldt Peaks.)
From the list of Arthur LeMaster:
Scariest Moment—Sleet/freezing rain on summit of Little Bear without enough gear for weather or for the wet, icy descent through the hourglass. As close as I want to get to a fall on the way down. Bought new Gore-Tex shell immediately after the trip.
Experiences—Coming off San Luis after dark and not having my prescription glasses so using a headlamp and sunglasses. The mosquitoes on Holy Cross
Happiest Moment—Too many to mention
Worst Trips—Too painful to recall
Appreciation for the CMC
The CMC has made it possible for climbers to continue to finish the pay-to-climb, privately-owned Culebra Peak. At present, this peak may only be climbed with a CMC group. Rich Adkisson states that Culebra was his most difficult peak—politically—and he joined the CMC to be able to climb it. Three Culebra trips went this summer. The third trip was assembled at the last minute when permission was granted Friday afternoon for a climb on Sunday, September 8. Julie Beckwith quickly contacted climbers, and seven were able sign on for the climb. Darlene Schumacher, one of the finishers from that group, says “Special thanks to Julie for making this goal possible.”
Climbers often mention the CMC as a valuable asset to their knowledge and experience. Arthur LeMaster credits the CMC schools as being invaluable and says its Wilderness Trekking school is a must. According to Dave Rittersbacher, “As a former Colorado resident, it is gratifying to know that a strong organization like the CMC is working hard to preserve Colorado’s natural beauty.”
Giving back was the theme of the Jim Gehres 14ers Fund fundraising event on October 10, which raised over $20,000 for the CMC Foundation. With the self-explanatory title of “54 Fourteeners Times Twelve,” Gehres was recognized for his twelfth round of the summits and given the honorary title of “Mr. Fourteener.” This festive occasion was complete with a massive re-creation of Capitol Peak in chocolate. See the profile of Jim Gehres in this issue.P
Editor’s note: to register completion of the 14ers, send a letter to Trail & Timberline, Attn: Fourteeners, 710 Tenth St., Suite 200, Golden, Co, 80401. Letters received after November 1 will be held for the following year’s list. Include the name and date (month & year) of your first and last 14er. By including an address, you will also receive a letter from the CMC Foundation, supporting preservation of the 14ers. Stories and photos are welcome. Submitted materials become the property of CMC and cannot be returned.