The Fourteener Files

The fourteener files

By Linda Kothe Crockett

The climbers’ letters are in and there were a dozen who reported finishing in 2003, with the remaining additions to the list from finishes in previous years. A couple of those folks started climbing the 14ers in the 1950s. Kent Willoughby’s claim to fame is that he climbed them all in his sixties. Occasionally the group of list finishers will include people from other states: this year’s surprise address is located in Miami Beach, Florida, home of climber John Rothchild.

Some people climbed all of their Fourteeners together. This included all but one summit for John Szlendak and Bruce Croissant, who ultimately finished a year apart only because they didn’t draw for Culebra (their final climb) in the same lottery. Gordon Gray and Larry Lynch climbed all their summits together, and now their sons have decided to continue the tradition and have vowed to join up for all of the 14ers (see photos). Family ties also bound Merlin, Scott, and Shawn Otteman to climb all the 14ers. Even though their finishes did not coincide, they got together to submit their lists.

Beginnings

All good adventures have a beginning, a middle, and an end. For some, the most interesting climb is the first one. Apparently not one for taking the easy way, Melissa Bland’s first 14er was Capitol Peak. She climbed it while working for the USFS as a wilderness guard and ended up climbing it five times in a single summer. Michael Stafford’s first was Mt. Evans in a thirteen-mile footrace up the road from Echo Lake. After the race ended on top, he ran back down to the starting line. On Carol Hadl’s first climb, her friends initiated her into the world of 14er tomfoolery by secretly slipping a rock into her already heavy pack. To the summit and back went the rock, along with a camera, tripod, and other items.

Going the distance

Along the way, peaks are climbed, memories made, and records kept. Undaunted by her rock-carrying effort, Hadl continued climbing the summits and developed an appreciation for the discovery that climbing allows her to eat more. She is now a CMC trip leader and looks forward to helping others with their climbs.

Climbers frequently mention the CMC in connection with their success. Deborah Deeg expresses the sentiments of so many others in her appreciation of the hikes, the classes, the BMS school, trip leaders, and CMC friends, and she says, “I couldn’t have done it without them.” Melissa Bland says that climbing peaks has become a large part of what defines her and keeps her sane. She plans to give something back by continuing to support the CMC and to help with trail restoration.

David Lien shared his climbing log, containing information on his 14ers ventures, jottings describing adventures in National Parks and visits to international peaks, plus a record of the dates and locations of his Jimmy Buffett concerts. Alan Knepper gets extra credit for climbing all seventy of the 14ers in the continental U.S.

Craig Books reflects on the experience: “Now when I see people taking a picture of the Maroon Bells, I can laugh to myself about how I wandered around like Moses in the desert on the backside of South Maroon Peak looking for any hint of a trail.” He also offers “An apology to Gerry Roach, whose name was used in vain more than a few times.”

Finishing

You know what they say about all good things; it is probably safe to say that most people are at least somewhat relieved to reach the end of the list. But of course that is sort of a beginning, too, with climbing so firmly entrenched in their lives.

Finishing is not always easy. It took Gordon Gray four attempts in four different years to complete his final summit, Kit Carson. Bland made three attempts for her last, Mt. Eolus. On summit morning, she stood on the peak at 8:30 under a “Clear, blue azure sky, calm winds, and a view one could never tire of.”

Books says, “As someone who grew up in Colorado, I always took for granted the incredible scenery and splendor of the great Rocky Mountains. Climbing the Fourteeners really requires that you want to go and explore remote areas of the stateÑareas that I probably would never have seen otherwise. To me, the chance to see how truly wild and beautiful the state of Colorado is up close and personal was a great reward.”

Lien sums up his finish. “It has been a long, hard, beautiful, wondrous, and sometimes dangerous journey seeing the very best of Colorado from high atop its fourteen-thousand-foot peaks, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and hope to do it again.”

If you are looking for a unique challenge, the comprehensive list reveals that no one has ever reported starting their fourteener climbing with Maroon Peak or Mt. Oxford. Also, no one has ever finished on Grays Peak or on Mts. Belford, Lincoln, or Democrat. A climber once finished on Stewart Peak (elev. 13,983 ft.) back in the days when it was thought to be a fourteener.

Congratulations to all the finishers and happy trails. P

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 October 1 will be held for the following year’s list. Include your name and the date (month & year) of your first and last 14er. Stories and photos are welcome and encouraged. By including an address, you will also receive a letter from the CMC Foundation supporting preservation of the 14ers. Submitted materials become the property of CMC and cannot be returned.