Introduction

Colorado has lots of mountains that rise over 14,000 feet high.  They are known as 14ers.  Depending on the criteria you adopt there are somewhere between 52 and 58 recognized peaks in the state.  I am going with the list of 58 because it is pretty easy to explain:  a point over 14,000 feet is counted if it has been given a name by the USGS (United States Geological Survey).

Besides Alaska (which we skip for simplicity’s sake!) there are only two other states in the US that have 14ers.  California has 15 recognized 14,000 foot peaks, and Washington has 1.

The Colorado 14er Speed Record

The first known Colorado 14er speed record was set in 1960.  Over the last 50 years the record has been challenged repeatedly and lowered so that it now stands at 10 days, 20 hours, and 26 minutes.

This record has changed very much over the years.  Originally there were no guidebooks.  It would have been a serious challenge that required extensive use of maps just to find roads into the mountains.  With no guidebooks it would have been a serious undertaking just to get within striking distance of the mountains.  Once on the mountain you would probably have been lucky to find good trails leading you to the summits.

In the 1990’s, with the popularity of climbing the 14ers soaring, routes were more travelled and easier to follow, and some new guidebooks by Dawson and Roach made the 14ers more accessible than ever before.  At the same time, ultrarunners became interested in the record, and they started lowering the record by large amounts. The record was now fast enough that to challenge the record you needed to round up a few intrepid individuals to provide support.  Support crews would be responsible for cooking, driving, medicating, babying, and motivating you so you could focus on hiking or running.

In the late 1990’s and finally with the current record set in 2000, the nature of the record changed again as it became more of an endurance challenge.  Logistics became key as every hour spent in between mountains became more important, and hiking peaks in the dark while sleep deprived became the new standard.

The Contiguous United States 14er Speed Record

Surprisingly, despite the fact that in Colorado climbing 14ers is almost overwhelmingly popular,  climbing the 14ers in California is not.  It could be because of the technical nature and difficult approaches of the peaks.  In any case, there are only a very few individuals who have climbed all of the 14ers in Colorado, California, and Washington.  Perhaps numbering around 20, although I don’t think there is a very good source on the actual number.

There is only one group known to have completed the Contiguous 14ers in a continuous manner, thereby setting a speed record.  In 1974 the Smith family, including the father George Smith and sons Flint, Quade, Cody, and Tyle, climbed 54 Colorado 14ers in 33 days.  They then continued on to California and Washington and climbed the then recognized 68 Fourteeners in the continental United States in 48 days, a record which still stands.  Although I don’t know much about their adventure, I can imagine what it must have been like considering that I also have 4 kids, and although two are very young, I can grasp what a monumental task, and at the same time what a great adventure their trip must have been.

My Plan

In 1999, I shaved a few minutes off the Colorado 14er Speed Record and became the first to complete the 14ers in under 14 days.  My time didn’t stand for long as it was first smashed by Ricky Denesik in early summer of 2000, and then doubly smashed by Teddy Kaiser in Late Summer of 2000.  Teddy managed to take more than 3 days off my time only 1 year later.

This year I would like to give the record another shot.  I hadn’t seriously considered doing anything like this for years, but was inspired when John Prater attempted to set the record in 2012.  The stars aligned as I met people who were willing to help out with support, and family circumstances led to this summer being the best time to give it a shot.  Before I knew it I had a tentative start date.  I’ve spent hours looking over maps and spreadsheets. I believe it is possible that I could lower the current record, however I know it will take a lot of luck.

In fact, in studying my estimated times I realized that even a little bit of bad weather or unforeseen injury would likely put me behind schedule.  But I am going to give it my best shot.

Even if I fall behind, and need an extra couple of days to complete the Colorado 14ers, I still plan to finish and will continue on to California and then on to Mt. Rainier to complete all of the 14ers in the Contiguous United States.  I have never seen the peaks in California or Washington, so that will be a new adventure and I am really looking forward to it.

The start date is set for June 18, 2014.  I wish it could be postponed a week or two because of the large amount of snow in the high country in Colorado this year, but I am locked in to that date, and will just have to see how it goes.

If you are interested, updates will be posted on this website, and I will include a link to a map that will be updated with my current position by a satellite tracker that I will carry with me at all times.

Thanks to my wife Natalie for supporting me in this attempt.  Also thanks James Sims and Brenda Siracusan (my mom) who will be my full time support crew, and to Andrea Sansone, Kim Siedlacek, and Calvin and Axel (my two oldest sons) who will be able to help out for a portion of the record.