There is something entirely selfish about an endeavor like the 14er record. It is not just leaving the family for so long, but having other friends willing to put their lives on hold to help out. The support crew job is very difficult, and they will be suffering sleep deprivation challenges of their own. I will do my best to stay on schedule and keep them happy and motivated!
Thanks very much to my crew!
James Sims. In honor of Teddy’s “No Muling” rule I wanted to name James “The Mule”, because of his ability to carry huge loads while hiking. For some reason he doesn’t like the title. I am leaning heavily on James for this record attempt. He is the only person who will be around for the entire attempt. Without him a key part of my strategy, the dirt bike, would not be possible. He is so fast that it kind of seems like I should be supporting him instead.
Brenda Siracusan (my mom). My mom has been a part of all of my record attempts. She is the one person who is always willing to rub out my nasty feet, and will be driving the Eurovan that I will try to sleep in while between trailheads.
Andrea Sansone. We met Andrea on the top of South Maroon in 2012, and she has been a great family friend ever since. She will be around for about half of the time in Colorado and will be helping out wherever possible, especially with keeping Calvin and Axel happy. She is also supposed to help out in keeping this website updated!
Kim Siedlacek. We also met Kim on top of South Maroon, and like Andrea she has become one of our best friends. She will be helping out for a few days as well, and will hopefully finish her last 14er (Culebra) while I am trying to set the record. To give me options, I paid for two separate days on Culebra, and she will hopefully get to use the ticket for the day that I do not go.
Will Robnett. I did not even meet Will until the end of day 1. He is a friend of Kim who lives in Vail. He offered to stay on and help for the entire attempt. His duties included taking the kids fishing, hiking with me on Pyramid and Holy Cross, and searching for James when James disappeared into the Maroon-Bells Wilderness.
Calvin Hamilton (my oldest son). Calvin has almost finished climbing all of the 14ers twice, completing them for the first time at age 8. His main job is to not torture his little brother.
Axel Hamilton (my second oldest son). One of the youngest to climb Colorado’s 14ers (he finished at age 6), Axel’s job will be to try refrain from his annoying antics and to not talk too much!
Oops, almost forgot 🙂 The one person that is really making this possible! My wife Natalie Hamilton. She is going to be working crazy hours, taking care of the kids at home, and helping to update the website. She might also be able to come and visit with Luke and Scarlett during the later days in Colorado.
