Member Bio

Member #: 101
Member Year: 2019
Tyler Stuart

Bio Summary
Community Activity Summary
Since returning to El Paso County after finishing college, Tyler Stuart has been active as a volunteer with the El Paso County Nature Centers, Aiken Audubon, and the U.S. Geological Survey, and he has previously volunteered for Catamount Institute and the Pikes Peak Bird and Nature Festival.
Occupation Summary
Tyler Stuart is a wildlife biologist and natural resources consultant for CORE Consultants, where he assesses the potential impacts and studies the actual impacts of wind and solar energy development on wildlife.
AdAmAn Service
Fireworks clean ups on Pikes Peak
Hobbies
Hiking, birding, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, road cycling, skiing, swimming in lakes, camping, travelling, playing with my cats, cooking, and reading.
Climbing Experience Summary
Tyler Stuart has hiked and climbed 66 unique peaks over 13,000 feet in Colorado, and reached a total of 97 summits over 13,000 feet in the United States. He has summitted Pikes Peak 16 times, including 10 ascents in the winter. He also thoroughly enjoys exploring the lesser-known summits of El Paso County, and has stood atop 21 of the peaks in the county.

Bio Detail
Community Activity Detail
Tyler has been a volunteer for the El Paso County Nature Centers since 2012, assisting with special events and coordinating seasonal bird counts at Bear Creek and Fountain Creek Regional Parks. He has been a board member of Aiken Audubon, the local chapter of National Audubon Society, through which he has been the coordinator of the Colorado Springs Christmas Bird Count since 2013 and the Secretary since 2020. Tyler also leads field trips several times a year for Aiken Audubon. Tyler volunteered for environmental education programs at Catamount Institute from 2014 to 2017. He was a committee member for the Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival in 2018 and 2019, and has led field trips for the festival since 2016. He has also conducted annual breeding bird surveys for the U.S. Geological Survey since 2018.
Occupation Detail
Tyler Stuart has worked as a wildlife biologist and natural resources consultant for CORE Consultants since 2015. His work focuses on understanding the potential and actual impacts of wind and solar energy facility development on birds, bats, and other wildlife. Tyler has worked on projects across much of the Great Plains and Intermountain West, including in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Prior to CORE Consultants, from 2012 to 2014, Tyler worked as a contract biologist for the Institute for Bird Populations in the Sierra Nevada of California. The primary work focused on monitoring breeding bird populations of Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks with extensive backcountry and off-trail travel. Tyler has also worked as a teacher at Ruth Washburn Cooperative Nursery School and an environmental educator at Catamount Institute for school children within El Paso County, Colorado. For several years after completion of his undergraduate degree, Tyler followed short-term and seasonal jobs around the western United States and beyond, including: Tropical Ecology Research for Occidental College, La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica (2008-2011) Stream Ecological Technician, Takshanuk Watershed Council, Haines, Alaska (2009) Biological Stockroom Assistant, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California (2009-2010) Biological Technician, Bureau of Land Management, Lander, Wyoming (2010-2011) Fish Biological Technician, National Fish Hatchery, Leadville, Colorado (2011) Avian Technician for Cornell University, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming (2011) Athletics Referee and After-School Program Facilitator, Parks and Recreation, Boulder City, Nevada (2012)
Climbing Experience Detail
Handies Peak, CO (14,058) - July 1994 Pikes Peak (14,115), CO - 16 summits from Jun. 1996 to Dec. 2020 Mount Cameron, CO (14,238) - Aug. 1997, Aug. 2003 Mount Lincoln, CO (14,293) - Aug. 1997, Aug. 2003 Mount Democrat, CO (14,155) - Aug. 1997 Grays Peak, CO (14,278) - Jul. 1998, Aug. 2010 Torreys Peak, CO (14,275) - Jul. 1998, Aug. 2010 La Plata Peak, CO (14,336) - Jul. 1999, Jul. 2007, Jul. 2020 Quandary Peak, CO (14,271) - Sep. 1999, Jul. 2006 Mount Belford, CO (14,203) - Aug. 2000 Mount Oxford, CO (14,160) - Aug. 2000 Castle Peak, CO (14,279) - Jul. 2001 Conundrum Peak, CO (14,060) - Jul. 2001 Mount Sherman, CO (14,036) - Jun. 2002, Jun. 2019 Mount Bierstadt, CO (14,060) - Jun. 2003 Mount Bross, CO (14,172) - Aug. 2003 Mount Shavano, CO (14,231) - Sep. 2003 Mount Tabeguache, CO (14,162) - Sep. 2003 Mount Antero, CO (14,276) - Jul. 2004 Mount Evans, CO (14,265) - Jul. 2004 Mount Elbert, CO (14,440) - June 2005, May 2018 Missouri Mountain, CO (14,074) - Jul. 2005 Longs Peak, CO (14,259) - Aug. 2005 Mount Yale, CO (14,200) - Jul. 2006 Mount Harvard, CO (14,421) - Aug. 2006 Mount Columbia, CO (14,077) - Aug. 2006 Huron Peak, CO (14,010) - Jun. 2007 Mount Lindsey, CO (14,042) - Jul. 2007 Wetterhorn Peak, CO (14,015) - Jul. 2007, Jul. 2020 Mount Eolus, CO (14,083) - Aug. 2007, Jul. 2020 North Eolus Peak, CO (14,039) - Aug. 2007, Jul. 2020 Windom Peak, CO (14,082) - Aug. 2007, Jul. 2020 Sunlight Peak, CO (14,059) - Aug. 2007, Jul. 2020 Turret Peak A, CO (13,835) - Aug. 2007 Uncompahgre Peak, CO (14,321) - Jul. 2008 Mount of the Holy Cross, CO (14,009) - Aug. 2008 Notch Mountain, CO (13,237) - Aug. 2008 Crystal Peak A, CO (13,852) - Aug. 2008 Peak 10, CO (13,633) - Aug. 2008 Slate Mountain, CA (9,302) - Oct. 2009 Mount Whitney, CA (14,505) - Nov. 2009, Aug. 2012 Dyer Mountain, CO (13,855) - June 2011 Mount Hope A, CO (13,933) - Jul. 2011 Mount Sheridan, CO (13,748) - Jul. 2011, Jun. 2019 Peerless Mountain, CO (13,348) - Jul. 2011 Mount Massive, CO (14,421) - Jul. 2011 Cameron Cone, CO (10,707) - Dec. 2011 Challenger Point, CO (14,081) - Aug. 2012 Kit Carson Peak, CO (14,165) - Aug. 2012 Redcloud Peak, CO (14,034) - Oct. 2013 Sunshine Peak, CO (14,001) - Oct. 2013 Grayback Peak, CO (9,348) - Jun. 2015 Tenney Crags, CO (10,093) - Jul. 2015 Mount Arthur, CO (10,807) - Jul. 2015 Mount Garfield, CO (10,930) - Jul. 2015 Mount Baldy, WY (11,857) - Jul. 2015 Cookstove Mountain, CO (9,782) - Aug. 2015 Sentinel Point, CO (12,527) - Sep. 2015 Mount Cutler, CO (7,231) - Oct. 2015 Mount Arkansas, CO (13,795) - Aug. 2015 Mount Sneffels, CO (14,150) - Aug. 2015, Sep. 2017 Mount Princeton, CO (14,204) - Aug. 2016 Almagre Mountain, CO (12,367) - Aug. 2017 San Luis Peak, CO (14,014) - Sep. 2018 Crestone Peak, CO (14,294) - Sep. 2018 Crestone Needle, CO via Crestone Traverse (14,197) - Sep. 2018 Cheyenne Mountain, CO (9,570) - Oct. 2018 Gemini Peak, CO (13,951) - Jun. 2019 Capitol Peak, CO (14,130) - Aug. 2019 French Mountain, CO (13,940) - Aug. 2019 El Diente Peak, CO (14,159) - Aug. 2019 Mount Wilson, CO via El Diente-Wilson Traverse (14,246) - Aug. 2019 Wilson Peak, CO (14,017) - Sep. 2019 Mount Muscoco, CO (8,020) - Oct. 2019 Mount Kineo, CO (9,478) - Oct. 2019 St. Peter's Dome, CO (9,690) - Nov. 2019 Cascade Mountain, CO (9,387) - Mar. 2020 Humboldt Peak, CO (14,064) - Jun. 2020 Ellingwood Point, CO (14,042) - Jun. 2020 Pyramid Peak, CO (14,025) - Aug. 2020 Maroon Peak, CO (14,163) - Aug. 2020 North Maroon Peak, CO via Bells Traverse (14,019) - Aug. 2020

Memories
Memories From First Climb
I remember my first AdAmAn hike of Pikes Peak in 2005 as among the easiest of the Pikes Peak ascents I have made with the club. I cannot say for sure whether this is based on fact or is the product of three or four snowy, windy, and sub-zero ascents in the years immediately following, but I recall a sunny day with very little snow. The joy and warmth that Neal and Teresa Taylor brought to their care of Barr Camp and those who visited shone through as a highlight of my first hike with AdAmAn. After setting up the fireworks on the summit on New Year's Eve, I remember walking over to the southwestern side of the summit with four or five other hikers. I know Sean O'Donnell and Dave Hunting were there, and unfortunately I cannot recall who the other two or three were. We stood there, overlooking Cripple Creek and Victor and the rolling forests beyond, for 20 minutes or more as the earth turned us away from the sun on that last day of 2005. And then, of course, I remember the first-time feeling of awe while standing beneath the midnight fireworks atop the mountain that looked over me throughout my childhood.
Memories From First Member Year
I remember my year leading the Club as the new member beginning notably easier than many previous hikes. On the first day's hike and nearly to A-Frame on the second day, there was minimal snow to contend with. These portions of the hike were sunny and fairly calm too, as I recall. After news at Barr Camp of no one having summitted from the east in many days prior to our attempt, we figured we would have a tough second day of hiking. Yet, by lunch on the second day, we still had relatively easy conditions. The chickadees, nutcrackers, nuthatches, and ravens were more active and noisy than any previous AdAmAn ascent I could remember. But in my experience, Pikes Peak never spends a New Year's Eve without at least a little surprise and challenge for those on the mountain. As we began the long traverse, two miles from the summit, the wind surged and we spent much of the remainder of the hike in a constantly-shaken snow globe. By the 16 Golden Stairs, we were breaking trail in snow above our knees, doing what we could to stay true to the route of the trail hidden beneath the snow. I remember having to yell to be heard over the wind at times. And then, I was giving high-fives and hugs as each hiker reached the summit. It wouldn't feel quite right to grace the summit without having had some challenge from the weather conditions, be it snow, cold, wind, or all three.
Memories of Family
Each year of the AdAmAn ascent which I have been able to hike with my dad has been memorable. He has graciously carried the massive weight of a volleyball in his pack for many years now, ensuring the continuation of a relatively newer AdAmAn tradition: volleyball at Barr Camp. Or something like volleyball anyway. I look forward to volleyball at Barr Camp with my dad and the devoted group of others who play each year. Whether he's a switchback in front of me and down through the woods behind during the hike, I can always catch his eye for a smile, and I see his pure joy in being on Pikes Peak to close out each year.
Favorite Memories from Climbing Fourteeners
I remember Cindy Bowles' enthusiasm to have me along as a guest on my first hike with the AdAmAn Club. I have also thoroughly enjoyed fireside stories from the Graham and Lindeman brothers and others at Barr Camp, whose time with the Club reaches back decades. I fondly remember sharing a good laugh and thought-provoking discussions on the trail with Sean O'Donnell, who was a friend long before we hiked together with the AdAmAn Club. And I remember Mark Szabo's determination while leading us through the 16 Golden Stairs on his new member hike in 2007. That was, in my opinion, the most difficult AdAmAn hike of which I have been a part, with thigh-deep snow, 60+ mph wind gusts, and a temperature of 20 degrees below zero.
Memories from Favorite Mountain Climb
I can't pick a favorite, but Mt Eolus stood tall in my memory since a 2007 summit with my dad, and a return with Jessica in 2020 was equally memorable. With no train in 2020, we hiked the extra 15 miles from Purgatory, and loved each beautiful mile. Wildflowers in the basin above Twin Lakes were more stunning with every step. Scrambling on the summit face and endless mountain views in every direction are unforgettable. We received a grand sendoff as we left Chicago Basin: an hours-long monsoon soaking.
Memories of Favorite Gear
While I appreciate the functionality and comfort that the gear I have provides, I do not hold "things" in high enough regard to consider any gear my favorite.
Memories of Worst Gear Failure
My wife and I spent two weeks of the summer after we married roaming the wilds of Gates of the Arctic National Park, which is larger than nine U.S. states and has no established trails. On the morning of our fifth day, we forded the most difficult river crossing of the trip. Moments later, we crossed a side creek not more than a few feet wide. I slipped on a rock and broke the hip buckle on my pack. With eight more days of tussocks and mosquitos, I was thankful for the versatility of duct tape.