| Memories From First Climb |
| Having been born and raised in Colorado Springs with the tradition of watching the club from a very young age, I was always enthralled by watching this very unique tradition. I had no idea that, in the summer of 2002 I would not only meet Paul Bjork on a climbing trip, but I would be offered a chance to climb with the club. While I did not make the climb the first year I applied, the second year was a different story. One of my most vivid memories regarding my first climb was when then-president Ted Lindeman called me at the eleventh hour and offered me a spot on the climb - it was one of the most exciting bits of news I had received up to that point in my life! Most of the rest of my first climb with the club ran much like any of the rest of the climbs have. However, one other memory from the summit has stuck with me all these years. Once we had all safely summitted and prepared the fireworks, and at the point late in the evening when we all had bloodshot eyes and were getting a little punchy, someone had the brilliant idea to race wheelchairs around the summit house for the grand prize of a stale summit donut - absolutely priceless! I've been hooked ever since... |
| Memories From First Member Year |
| My new member year was one of the most challenging climbs for me because (surprise surprise!) I had contracted bronchitis about a week-and-a-half before and was still on the mend. I finished my course of antibiotics on climb day one and needed to constantly have a cough drop in my mouth to keep from hacking out a lung on the way to Barr Camp. Day two was challenging, as always, and in my less-than-ideal condition, after we reached the top I slept on the summit for the first time - for about three hours! I believe Cindy Bowles even captured a picture of my rendezvous with Mr. Sandman, sound asleep with my head down on one of the cafe tables, not unlike a college student who barely made it to class after a quality night of over-imbibement. |
| Memories of Family |
| Ever since 2007, my wife and children, mother and in-laws have accompanied me to the kickoff breakfast and Barr trailhead to see us as we have begun our climb. I know this has been the case for many members and guests, past and present. This gathering and familial fellowship is just as important to our climb as any other aspect. We are all one big family in this tradition, and to see the faces of so many loved ones send us off up the trail each year is an enormous morale boost! |
| Favorite Memories from Climbing Fourteeners |
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| Memories from Favorite Mountain Climb |
| Dallas Peak is one of a handful of Colorado's Centennial Peaks in which ropes are necessary going up and coming down. The rappel from Dallas' summit was the most memorable part of any climb I've ever had; for as I was slowly sliding down the rope with my legs propped against a completely vertical granite wall, I glanced to my left and gazed upon the whole town of Telluride, and as I glanced to my right I viewed the entirety of the valley that houses the cities of Ridgway and Montrose. Unforgettable! |
| Memories of Favorite Gear |
| One of my all-time favorite pieces of gear was a Mountain Light Jacket made by The North Face in the mid-1990's, which even back then was a $350 piece of equipment. I lost this jacket on a climb in 2004, when it fell from my backpack. When I discovered it had fallen off, I backtracked MILES to try to find it. Sadly, it became a donation to the Willow Lake area near Kit Carson Peak. Hopefully it lived out the rest of its life as a shelter for homeless marmots or some other worthy cause... |
| Memories of Worst Gear Failure |
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