14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

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kushrocks
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by kushrocks »

andrewhamilton wrote:Hey Will I'm really impressed by what you have accomplished this year! It is very inspiring. A couple of days here or there on the calendar are really pretty meaningless when you think about it...so I am glad you are making smart decisions in risky terrain. I was catching up reading this thread about some of your adventures and really it blows me away. Good luck with your finish!
Encouragement above from the legend himself. Hard to beat that! It was an honor to share a small part of your incredible journey. Great stuff Will.
“The best climber in the world is the one who is having all the fun.” – Alex Lowe
" Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone. Some of your best life experiences and opportunities will transpire only after you dare to loose."
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LoveThisSite
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by LoveThisSite »

Struggling for words here.

Will, Andrew Hamilton, Brett Maune - people who have left me in awe and inspired. I never thought such human feats were possible. Thanks for proving me wrong, and showing that there's no limit to human accomplishments. Physical ability side, the mental strength required for something like this is truly amazing. Hope you try again next year, Will, and finish it!
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esskay1000
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by esskay1000 »

Amazing accomplishment already Will, it's been fun following. As another said before, I think the mental side is probably more impressive than the physical. Cheers
“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!” - Dr. Seuss
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by greenonion »

Stoke! Bravo on the incredible effort and sound decision-making throughout! Hope to see another attempt if you so desire. Thanks, Will, for the entertainment, and inspiration this winter.
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by Phill the Thrill »

Bravo! Great job, Will! I am impressed, not only by your athletic achievement, but your humility, common sense, and tenacity in dealing with challenges you've encountered this winter. You should be proud of your effort! Thanks for sharing a little bit of it with us! Godspeed.
"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." - Andy Rooney
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by mountain_stoke »

Thank you all!
They say, "mountaineering is the art of suffering". I don't think so. If you are suffering, you haven't prepared well enough. I think that mountaineering is the art of managing risk and fear.
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by blazintoes »

Will,

Last year I chose to do El Diente and Mt. Wilson via Rock of Ages and got to meet Dannyg23 (cool dude) at the winter TH who said he and his partner caused and avalanche an didn't make it. Freaking out as I sat in my car studying the maps for alternate routes and made my plan. The next morning, seeing the north face of these two peaks in winter all alone is daunting. Typically I have a daily mantra and that day was, don't fret about success or failure, just focus on the next step. Once on top of El Diente the traverse was even scarier, I feel your pain. I made many mistakes but continued to succeed and also get lucky. I'll admit, getting lucky can boost confidence in the wrong way. I also didn't get what I wanted that day. Being a little greedy, thought I could do all three 14ers back there. Also, being alone on these peaks in winter was the loneliest day of my life. Have you felt this way when solo?

There are some amazing people on here that walk the walk and some who have an online persona that is more a facade, kinda like internet dating. They are all ambitious and essentially out for the same thing you are. The internet does crazy things to our egos and makes us crave attention. I'm not sure you understand the poach trenching detail drama and neither did I last year until I broke the bridge with those whose ethics I don't agree with vs. those I do. What I was able to accomplish last year was also met with harsh criticism and it was painful to hear the gossip knowing that I was busting my ass to climb and doing merely what I love however, I still feel accomplished. I'm proud of what I did and so should you. Being the first to free-style the Colorado 14ers in winter, a FKT may have come with criticism, but you continued to blaze that trail. Perhaps this was some fuel for your fire?

However you finish this season, I wish you success.
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by mountain_stoke »

Thanks Amy.

I find that soloing some of these scary (for me) routes in winter brings about a mixture of emotions for sure. I think that success demands keeping them in check. Loneliness for sure, but also a rush of exhilaration from having this huge scary place all to myself and depending only on myself. It is very easy to look at something on the route too far away or too far ahead and start gawking in fear... the doubts and negativity start flowing. I constantly have to remind myself, "task at hand. task. at. hand." to refocus my energy on the few feet in front of me and not what stands 30 minutes or an hour in the future. Frequently those obstacles are much more doable up close than they appear from a distance, and I have to remind myself of that also. Yikes said to me on North Maroon, "don't stress, just move one foot at a time". In so many ways, this wisdom has proven helpful again and again, both literally and metaphorically throughout this winter. I enjoy doing things solo, but have really grown an appreciation for good partners over the course of the winter. I get a great sense of accomplishment from doing things solo, and the adrenaline rush can't be matched on the more difficult routes. However, I think it tends to be just as rewarding to share the experience with others.. just rewarding in a different way.
They say, "mountaineering is the art of suffering". I don't think so. If you are suffering, you haven't prepared well enough. I think that mountaineering is the art of managing risk and fear.
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by d_baker »

Stoke....impressive drive you've had, and congrats on what you were able to do!

A few questions (if you have the time, energy, and the info to share):

1.) How many miles did you drive all winter and how much gas did you buy?
2.) What did you use for a base camp? (i.e., back of car/truck? hotels? your own place?)
3.) What was your prior experience? (i.e., Had you done a winter CO peak before? You mentioned you are new to the forum, so are you also new to CO?)

As to the last question, I'm not trying to judge your experience level, I'm just curious. You obviously gained a lot of experience over this winter!
But in particular to your experience, how the f**k were you able to go out day after day like that?! PED's, must be PED's. j/k
Maybe PEZ?
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summitbound
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by summitbound »

Will
I have only a handful of winter 14ers, but what little I know of them I feel like I have a taste of the Superhuman effort you put in. Kuddos to you for what you accomplished. While you may not have hit your original goal, you set the bar very very high. You also proved that its within your reach when or if you chose to tackle it again.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!
"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by mountain_stoke »

14erQuest came to a bittersweet end today with an ascent of South Maroon Peak. This was my 51st 14er summit since winter started on December 21st. With an incredible crew of competent and strong mountaineers, Natalie Moran, Matthew Gorbett, and Justin Becker, it was an exciting route up the bell cord coulior and we had phenomenal weather and stable snow. We got to enjoy the sunrise over Pyramid as we reached the top of the cord! (photo cred Justin Becker).
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They say, "mountaineering is the art of suffering". I don't think so. If you are suffering, you haven't prepared well enough. I think that mountaineering is the art of managing risk and fear.
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Re: 14erQuest- My Attempt to Summit All 59 14ers in Single Calendar Winter

Post by FireOnTheMountain »

Congrats. Great photo finish.
Everyday is a G r A t E f U L Day here in the ID...?
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