Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

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Chicago Transplant
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Congrats Brad! Those are some impressive peak tallies. Best of luck on the seasonal grid completion, its fun to see the peaks in different conditions throughout the year :-D
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by kushrocks »

Incredible job Brad!
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by jjust »

I climbed with Brad and Melissa 10 years ago! Nice work Mr. McQueen!

https://www.jamesjusthiking.com/2010-tr ... flatiron-3
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by bmcqueen »

jjust wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:01 pm I climbed with Brad and Melissa 10 years ago! Nice work Mr. McQueen!

https://www.jamesjusthiking.com/2010-tr ... flatiron-3
I remember that day well James! Both of our beards have gotten longer and grayer since then (yours was non-existent back then I think). We made Jeff take us back there one more time in 2016 for our son's first trad climb. Jeff led the first run-out pitch and clipped me in, then I led the rest of the way for rope team #2 (me and Melissa while Jeff led rope team #1 with our son). Scary, but fun! Melissa is so much more impressive - pretty sure she set another two-toed speed record that day... :lol:
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." --- Nasreddin

https://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Conte ... queen&t=14
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by stoopdude »

Hey Brad, congrats. I’ve never met you in person but I know you to be a pillar of this community, as well as an ambassador and teacher to those who are just beginning to dip their toes into this hobby of ours. I hope my hiking career will be a quarter as productive as yours, and I hope to see you on the trail someday. Vaya con dios!
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by bmcqueen »

Vadim34 wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:55 pm How many 14ers are you planning on doing? What’s your favorite and least favorite?!
Thanks so much - still SOOO many 13ers to go to finish like you! Who knows how many 14ers I'll end up with. I'm loosely working on the monthly grid and getting very close to the halfway point. I don't ever expect to finish the monthly grid though. ScreeSurfer will show us whether that is humanly possible. I'm way too human (and not nearly good enough technically) to have a real shot at it. I will hopefully at least finish out the monthly grid on the Sawatch range someday plus the Front, Tenmile and Mosquite (all pretty close currently). I've just been enjoying getting out on the 13ers and helping friends do some of the harder 14ers. My stated favorite for years has been Crestone Peak and I still do love those. I got to join friends for another lap on the Crestone traverse again in August. Longs has definitely been climbing in my favorites list recently too. Least favorite? I guess I'd have to say Harvard & Columbia when you combine them. Every time I am invited by a friend to do the combination, I get a little sense of dread of the slog that is that long and painfully deep descent of a traverse.

You all really are too kind. I love that our community congratulates each other on our achievements/milestones, even when they are as unimpressive in comparison as my hitting 500. I'll say again - there are just SOOOO many other people in the community who do way cooler, harder stuff than I do. When Otina commented earlier, I realized that I totally forgot the skiers in the group (probably because I couldn't safely ski off of Quandary's east ridge anymore!). I can barely walk off of these peaks and people like her have skied all or darn near all of them.
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." --- Nasreddin

https://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Conte ... queen&t=14
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JQDivide
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by JQDivide »

For the past several years, I’ve hiked more peaks with Brad, than just about anyone else, expect for my wife.

Brad is very humble about his accomplishments.

Things to know about Brad...

Brad hikes a lot. The best way to get in hiking shape is to hike. That’s how he does so much. He stays in great hiking shape. And when he can’t get out hiking, he exercises, including very early mornings on the Castle Rock stairs. We’ve had discussion about this… “It’s going to hurt now, or later. Better to hurt now (exercise), than on the trail.”

Brad enjoys helping others to reach their goals, or even one peak.

John, “ScreeSurfer” mentioned suffering. Brad has a very high tolerance for “suck.” There is an old saying, paraphrased here; mountaineering has a portion of suffering to it. Brad accepts that and just puts one foot in front of the other, despite the weather or terrain (within safety limits).

Brad does have a bit of a competitive nature to him. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And usually, it is about beating the clock. “Hey, if we push it, we can be back to the trailhead before 5.”

Brad sets goals, which helps give purpose to hiking Quandary again. But his goals of the Centennials, Bi-centennials, seasonal grid and monthly grid, are robust and very much achievable for him. He downplays the complete monthly grid… but I bet he’ll keep adding peaks to that until it is complete.

Brad is kind and good natured. I’ve never heard him verbally attack anyone, in public or private. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an opinion, he’s just polite and cautious on how he relates that.

Brad is a great hiking/climbing partner. (Except for that time he pushed me down and I broke my wrist.) Great partners are hard to find. He has the skills, the experience, the patience, and the positive attitude needed. He’ll push and encourage you when you need it, and cheer you when you achieve it. He’ll even carry extra gear (or your gear) if it will help to achieve the day’s objective.

Brad claims he doesn’t like heights… I’m not so sure about this one. (maybe that’s part of his tolerating suck factor).

He loves the 14ers and this community, putting time and effort beyond the norm by being on the board for CFI.

Yeah, he’s good people.

I’ve enjoyed the hours, the days, the trails and the summits we’ve shared. Congrats on 500 and round 3.
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by nsaladin »

Holy f**k! Congrats Brad! Still kicking myself I couldn’t go to Chicago Basin with you in the spring a few years back...
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by bdloftin77 »

bmcqueen wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:26 pm My stated favorite for years has been Crestone Peak and I still do love those. I got to join friends for another lap on the Crestone traverse again in August. Longs has definitely been climbing in my favorites list recently too.
Hey Brad, I'm curious which 13ers are among your favorites? And I agree.. the Crestones are amazing!
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by TakeMeToYourSummit »

Impressive stamina on all this Brad! 500 14er summits & calendar grid slotting peaks are not things most people can fathom. Keep up the strong "work" ethic!
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by bmcqueen »

bdloftin77 wrote: Tue Oct 20, 2020 3:55 pm Hey Brad, I'm curious which 13ers are among your favorites? And I agree.. the Crestones are amazing!
I would have to say the Grenadier 13ers are my favorites so far. Vestal via Wham Ridge and the Trinity traverse were amazing. I missed Arrow on that trip, but can't wait to get back there. I thought about zipping over for Arrow over Labor Day when I was on Peaks Two and Three, but that would have made an already long walk back to camp trend a bit towards ridiculous.
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." --- Nasreddin

https://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Conte ... queen&t=14
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Re: Brad McQueen 500 14er Summits

Post by summitbound »

Wow Brad, just wow!

Congrats on this huge milestone.

I first me Brad (and Melissa) at a fundraiser book signing at a CMC event many years ago that I went to with some of my other climbing friends. Brad has this way of making you feel you have been his long time friend from the instant you meet him. I don't think we have ever climbed together, but I have pinged him many times about gear questions, trailhead information, and if we should be concerned about certain texts from a mutual friend of ours ;) I am saving my signed copy of his book and plan on selling it to fund my retirement when he becomes world famous with his next book and movie deal.

After Melissa posted this accomplishment to the FB group I was mulling this number over. Sometimes we get so laser focused on the 14ers (it IS a 14er board I guess) we tend to gloss over the other 400ish summits you have on your 13er check list. Plus 47 of your 14ers were done in calendar winter! It's really mind boggling.

You are a machine!

Just a huge accomplishment.

Congrats again!
Alan
"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir
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