Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

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HikesInGeologicTime
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by HikesInGeologicTime »

The fourteeners were absolutely all about The Checklist for me, particularly toward the end, and while I would say I have conflicted feelings about that time period in my life, they're not about being Done with that phase and are instead about the fact that I spent so much time and energy on something I wasn't enjoying.

Much as I got a kick out of frankster's comment about fourteener-chasers being "aspirational, high goal and achievement oriented, adventurous and curious," I wasn't so much flattered as amused by it. I mean, while I have no doubt those descriptors do apply to some, perhaps most, peakbaggers (not just the ones devoted to a niche segment of Colorado's highest-altitude mountains), I would say they do not apply to me. In my case, it was more like potentially diagnosable obsessive-compulsive tendencies driving me on; by the time I got down to my last ten fourteeners, the only way I could keep myself committed was by having brutally honest pep talks with myself to the effect of, "Okay. This mountain is going to suck from trailhead to summit all the way back to trailhead. The only parts that will be enjoyable are maybe reaching and then briefly relaxing on the summit and then getting back to the car, but at least if I get this done, I will never have to do it again."

But while I did indeed wind up hating roughly 99.99999...% of those last ten fourteeners with every fiber of my being, those aforementioned obsessive-compulsive tendencies are really glad I did stick them out and finish The List, because I spent so long and pushed aside so many other goals to make it happen. So while I definitely hold to the advice I give to all newcomers of, "It's a hobby. It's supposed to be fun. If it stops being fun, stop doing it," I also can't really say that things might have been better if I'd stuck to my own advice and quit when I realized exactly how much I despise scrambling. At least I can say I challenged myself and, as other commenters have expressed, got to visit some scenic parts of the state that I otherwise might never have known about.

So I suppose that, over a year after finishing, I'm still conflicted, and I don't know if I'll ever come to a definitive resolution about my overall feelings re: the years I spent pursuing The List. All of which makes it rather difficult to offer anything in the way of concrete advice, outside of nevertheless insisting on, "If it stops being fun, stop doing it"...but that's definitely not to say that you shouldn't *start* doing it, especially if you also maybe identify with having obsessive-compulsive tendencies, are at a crossroads, and think that having some sort of Big Goal would help give you some desired focus right now.

I'd also say maybe don't throw all your eggs into the one basket of moving to Colorado, because while I think it's a great place to live, it's become something of a difficult place to reside if you don't have $$$ and/or established connections, but there's no harm in taking as much vacation as you're willing and able to so that you can get a taste for fourteeners and whether they're something you'd like to devote free time to climbing...but maybe only doing so many that you'd be satisfied with calling it where you are if it turns out not to be your thing.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by NovaDevi25 »

I have come to find challenge and beautiful mountains to be my draw. I do love the challenge of the 14ers, but I feel no need to do all 58. I want the challenge of a good route, and relative solitude while in the mountains. The Loft this summer was a hell of a challenge but fantastic, until I hit the summit of Longs I saw no more than 5 people after Chasm Junction, up the Loft, up Meeker, and crossing over. For the class 2's and below, this means I'm really curious about non-standard routes, VirtualSherpa's videos have me really curious about doing Huron via the North Ridge.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by ekalina »

While I do often seek enjoyment or satisfaction in the mountains, I sometimes adopt other perspectives as well. For example, "what can this peak/route teach me - about myself, my skills progression, my connection with nature, etc." Or, "how will climbing this peak improve my health, or prepare me for a harder objective?" Or, "if I don't hike today, I'll probably just backslide into [insert bad habit here] instead."

You have to know why you're bothering to do this for it to have any lasting meaning - the experience alone doesn't automagically confer it, and nobody can define it for you.

Perhaps you can ponder your why on your next trip. I find the mountains are great for mulling things over.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by Wildernessjane »

I never actually set out to finish the 14ers and had nearly as many 13ers under my belt when I finally did. I got within 20 or so and then decided I might as well do them all. Same with the Centennial 13ers. Personally, I found it kind of freeing to finish the lists. The lists will take you to some beautiful places you might not otherwise go, but you will also end up doing some peaks that you are only interested in doing because they are on the list. I would rather focus on high quality objectives, even if they are routes on peaks I’ve already done. There are some spectacular peaks in Colorado that are sub 13,000 feet. Also, there is a whole world out there and so many challenging mountains to be climbed outside of Colorado.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by montavonm »

Thanks everyone for taking the time to offer your insights and thoughts. I've read through the replies a few times now and am still not certain I know my proper response, however I had a feeling this community of like minded individuals (who also enjoy suffering up 4000+ ft of elevation gain hikes - haha) would understand.

I have no doubt that I have some degree of the uncontrollable obsessive-compulsive mindset when aiming at a goal, potentially to an unhealthy degree. Unfortunately, I often find my self-worth and identity tied to accomplishing feats and goals that oftentimes don't bring the satisfaction or the epiphany expected.

One thing that really resonated with me that many mentioned within this thread was the quest of the 58 has led them to some of the most beautiful locations/places that they had not otherwise been. I've only done 11 thus far, but had I not first found interest in climbing my first 14er, I doubt I would have ever visited Colorado at this point. There are places of Colorado I cannot wait to see at some point (can't wait to ride the train to the Chicago basin and also see the bells!)

I'm only 33 years old, but often wonder what I'll reflect back upon when I am much older. Living away from Colorado (Ohio), the previous trips I have been able to make have been some of my favorite and most memorable memories of my life, so far at least. My phone is filled with pictures from each hike, and I don't think I'll ever forget the precious moments.

As I stumble through more words of expressing my thoughts, I can't help but think that checklist and love for/living in the moment may be some type of blend or intertwinement. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm 'deep thinking' or 'overthinking' about the subject - however just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond. I'm in one of those odd 'lost' points of life, and reading through the responses have helped me think through some things.

- Matt
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by JSFromKY »

I realize it's an old thread (well, not too old, but...). I'll go ahead and post my own thoughts though I'm not a finisher and don't know that I ever will be.

I used to live in Colorado over 20 years ago. While I was there, I managed to summit 14 of the 14ers. The most difficult one was Longs via the Keyhole route and the longest was Pikes via the Barr Trail. Those were also the two most satisfying summits - it felt wonderful crossing the tracks at the summit of Pikes after a very long hike. I've had a 14er summit all to myself only one time - after I got to the top of Shavano, the 3 people who were already on the summit left, and I was alone on top of a 14er for about 20 minutes. That felt great as well.

It's been 15 years (almost) since I've stood on top of a 14er. That many years ago, I drove out to Colorado with a buddy who was half my age (I was 48, he was 24). We originally stopped at the parking lot at the base of the Barr Trail with the intention of hiking to Barr Camp, but the lot was full. So I had another idea - why don't we just drive to the summit, hike down to the A-frame at treeline, then back up? An unusual way of climbing a 14er, but it was a repeat for me and his first one (don't know if he's ever done another one, we each moved away and lost touch), so what the heck?

While the list is a great goal for the goal oriented, I'm not sure that I'll ever finish it. At least not solo. I have yet to do anything in the Elks, San Juans or Sangres, so the hardest ones are still waiting for me to set foot on them. If I do end up climbing those, it will likely be with a group and/or a guide. I'm old now (63 as I write this), and the way my life is going, I could be in my late 60s before I set foot in Colorado again. Going solo on the hardest 14ers is likely not something I'm going to try at an advanced age.

Tell you what, though, some of you have mentioned that when it's no longer fun, quit doing it, or something like that. When I lived in CO before and was working on the Sawatch range, it actually started getting boring after Yale and Shavano. I didn't know that would be my last summer living in CO, and if I had known, I'd have gotten with groups and knocked off some of the harder ones - that would have kept it interesting. That fall, I ended up doing the 13er Audubon via the SE ridge and finding a bypass to the Class 3 downclimb at the notch, making the downclimb Class 2+ (about 100-150 feet before dropping into the notch, look off to your left for a ledge, you can scoot along that ledge to get into the notch and avoid the downclimb). Even though it wasn't a 14er, it was quite satisfying finishing that route.

Perhaps that's where I'll go in the future, looking for routes or peaks that I find satisfying with no concern whether or not it appears on some list. Besides, the 14er list is quite arbitrary anyway - it's 50-odd peaks that just so happen to have summits above an arbitrary line based on how many units of the length of some dead king's foot above sea level. There are plenty of lower peaks that are more interesting and challenging to climb than a lot of the 14ers (like the Gore range, another place I'd love to visit).

At one time, I thought about ticking off the list, but unless I get above, say, 3/4 of the list done, it will be the love of the mountains more than finishing a list. For the record, I got exactly halfway through my master's degree program when life forced me to quit (not a story I'm willing to expand on), but I'm not terribly disappointed that I couldn't finish. Now, if I'd gotten more than halfway through, that's another story - I'd have done anything I could to finish, especially if I was within a couple of classes of completing it. It'll probably be the same with the 14ers - when I am able to get back to Colorado, if I get close enough to finishing the list, I'd likely go after it just so I can finish what I started. Otherwise, it's OK with me to concentrate on other things.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by zootloopz »

As someone who sped through both the 14ers and Centennials, I wouldn't change a thing. I was both in between jobs and moving to Colorado from another state, and I couldn't come up with a better idea at the time for how to apply myself and live my life. The pursuit gave me purpose, meaning, and enough structure to achieve something worth achieving. And through it I went to many places I might not have otherwise, and fell in love with both the mountains and the state that I now call home.

The love I found was through action and making myself vulnerable, not necessarily feeling the love before I took action.

Today the bicentennials are my journey of patience, knowing that it will take me another 3-5 years to finish. But this is mainly because I've found other pursuits that have grabbed my attention, namely ultrarunning and rock climbing. But I will forever have deep appreciation for a good list -- including a second go round of the 14ers with my girlfriend at her speed.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by Ed_Groves »

Jorts wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2024 7:39 pm I don't think list chasing and living in the moment have to be mutually exclusive. Chasing lists like the 14ers enables experiences that we might overlook otherwise.
Brent
+1. A list is a plan that will be achieved if all goes well. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. My body could give out next year and my plan for the 58 would go out the window. I would be disappointed, but I relish the experiences I have already gained because I am attempting to complete the 14ers. It could certainly be argued that I would have other great experiences if I was just picking out random mountains to climb, but at my age, it is doubtful I would have pushed myself into challenging, thrilling class 3 and class 4 experiences without the list. A list is a positive thing, when looked at as a motivator for experiences rather than the ultimate measurement for success. For me, attempting to complete the list is a result of my love for the mountains.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by zachj »

The mindset I try to hold to is that it's a menu, not a checklist. I'm not after the 14ers myself, but I've visited enough peaks and off-trail locations in RMNP that the idea comes up to "catch them all". I don't think I ever will, though, and that's not a failing - that's trusting myself to choose the hike I want on any given day, regardless of whether it's "making progress".
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by CUaaron25 »

It’s both but I never bothered to think about it because I liked doing it.
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by Istoodupthere »

For me it started with the checklist of doing the 50 state highpoints. I did everything in the East, then started working my way through the more difficult ones out west. The East was more of a scavenger hunt and a way to see parts of the country I’d never been to. The first real mountain climbing experience was doing the class 3 Knife Edge on Katahdin in Maine. After that I was hooked. When I did Elbert, I honestly didn’t know that doing 14ers was a thing. After that experience, I started spending more time on 14ers since the remaining state highpoints were getting further and further away (sitting at 47 state highpoints and 47 14ers at the moment).

I fell in love with the CO mountains. I can’t get enough of the peace I find especially above treeline. I like having goals so checklists are a perfect way for me to track my progress and plan future trips. Then I realized I love climbing 13ers too! So the checklists got me going with this hobby, but the love of the mountains keeps me coming back to Colorado…However, if anyone wants to do Gannett with me in August let me know!
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Re: Hiking the 14ers as a checklist v.s love of the mountains

Post by Bigperm »

These types of activities feed themselves. Life is short, Get it done and move to the next goal whatever it may be.