Capitol Peak Trip Report 09/10/2013

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Capitol Peak - 14,138 feet
Date Posted	09/10/2013
Modified	09/12/2013
Date Climbed	09/05/2013
Author	djkest
Additional Members	Chaos Penumbra

Capitol is King
Capitol Peak is the King of 14ers. Okay, there are some great 14ers in other states, to be sure. But in Colorado, Capitol reigns supreme. The combination of sublime scenery, high exposure, and tricky climbing maneuvers make this a lofty summit indeed. What other summit can challenge it's supremacy? It's no wonder it appears on so many "favorite 14er" lists. Blog post HERE Blog post features: Over 100 pics Excessive Panoramas 4 HD videos Gratuitous Sunrise Shots A surprise "finisher" prop Numerous photos of beer consumption ----------------- 14ers for me started out as a "could I possibly"? After I did 2 of them, I figured I should do them all. Is that crazy? I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. What first was an interest soon became an obsession. 9/5/2009 - 9/5/2013 (didn't exactly plan that to happen) 9/5/2009 #1 Longs Peak 10/30/2010 #8 Quandary Peak 10/1/2011 #28 Mt. Lincoln 9/8/2012 #49 North Maroon Peak (photo credit Matt Jerousek) 9/5/2013 #58 Capitol Peak ------------------ I would like to thank my parents for raising me with a love and respect for the outdoors: And I would like to remember my best friend Karl Heiser, who left us too soon. Rest in Peace, Karl; see you again someday. And of course my fearless climbing partner Scott Lowery: Who shared my passion for the 14ers and my obsession with the list. And of course thanks to my wife and kid for dealing with my absence. Love you honey! Thanks for reading my trip reports, and climb on!

Capitol is King

Capitol Peak is the King of 14ers. Okay, there are some great 14ers in other states, to be sure. But in Colorado, Capitol reigns supreme. The combination of sublime scenery, high exposure, and tricky climbing maneuvers make this a lofty summit indeed. What other summit can challenge it's supremacy? It's no wonder it appears on so many "favorite 14er" lists.

Blog post HERE

Blog post features:
Over 100 pics
Excessive Panoramas
4 HD videos
Gratuitous Sunrise Shots
A surprise "finisher" prop
Numerous photos of beer consumption

-----------------

14ers for me started out as a "could I possibly"? After I did 2 of them, I figured I should do them all. Is that crazy? I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. What first was an interest soon became an obsession.
9/5/2009 - 9/5/2013 (didn't exactly plan that to happen)

9/5/2009
#1 Longs Peak

10/30/2010
#8 Quandary Peak

10/1/2011
#28 Mt. Lincoln

9/8/2012
#49 North Maroon Peak

(photo credit Matt Jerousek)

9/5/2013
#58 Capitol Peak

------------------

I would like to thank my parents for raising me with a love and respect for the outdoors:

And I would like to remember my best friend Karl Heiser, who left us too soon.

Rest in Peace, Karl; see you again someday.

And of course my fearless climbing partner Scott Lowery:

Who shared my passion for the 14ers and my obsession with the list.

And of course thanks to my wife and kid for dealing with my absence. Love you honey!

Thanks for reading my trip reports, and climb on!

Comments or Questions

rob runkle	Nice 9/10/2013 8:10pm Congrates man!!
Chinook	Awesome! 9/11/2013 1:26am Congrats on finishing! There have been a lot of people completing the 14ers at the end of the summer climbing season this year. Capitol is a great peak!
swampthing	Great work! 9/11/2013 8:29pm Loved reading your TR on Capitol. What a wonderful tribute to your friend. Congratulations!
fourseasoncyclist	Congrats 9/11/2013 8:32pm Amazing accomplishment. I hope to be where you are one day. Are you going for the centennials?
cftbq	4 years 9/11/2013 11:06pm Nice! Beat the sock off of me. Congrats; plenty of finishers this year! (Still can't figure out why Bill has a list of 58, and doesn't include N. Massive...)
pioletski	Congratulations! 9/12/2013 4:22am Nice choice of finisher! A big job well done. @cftbq: I have a list of 60, though it does include North Massive...
HarknessHooligans	Amazing! 9/12/2013 1:51pm Congrats on Capitol and finishing! Truly an amazing accomplishment!
HarknessHooligans	Supportive family 9/12/2013 1:52pm I also wanted to add that your wifey is awesome for supporting you through all of this. It is a tough thing to do especially when you have little ones. She deserves a shout out!
djkest	Family 9/12/2013 2:41pm Thanks for the comments. I did talk about my family in my "congratulations" thread, but I added it here also. I'd say that my wife was "tolerant" of my 14er activity. :lol: She doesn't really ask me how it went or look at my pics though. She kind of hates hiking.
NateC	Camera? 9/12/2013 6:21pm Awesome pics man, what kind of camera were you using? Are these pics touched up at all? I can never seem to get the kind of contrast you managed.
GraceU2DSummit	Props!!! 9/12/2013 7:09pm Congrats on your accomplishment! I totally understand having a wife that is ”tolerant” of your habit, I mean hobby! Question. Where was that pic taken with your friend/partner Scott? Pretty sure that's the Elks. Guessing Pyramid or North Maroon (neither of which have I been up yet :D
djkest	Camera 9/12/2013 7:12pm Nate, thanks for the comments. The pics are from my Nikon D5100 DSLR with the 'stock' 18-55mm manual zoom lens. I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom on every pic, although some are more "adjusted" than others. I resize all the photos to 2500 pixels wide for web use. I need to back and fix one of the pics, but I'm pretty happy with Lightroom. I use a small Tamarac chest pack and a cheap Circular Polarizer. In the 3rd video you can see the chest pack flopping around when I am on the knife edge. Grace: That pic is looking down the ”2nd gulley” of N. Maroon near the top.

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App