THE GREAT COLORADO FOURTEENER CLIMB
Chapter 2
Who Gets to Climb?
While I had first considered planning for a maximum of 55 climbing parties, the idea was so instantly popular that I felt compelled to recognize100 climbing parties - one for each of the 55 peaks, and a second party for 45 of the less dangerous peaks where falling rocks would not likely endanger two climbing parties.
In the end over 640 people wanted to climb!
Why '55' peaks, when the USGS said there were only 54 peaks certified as 14,000 feet high? Well, one man wanted to go with his family so badlyhe got in touch with me only after all the peaks had been assigned. While he was flying to Europe on business he had a bright idea. He called me long distance from Tel Aviv and pointed out that Mount Grizzly was, in 1876, listed as a 14er, but was demoted to 13,988 in later government surveys, so was no longer a 14er. But it HAD been classed as a Fourteener exactly 100 years ago. So, this, being a Centennial Celebration, he should be able to climb Grizzly as a Commemorative 14er climb! His logic was irrefutable. So I certified him for Mt Grizzly and he too got a patch. So 55 peaks.
Well, deciding who could be 'certified' as an official climbing party and on which peak, was as exiting as the climb itself.
For the next several weeks in came, personally, or in writing, or by telephone from all across the state, the name of the climbing party, how many in it, which peak they wanted, and what their expertise was.
That was far easier than I feared. For there are, indeed a very large pool of Climbing Coloradoans. Even individual members of the prestigious Colorado Mountain Club - who had been told by it they could not organize a group using its name wanted to climb never the less. They did as individuals. Veterans of WWII's 10th Mountain Division wanted to do Mt Massive. Another group of 10th Mountain veterans wanted to climb Mt Elbert, the highest Colorado mountain. The Denver Wilderness Kids Group was one party. The Ad-A-Man Club that climbs Pikes Peak every New Year's Eve organized a group. And since the Pikes Peak Marathoners were already scheduled to run up and down Pikes Peak August 1st, all 473 marathoners wanted their names added. It was a ball. Women's groups joined in. Dottie Lamm, the Governor's wife wanted to go with a women's group. Business groups signed on. Denver University organized a climbing party, as did Medical groups.
They were all organized intoan "A" group for the 1st 55 peaks, and a "B" group for the less technical 45 14ers. And sure enough, when we ran out of most challenging or most popular mountains, those who were on a mission eventually to climb all 54 peaks, were content to 'get their ticket punched' toward their long term goal by climbing simpler and duller peaks like Culebra in southern Colorado.
The oldest wanna-be was Jerome "Bud" Weiser who was 75 years old and a veteran climber. He picked 14,420 foot Mt Harvard. And he made it when a younger 'B' party struggles and did not.
The youngest 'climber' was 10 week old Jill Renick, who got to the top of Mt Sherman on her fathers back.
On that one hangs a tale. When the Renicks came in to sign on, bringing their then 5 week baby with them, I saw that they were experienced climbers. They had selected an easy peak. I listened to the baby mother's explanation of why there would be little risk to her baby. I said yes. Who is to argue with a fit mother, when Julia Holmes, the Bloomer Girl was the first white woman to climb Pikes Peak way back in 1858 with the Lawrence Party after Zebulon Pike had said it was unclimbable?
But when a Denver newspaper reporter wanted to know how the planning was going I toldhim about young Renick being the youngest participant, a bunch of Denver mothers hammered the Governor to halt that terrible idea. So the Governor called me. He sort of trusted me already since I had bailed him out when the Bicentennial Freedom Train was turned down by the Denver Committee at the last minute, and Colorado would have been the only State the train it would not visit. I had grabbed it for Colorado Springs. It was a great success. He owed me one.
But I simply went into my Enjoy Colorado files and pulled up the names of three highly qualified mountain climbers who were also Pediatricians , including two from the local AdAMan club who climb Pikes Peak yearly. I asked for their opinion.The consensus was that if the baby's lungs are healthy with no respiratory problems, and the infant would not be above 10,000 feet for more than 6 or so hours, they saw no problem. So Little Jill 'climbed.'
About then I realized I had not picked a mountain for my boys and myself to climb.I also knew I had to be back in Colorado Springs by mid afternoon the 1st to officiate at a Colorado Centennial Day event. I would have to get there and climb early, get down early and get back. So I picked a close and fast climb 14er that I had never climbed before. I picked Mount Sherman 14,036 feet high, near Fairplay, less than two driving hours across South Park from Colorado Springs..
At first I thought it would just be the three of us on Mt Sherman as the "A" Party, with a second "B" party climbing too. But as the word spread you don't know how many local and state VIPS wanted to get on the bandwagon!
Governor Lamm wanted to join us on Sherman. The head of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Colorado Springs Chapter of the Colorado Mountain Club, Reporters from the Rocky Mountain News, and of all people, Senator Gary Hart, wanted to go too.! Our VIP party ended up with 17 climbers. I had already selected my youngest son Ed- 13 years old - as the nominal Team Leader. He would carry the flag.
A Television Camera Crew from Colorado Springs also wanted to come along, even though neither of the two of the crew had ever climbed a 14er even without carrying100 pounds of camera and tripod! THAT led to interesting results later.
Then Governor Lamm, who expected to join my group, agreed to host a kick off party on the lawn of the Governor Mansion in Denver, where as many of those who were climbing or their representatives could show up.. The Governor handed each group leader a big manila envelope that contained Centennial Fourteener Patches for all, and Colorado Centennial Pennant for the "B" teams, a small Colorado flag for the "A" team, andhe gavegood wishes for all.
In any event, all over Colorado teams made plans, got out maps, calculated when and where they would have to reach the day or two before, to camp out, and then go for the summit on Colorado Day. Many peaks require getting to a base camp at least two days before climbing.
Then the rains came.
A huge weather mass started moving into Colorado the 30th of July, and by that night, and into the 31st huge thunder storms together with lots of lightning dumped rain all over the state. By the evening of the 31st, many groups thought they would be totally rained out and were prepared to cancel.
And the Big Thompson Tragedy happened the night of the 31st, when the cloudbursts produced huge flash floods that roared down the river and canyons East of Estes Park, washing away cabins, roads, vehicles, and drowning scores of people. When the storms were over by the afternoon of the 1st,141 people had died.
Most of the climbing parties did not know of those events, just that they were facing the rains, thunder and lightning themselves on their selected mountains. Many had set out either days before or got up in the wee hours of the 1st of August and drove to their trailheads, not listening to their car radios while the news was just breaking.
Besides, all were climbing up, and out of the low lands where the flooding was happening. Even the party that was headed for Long's Peak in Estes Park, the headwaters of the Big Thompson, went ahead, and summited.
Many groups headed up through thick fog, some got above the clouds, while others never saw anything from the socked in peak.
Everybody everywhere got wet however. And the climbs were more dangeous. The pictures, many taken above the clouds, show that everybody looked like wet chickens. But all were smiling from the top.
Very few individuals or groups cancelled, and some skies started clearing the morning of August 1st. Wet, muddy and and slippery as it was, they set out on the Great Colorado Centennial Fourteener Climb.
Wars have to be won in bad weather as well as good.
Next, Chapter 3 - the Really, ReallyWet Climb
To go directly to Chapter 3 click here
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