This is a worthy route and I encourage others to pursue the public lands variation of the 14ers not only for ethical reasons, but also because excluding Culebra allows for August and September efforts. Because the snow is melted at this point and there is a lesser chance of afternoon thunderstorms, this opens the door to truly fast 14er speed records.
As of right now, the public lands variation excludes Culebra, Lindsey, Lincoln, and Bross. Obviously, I included 3 of these in my record. While this was not the route variation I originally had in mind I am grateful for FKT's openness and understanding about the need for a separate category.
Day 0 (7/15): Hike from Purgatory to C. Basin
- Camp 3,000ft below summit of first peak
Day 1 (7/16): Windom, Sunlight, N Eolus, Eolus, El Diente, Mount Wilson, Wilson Peak
Day 2 (7/17): Sneffels, Redcloud, Sunshine, Handies
- Bloody nose going down Sneffels
- Bloody nose going down Sunshine
Day 3 (7/18): Wetterhorn, Uncompahgre, San Luis
- Bloody nose going up San Luis
- Thunder/ lightning storm going up San Luis. Waited it out on the saddle for a bit, then decided to take the risk and proceed for the sake of the record. Would not have normally gone up in those conditions
Day 4 (7/19): Blanca, Ellingwood, Little Bear, Lindsey
- Exhaustion began to kick in going up Blanca in the dark. Took several dirt naps.
- Rained on during descent of Lindsey
Day 5 (7/20): Pikes, Princeton, Antero
- Original plan for this day was the Crestone group, as it makes the most logistical sense on the Sangres, but due to adverse weather conditions had to adapt plan
Day 6 (7/21): Harvard, Columbia, Belford, Oxford, Missouri
- Started heading up the East ridge of Missouri at sunset, but there was one cloud lingering over the summit. I could see lightning, so I went down to the standard route up Missouri and waited it out before going up.
Day 7 (7/22): Huron, La Plata, Yale
- Feet hurt this day
Day 8 (7/23): Humboldt, Kit Carson, Challenger, Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle
- First 4 peaks of the day were beautiful. After reaching the summit of Crestone Peak, I received a text from Chris Tomer, the weatherman I was using for this project, cautioning me about incoming storms from the north. I worked speedily across the traverse, but did not make it across before the storms rolled in. There was lightning and rain that turned into hail. One of the scariest moments of the project in hindsight. My phone and Garmin batteries both died waiting out the storms and I did not have enough food/ water/ layers to outlast a night up there, nor did I have a headlamp. Fortunately, the storms passed with just enough time for me to climb over the Needle and down the technical parts before hiking the rest out in the dark. I was uncertain whether I would proceed with the rest of the project after this night.
Day 8 (7/24): Shavano, Tabeguache, Castle, Conundrum
- After a night’s rest, I decided to proceed with easier peaks in the Sawatch in order to build confidence.
Day 9 (7/25): Maroon Peak, North Maroon, Pyramid
- Packed a heavier pack this day after my Crestone experience. Slowed me down. Clouds rolled in when I reached the amphitheater. Chris Tomer said I had a window and was safe to proceed.
Day 10 (7/26): Elbert, Massive
Day 11 (7/27): Sherman, Democrat, Lincoln, Cameron, Bross, Quandary, Grays, Torreys
- Storm over Torreys heading up in the dark. Waited it out for a bit.
Day 12 (7/28): Bierstadt, Evans, Longs
- Looked like it might storm on Longs, but ended up being a nice evening.
Day 13 (7/29): Holy Cross, Snowmass
- Took the west slopes up Snowmass. It was my first time on this route. Getting to the Geneva Lake Trailhead was an adventure in and of itself. Glad I had a Jeep. Ascended mostly in the light. Was standard Class 3 terrain. Descending was probably the second scariest experience of the project after the Crestone incident. Rain and lightning rolled in. And, because I was in the dark, it was hard to tell which rib/ gully I took up because all the rocks looked exactly the same. Moreover, because it was raining heavily my watch was wet and malfunctioning and I could not just follow the same line on the map that I took up. Was relieved to get this one done. One left!
Day 14 (7/30): Capitol
- Got a later start than I wanted, but I was listening to what my body needed. Chilly starting off, but turned out to be a beautiful day and a fun climb! Finished 3,000 feet below the summit and hiked the rest out.