FKT: Meghan Hicks - Nolan's 14 (CO) - 2020-09-05

I was supported by a small support team of crew and pacers. I traveled south to north, starting at the Blanks Cabin Trailhead at 5am on Thursday, September 3 and finishing at the Fish Hatchery Trailhead at 7:32am on Saturday, September 5. I was crewed at 7 locations: Alpine, County Road 344, on the Kroenke Lake Trail, on the summit of Mount Belford, at Winfield, at Everett, and at North Halfmoon Creek Trailhead. I additionally purified water from a number of natural water sources along the way. I had pacers for 7 mountains: Mt. Yale, Mt. Columbia, Mt. Harvard, Huron Peak, La Plata Peak, Mt. Elbert, and Mt. Massive. The weather was calm and clear, with both the daily highs and lows a few degrees above normal. Wildfire smoke from local and far-off wildfires wasn't noticeable and almost nonexistent until the third sunrise when you could see and smell it just a little. The moon was just a few days past full. I saw a lot of wildlife including mountain goats, deer, elk, ptarmigans, and hawks. My pacer and I saw some sort of large, four-legged, long-tailed creature running really fast through the rocks near the Mt. Harvard summit; we can't confirm it was a mountain lion but think it likely was. It was a mentally engaging, spiritually moving, physically trying, and overall incredible experience.