Spotlight on Greg Hiltbrand!

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Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
I climbed Pikes Peak first, because it was there!    When I moved to Colorado in 2003 I had not made any mountaineering plans.  I  climbed Pikes to see how difficult it would be  to see if I wanted to run the Pike Peak ascent.   I ran/walked up in July 03.  I started at 7AM and had done very little preparation.  On the way to the top I met a guy who said his girl friend could give me ride down with him if I wanted.  I said OK, she did not show, so I ended up running all the way back.   That was a blessing because at that point I knew I was physically capable of going 26 miles and 7000 vertical feet and felt pretty good.   The next week, I saw a obituary in the news paper about a guy who among other achievements, finished the all the Colorado 14ers.  He was a member of the 11^th Mtn Group in WWII and helped build the ski industry in Colorado.  For some reason I identified with him.    I went right out and bought Roach’s 14er book to analyze the logistics of climbing them all.   A light bulb went off and the plan to climb them all was set in stone.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
Once I had done Pikes I was pretty much committed.   I did Little Bear fairly early on in my 14er quest and decided if that was one of the hardest I could get them done.   

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
I really liked them all except Mt. Columbia, a scree dump.  Columbia‘s  calf deep loose scree and gravel tore the sides out of a new pair of trail runners.     If I had to pick one for beauty of the surroundings and a good physical climb it would be Pyramid Peak.   It’s a peak where you get to climb and hike, you have to use both hands and feet and employ route finding skills.   Do it in the autumn when the aspens are changing, the weather is cool and the sky is clear.  The views at the summit are awesome!

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
I have had a lot of great moments, but the most memorable would be the peaks I did with my kids. Mount Evans, Quandary Peak, Humboldt Peak, San Luis Peak, Grays, Torrey’s, Mount Elbert and Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point.   Kit and Challenger really let me see what my 19 year old son was made of.   He did it with me because I asked him, not because he wanted too.   It was difficult and it made me proud that he could gut it out to help me achieve my goals.  I have done 34 of the 14ers solo, I feel comfortable alone, but prefer to share the experience with friends and family.

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
On La Plata Peak, I had a friend from California join me.  We started late and we summitted late and dangerously delayed at the top till about 11 AM.  We heard thunder off in the distance, clouds were forming quickly and we decided we better high tail it for the bottom.   Then the storm hit as we were about 500 feet from the top descending.  Grapple, snow, sleet, and thunder and lightening.   We dropped our trekking poles, dove over a ridge and sat on the edge of a cliff on our packs for insulation. Wet and cold, we prayed we would not get turned into crispy critters.   As we were making our selves small from the storm a college age kid with long hair (any hair is long to me) went past us moving down as quickly as he could. His hair was standing straight out, electrified by static.  His face looked frightened and I guess mine did too.   A few bolts hit very close, the air was alive with ozone, lightening and thunder together, it seemed. We were lucky not to have been hit.  Stupid too!  We put ourselves in the situation. By delaying at the summit too long and starting late. 

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?  No real list, I am going to just cherry pick peaks that I  like: Kings Peak in Utah, my Great, Great Grandfather was on the survey team that named it and it’s a high peak in Utah.   Mt. Whitney CA, because it’s the highest in the contiguous 50 states. Mt Shasta CA,  because I have flown around so much.  Mt Rainier WA, for the snow and glaciers. The Matterhorn in Europe, cuz it looks cool, rock and snowy and pointy. Gannet peak WY, for the backpack. Devils tower WY, because aliens landed there (in the movies).  Mt Moran, because I love the Tetons.  There are actually too many to name.  Maybe that is kind of a list.

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
Culebra, it was last only due to access issues.  The 3 Chicago basin peaks were my planned final peaks due to the logistics and time constraints to get to Durango, ride the steam train and then backpack in and out.  It ended up being easier to get to Chicago basin than to wait for a slot to climb Culebra.  Culebra was a beautiful peak and a thrill to hear elk bugles while camping and then to have flock of Ravens start circling a few feet over my head at the summit.  They continued to climb higher till they disappeared into the heavens.  Magic!   

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
Learn the definition of an alpine start and get a good head lamp. Starting long before sunrise is essential on many peaks.  Early starts in the Spring and Summer are mandatory in my opinion.  Snow is hard and less prone to wet slide avalanches, thunderstorms hit at 11 AM frequently.  It is a lot of effort to drive many miles, take time away from family and then only get chased off the mountain by thunderstorms, wet snow, or melting ice causing rocks to break loose and fall.  I learned this the hard way, and by dumb luck.  Less sleep balanced by mountain induced adrenaline jolts equals more summit success.