My first fourteener was Blanca Peak, June 3, 2000. Leah and I headed up the Lake Como road in hopes of salvaging a planned trip to hike some 12ers near Heart Lake - all NM trails were closed due to the Los Alamos fires, but I didn't have the foresight to check with rangers. Ironically we moved to Colorado a year later in large part so that we could have closer access to fourteeners.

After the thrill of Blanca Peak, I knew I would be back for more. I was really apprehensive about the tougher ones, but once I did Longs Peak, my 5th fourteener, I was convinced I could do it.

I climbed Crestone Needle's South Couloir in late October, 2001, and really enjoyed the quality of this route, despite post-holing in a major way getting to Broken Hand Pass. The rock is fabulous, the scrambling is sustained bliss, and it's hard to beat the view.

I actually had two within 15 minutes of each other on the traverse from South Little Bear to Little Bear. On a knife-edge section of the ridge with a 1,200' vertical drop below, a large rock gave way and my right foot went with it. Luckily I was three-pointing and I was able to grab the ridge with my other hand to stop a fall. Off the ridge, we were traversing above the Hourglass when I used a large talus block for a hold that pulled out like a drawer. I happened to be facing it at about chest level and was able to use my left hand to push myself to the left of it as it thrust out, in effect preventing myself from taking a ride on my back to the bottom of the hourglass. I am grateful no one was in there - survival would have been doubtful at best.

I currently have 11 of 64 counties left to complete the Colorado county highpoints list. I am also passively attacking the New Mexico and Wyoming county highpoints lists. I recently took on the project of ascending Colorado's 100 Most Prominent Peaks list (35 % done). Of course, anyone into lists who has completed the fourteeners wouldn't refuse to work on the centennials as well. Someday I'd like to have completed everything 13,500'+.