Sierra Designs-sponsored athlete Jon Kedrowski is attempting to become the first person to camp directly on the summit of all 58 named Colorado 14,000’ peaks. Called the Colorado 14ers High Bivys Project, Jon's adventure began on June 23, 2001 and is scheduled to be finished on September 21 of this year.
Check out the following Q&A for some insight into the highlights, challenges, and the gear Jon uses.
1. Where did the inspiration come from for sleeping on all Colorado's 14ers?
Growing up in Colorado, I began climbing 14ers in the early 90’s as a young teenager. I used the peaks as a training tool for football and basketball seasons in high school and then again in college. I first finished all the peaks in August of 1999. I continued to climb, and I noticed how every peak seemed to have room on the summit for a tent. In 2002 I spent the night on the top of Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s highest. I also used peaks like Torrey’s, Harvard, Sherman, and Missouri to acclimatize and camp on the summits prior to some of my overseas climbing expeditions in 2005 and 2006. Prior to traveling to Alaska to Solo climb Mt. McKinley (Denali) in 2009, (teammate and meteorologist) Chris Tomer joined me for an overnight bivy on the summit of Mt. Elbert in early May. We froze our butts off, but it prepared me for Alaska. During that trip we had a long discussion about camping on all the summits. You could say that during that trip in 2009, our idea was born.
2. I'm sure you get this question all the time... why?
In 2005 I did a large scale research project on the Colorado 14ers, in which I have published a paper recently in the International journal Mountain Research and Development. In the first question above, I mentioned how Chris had joined me for the high bivy on Elbert prior to my Alaska climbing trip. Later that summer of 2009, Chris finished climbing all 58 of the 14ers on nearly the same day in August that I did in 1999 a decade earlier. On a few more of our climbing trips we just couldn’t stop talking about the possibility. Since we have both climbed all the peaks, and know a great deal about the physical geography as well as the weather and climate of the peaks, we thought that this challenging project would be a great way to not only contribute to the history of the 14ers, but to see if putting one person on the top of every Colorado 14er was possible. We also knew about the physical and mental challenge that this project would be, and yet we are willing to accept this challenge. On top of it all, part of the why is also a book project, showing the sunrises and sunsets from each peak, and including tidbits on geography, weather, and unique stories that have unfolded during the adventure. In the end I wanted to do something pretty extraordinary, something outrageous, so trying to accomplish this feat all in one summer definitely puts it into that category.
3. What is your time line for this adventure - which peaks have you completed?
My Goal was to climb and camp on every single named Colorado 14er above 14,000’ in one summer. I started the project on June 23 with Chris on La Plata peak in the Sawatch Range. My plan is to have them all finished prior to the start of fall on September 21. As of Friday August 19th, I am writing this update from Aspen before I head up to Climb Capitol Peak (#38) in the Elk Range tonight. After Capitol I have 20 peaks to go. I have completed the 15 peaks in the San Juan Range, the 6 Peaks of the Ten Mile/Mosquito Range, the 6 Peaks of the Front Range, 5 of the 7 Elk Range Peaks (With Capitol and Snowmass Peaks Scheduled for this weekend with Chris), and 5 of the Sawatch peaks. I even fit a Summit Bivy on the Top of Mount Rainier (14,411’) Washington’s Highest! Basically starting next week August 22, I am leaving to go down and do the 10 Peaks of the Sangre De Cristos AND then use September to finish the remaining 7 or 8 Sawatch range peaks, with primarily the Collegiates of the Southern Sawatch Range and likely will make either Massive or Holy Cross the finale as it is close to Vail where friends and family can come and hike and will be welcomed to try camping on their first 14er in a celebration of sorts! Chris has played an intricate role as a motivator and has often joined me at the end of a long stretch of peaks when he doesn’t have to work… some of the questions below, especially regarding weather will explain the true team concept of this project, which it has been awesome to have Chris and his incredible weather forecasting.
4. Being at that extreme elevation for an extended period of time seems pretty dangerous. What precautions do you take?
There are so many extreme elevation factors to worry about up on the peaks, especially if I am on a streak where I climb 7 days in a row. For example, earlier in this project I did all 6 of the Front Range peaks in 7 days and had to climb Torreys peak twice on separate days due to bad weather, I was basically at high altitude every day for 7 days straight. Good Training for Acclimatization for Mount Everest next year!
Some of the obvious items to think about include:
1. Hydration: Any time you are above 10,000’ the body needs water, and lots of it. I have to always consider where the highest available water is located (streams, springs, snowpack, etc.) Based on prior knowledge of climbing the peaks, Chris and I often have an excellent idea where to get our last water before heading up to a summit for the night.
2. Sun exposure: Always reminding ourselves to put on sunscreen and to cover up as much skin as possible is key to keeping out of the sun. Also wearing proper eyewear such as glacier goggles with sunshields is important.
3. Layering for the temperatures: Always having the right amount of layers is critical to managing hydration like in point #1 above. Less layers going up, and sometimes even at 14K you are only hiking or climbing in shorts and a thin shirt, but as soon as you arrive on the summit, the wet shirt goes off and the dry shirt goes on with a hat, down jacket (by Sierra Designs!), and pants are on to keep up body temps and prevent hypothermia and chilling while maintaining fluids.
4. Fortunately for me (Chris may be able to elaborate on this one) I think because I grew up in Colorado and am accustomed to high altitudes to 14K, I rarely get AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). My experience with AMS here in Colorado has been limited to a mild headache. At the start of this project, sleeping at the top of the peaks was a long night of restlessness. Now that I have over 30 of these peaks under my belt (Chris has come for about 10 of them, so he may feel the same), I usually sleep the entire night now. I carry some Aleve just in case I get a headache. But if you hydrate and eat right up here, there is no way you will get AMS.
This is where I give all the credit to my partner Chris Tomer. Chris is a professional AMS/NWA certified meteorologist. Chris works for KDVR FOX31 and KWGN CW2 in Denver. A majority of my climbs have been solo, but with the amazing technology we have today, I often have cell phone service on high ridges. I sometimes can pull up radar images off the internet on my phone, but most of the time I call Chris who is standing by either on his laptop or in the Weather Center at FOX and he can confirm the storm systems that I am seeing. On high ridges and summits I have a great view over everything and can track the flow of clouds and storms with my eyes, but Chris has the ability to pull up radar and high definition satellite imagery as well as forecast models and zoom them into my location. There have been numerous times where I have been able to stay on a summit because I know a storm isn’t going to hit me. With Chris’ knowledge and expertise, I have been saved tons of time and energy at on at least 10 peaks.
Chris also updates me with text messages about current and future conditions. Often times I am heading up a peak to do what we will refer to as “getting into position to summit”. Chris will forecast my weather windows with extremely good accuracy. He is able to pinpoint lightning and also give me a time frame for when I can go up. For example, on my second attempt of Torreys peak, I was heading up at about 4pm. Between 5 and 6pm just above timberline and off the ridges, waves of hail and lightning were rolling thru. Chris forecasted that by 6:30pm everything would clear and that I would have time to get to the summit by 7:30 and set up for sunset photos. He also warned me that another wave of hail, but no lightning was moving through at 8pm. I confirmed what he saw and hunkered down for a short 20 minute storm, but then was able to re-emerge for some spectacular sunset photos by 8:30pm. In a nutshell, our weather forecasting has been absolutely crucial to contributing to the level of success I’ve had on this project.
6. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced? Any scary moments? Top five hardest peaks?
Weather by far has been the toughest challenge. To be honest I would have preferred to start this project in late-May to Early June in order to avoid some of the Monsoon. A second challenge is being able to carry enough food to eat (will elaborate on the next question). You are burning so many calories up there and when you are out for a long set of peaks, that it is hard to carry enough food.
I would say that my scariest moment so far in this project was early on about 8 or 10 peaks in I went into the isolated Needle Mountains in the San Juan Range to camp on the Summits of Eolus, Sunlight and Windom. On my second night in there after spending a quiet night on Eolus, I was caught in a terrible lightning storm on Sunlight. I had to hide in some fractures and cracks below the summit and even found a small cave to get away from the lightning. The storm was pretty intense. The third night of that trip on Windom I was hit again, the lightning wasn’t as bad, but the hail was brutal!
The top five toughest peaks are tough to list because if a peak has been at the end of a 5 or 7 day stretch where I have been more fatigued, then it gets harder. But some of the memorable peaks include:
A. A three consecutive night stretch of South Maroon, North Maroon, and Pyramid. All three peaks are very challenging, dangerous, and have tiny summits, but I feel fortunate to have camped on all three in a row!
B. A three consecutive night stretch of Wilson, Mt. Wilson, and El Diente which I had to pack a lot of food, and have a lot of patience, the peaks are almost as hard as the Bells and Pyramid, but I still was fortunate to have good weather, and some excellent forecasting from Chris.
C. I am heading up to do Capitol Peak tonight, followed by Snowmass in the Elk range, a pair of peaks with lots of mileage and technical challenges.
D. Little Bear, Blanca and Ellingwood will be next week, and those peaks are tough, especially Little Bear, considered by most to be the most technically demanding 14er.
E. Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle are in the Sangres and I must finish those, not as hard as the previous peaks listed, but tiny summits and lightning is always a concern.
7. What role do you feel gear plays in these adventures?
Ultralight gear plays a huge role. In addition to the ultralight gear, carrying only what you need up there is crucial. The faster you can move and the more efficient you can move, the less exerted you will be, and the safer you will be because your time on the danger zone will be limited. But not only does ultralight gear help, but the proper gear is important. Numerous times I do what I call “Dash and Crash”. I can eat dinner at the trailhead or from a high camp, bring a few slices of pizza with me and some powerbars and a few other snacks, 2 liters of water, and then take only a tent, ultralight down sleeping bag, pad, and go to a summit in only an hour or two in the evening, just in time to catch the sunset. This afternoon's trip up Capitol will be one of those ‘dash and crashes’. Then in the morning, after taking sunrise photos, we will pack up quick, eat a Clif bar and a piece of fruit, and then return to my high camp or trailhead to make a hearty breakfast of pancakes and oatmeal, or scrambled eggs in a tortilla. The most important gear: Ultralight Sleeping bags, pads, tent, down jacket, rain pants, good trail shoes, steripen for water, sunglasses, hat, stocking cap, light gloves, and athletic tape, which can fix anything.
8. What type of food did you bring. Can you describe a typical day’s rations?
I gave a brief synopsis of food above, but I often tailor eating with strategy. There have been two strategies: “Dash and Crash” explained above, and then Ultralight Backpacking. For “Dash and Crash” and for the first night of a 3-4 day backpacking series of peaks, I love to take Dominoes deep dish Pizza or Bake a Digorno and pack it up there. This eliminates the need for a stove (until the 2nd day of a multi-day trip), and no stove at all is needed for a one night peak.
Other food we love: PBJ Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Pretzels, Snickers Bars, Clif Bars, Clif Shots, Sugar Snap Peas, Peaches, Apples, Trail Mix, Elk Jerky, Elk Sausage, Oatmeal, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Instant Potatoes, Red Bull for summits, and in addition to energy gels, I love to have a pocket full of Root-beer Barrel hard candies. If I have to cook a dinner I will go with Ramen noodles or Lipton Noodles. We’ve also been known to pack a Subway Sandwich or two up there! Believe it or not both Chris and I can’t stomach those Mountain Haus dehydrated meals, eat too many of those and you will die from salt intake and they will rot your insides out.
9. You’re using a bunch of Sierra Designs gear. Why SD and what are some of your favorite products?
My story about using Sierra Designs gear is unique. I bought my first Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD 2-man tent in 1994. I still have the tent, and used the iconic blue tent for the majority of my first 20 summits for this project. Using and testing additional ultralight tents was a natural fit for this project. Many of the summits are tiny and so I also highly recommend the Light Year 1. It is a tent that weighs less than 3 pounds, and is bone-dry. It can also withstand high winds and is quick and easy to set up.
For a sleeping bag right now I would recommend the Vapor 15, I have mine in extra long. Not only is the bag comfortable and warm, but it is easy to pack and light to carry. With a rating down to 15 degrees, I have been toasty on every summit. Recently, I’ve been testing a prototype Qwix Down 30 degree waterproof down bag. In mid-august even at 14,000 feet, I have been nice and warm in this bag. There is a nice feature on both bags, they only zip down a quarter of the way which saves weight in zipper length and also preserves warmth.
Finally, the lightweight Gnar Hoody by Sierra Designs has also been one of my favorite items. The jacket is half the size and stuffs down very small compared to some of my other down jackets I have owned. It is an essential for cold nights and windy conditions. The pockets are awesome for holding my small cameras and keeping my hands warm in-between summit shots!
The Sierra Designs Microlight Packable Rain Jacket is also a great item to keep the pack nice and light. It can rain as hard as it wants and especially on a cold summit night, putting the rain jacket over the light down jacket works well.
10. While there are many that have climbed Colorado's 14ers few if any have slept on top of any. What is it like?
Spending the night on the Top of a Colorado 14er is an experience that everyone should try sometime. The sunrises and sunsets are nothing short of spectacular. There are awesome moon-rises, and on a dark and clear night, the stars are so bright! For those folks out there who aspire to try one sometime, carefully consider the weather, and be ready to handle the altitude and all the challenges that come with it. The cool thing with this project is that every sunset and every sunrise has been unique and different. It is very rewarding. Next year I’ll have a co-authored photo book with Chris Tomer, and I am also currently writing a narrative about the entire experience from a solo perspective and will have that book out soon after the photo book. Stay tuned for those great products, and thanks to Sierra Designs for supporting our project!
