14ERS

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ELEVATION OVER 14,000' WITH PAM MORROW

Pam Morrow called me last year after reading an article I wrote about High Pointers — a documentation about the accomplishments of a local BIA forester, Ron Miller, who climbed the highest peaks (high points) in the lower 47 states (recently he added Mount Ranier in Washington State and that completed his goal of climbing all the highest peaks in the lower 48 states). She asked me if I knew anything about the 14ers — a title given to those adventurous souls who set out to climb the many peaks that, because their elevation is 14,000 feet or more, qualify as a 14er — and those who climb them are dubbed with the name as well. According to Morrow, there are 55 of them just in Colorado. But there is a debate on how many there are because the USGS Topographical maps show that there are 58. However, the criteria needed to be a 14er — according to some climbers — is that a peak must rise at least 300 feet above the saddle that connects it to the nearest 14er peak (if another exists nearby). It seems that the debate is nation-wide and there are anywhere from 92 to 96 in the entire country — and all of them are west of the Mississippi. As it turns out, Morrow has climbed 32 of the 55/58 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado.

(www.colorado.com/articles/what-are-14ers)

I had met Morrow’s husband, Jerry Ethelbah, years ago when he took Anthony Cooley and me cross-country skiing to the top of Mount Ord so I could feature it in my column “Take A Hike” in the White Mountain Independent. He was a tribal guide, which is required when you step foot on the Apache’s sacred mountain. Morrow told me that later on she and Jerry had moved to Colorado and both had climbed the 14ers. Ethelbah had passed away and she was living back in Show Low. She had kept the Mount Ord article all this time. I told her that I would get back in touch with her to do an article and then I misplaced her phone number. This summer, however, I was hiking the Thompson Trail and we met up with three other hikers. One of them mentioned that she had lived in Colorado and had moved back to Show Low. For some strange reason, I asked her if she had been married to Jerry Ethelbah and she said yes. I had never met her but I just knew it was Pam. This time, I punched her number into my phone right away. Later on, we hiked the South Fork Trail together with the TRACKS Hiking Club and I finally did the interview.

Morrow climbed Red Cloud Peak, her first 14er, and then its neighbor, Sunshine Peak, on August 9th, 2000. “I noticed there weren’t many women climbing these peaks back then,” she remarked, “so I wrote a little book titled ‘U-2 Can Do Colorado’s 14ers 14,000+ Peaks’ to show how possible it is to do.” Today, people of both genders are tackling the most challenging peaks.

Morrow’s third climb was Handies Peak on August 1st, 2001 and then Uncompahgre Peak on September 12, 2001. Each year, she climbed other 14ers until Stewart Peak* and Baldy Chato, her 32nd one, on August 20th, 2009. She notes her thoughts and memories about each climb which helps the reader assess the trail. “Mount Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado,” she wrote about her 24th peak. “It was a perfect day, no threat of a storm, not a breath of wind on the summit — beautiful camp area…flowers everywhere.” Her lowest peak, Sunshine Peak, was 14,001 feet and her highest peak, Mount Elbert, was 14,433 feet. “All of the peaks I have climbed are rated Class 2s,” she said. “But Jerry told me that I may have done a 2 and a half.”

Today, you will find Morrow gardening at the White Mountain Community Garden in Show Low. She is known as the “Flower Lady.” She says she feels honored to have that privilege because she still has her hands in the soil and grows beautiful flowers. But, if she’s not there, she is probably hiking the backcountry of the White Mountains — the place she calls her home.

Climbing 14ers takes a lot of preparation. The altitude plays havoc on your oxygen supply so most climbers work up to it slowly. It may help to take a mountaineering class or travel with experienced climbers. It’s also very important to be in good physical condition. Check the weather forecast before you leave and then make sure that you start early enough during the thunderstorm season. It’s always worth the effort to climb a mountain. I find that the payoff is always high.

“Going to the mountains is like going home.” — John Muir

Here are some of the Peaks that are recommended for beginners:

Grays Peak, Class 1 (14,270 feet)

Quandary Peak, Class 1 (14,265 feet)

Mount Bierstadt, Class 2 (14,060 feet)

Mount Elbert, Class 2 (14,433 feet)

Class 1: Well-marked and worn trail; no route finding is necessary

Class 2: This can vary from a semi-worn trail to no trail at all. Trail surface might be steep and slick (loose dirt/scree) and route finding might be necessary. Scrambling to use your hands might be required.

Class 3 Scrambling is to be expected. Good rule of thumb is that, for a Class 3 hike, descending will require you to face the rock, rather than to face outward.

Class 4: Climbing, usually without a rope, but using one doesn’t hurt. A fall may be lethal.

Class 5: Technical climbing with a rope.

Source: www.14ers.com

*Stewart Peak was considered a 14er until it was re-surveyed and it came up 17 feet short.

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