Spotlight on Cynthia Adams!

Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
July 18, 2003 Mount Wilson and ¾ traverse to main couloir at Notch to El Diente.

Posted as a New Mexico Mountain Club trip, the leader reluctantly gave his approval that I come along. However, two friends and I arrived a day early and the weather was good, so we decided to go for it independently.  Prior to that I had done only some wilderness hiking and a bit of backpacking, and the only other significant mountain I had climbed was New Mexico’s Wheeler Peak. Mount Wilson knocked my socks off. I had never seen anything like it, had never been that high or on terrain that rugged, and had never experienced any kind of exposure, scrambling, or rock climbing. Suffice it to say, Mount Wilson and the traverse blew me away. I was quite overwhelmed and at the same time highly charged by the whole experience.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
Rather quickly. I hooked up shortly after Wilson with a couple of women who had done some and were interested in climbing more 14ers. I bought copies of Roach and Freedom of the Hills, researched mountains (that we were capable of climbing), studied route descriptions, and boned up on my map and compass skills. One of the women suggested I climb them all by the time I turned 50, and I thought that was just a fine idea. I spent the rest of the summer dragging them through the Sawatch and Mosquitos in all kinds of horrendous weather. They finally dumped me as a partner, but we remain friends.

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
I really enjoyed the Southwest Ridge Route to Little Bear, the traverse to Blanca and Ellingwood and then back down Blanca Basin. It had everything – magnificent scenery, solitude, amazing rock, air, and snow. I felt a real sense of wondrous pleasure and contentment after completing that trip.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
Redcloud on a clear, still, sunny mid-summer morning. Just me with my dog Sara. The big herd of elk, the wildflowers, bubbling streams, rolling green hills, and the mist rising out of the valley. The snakelike tongue of snow on the rust-colored rock near the summit.  Thinking about it now, it seems ironic that my most delightful memory was also one of the most serene moments.
 
Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
The descent off Mount Wilson.  There was thunder and lightning on the ridge.  We had no ice axes or helmets, and the couloir was full of rotten snow and black ice. Since we couldn’t go straight down, we tried following a cairned route east, but it led us straight into hell, across smaller ice-filled gullies, and we couldn’t get down. At one point while attempting to cross a particularly nasty stretch, my partner slipped and nearly plummeted down to the rocks below. He took off his fleece jacket and held onto one arm while I grasped the other, using the fleece as a belay. I held it but immediately slipped, feet flailing, flat on my stomach; but he held on and pulled me over. He went to put the fleece back on and we both noticed in horror that one of the arms had almost ripped right off—it was attached by just a thread.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
I enjoy my climbing buddies.  Stefan is on a somewhat leisurely track to finishing the centennials, so I’ll be doing some of those with him. I’d also like to spend more time in the San Juans and try different routes on the Sangre de Cristo 14ers. Stay a bit closer to home, but I sure do love Colorado.

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
I never did have a formal plan as to what 14er I was going to climb when. It had more to do with what seemed appealing at the time, the season, who was interested. and which mountain(s) I could hope to summit successfully. For the most part, if a summit did elude me, I would make another attempt as soon as possible, but not always.  In the case of La Plata (for some weird reason), I had my heart set on a winter ascent so I had to wait a year. And then there was Sunlight which I preferred just not to think about - until I had finished all the others. Don’t get me wrong. Chicago Basin is a lovely place, but it kind of galled me to have to go all the way back out there, take more time off from work, a motel, the train, just to get on top of the block (30 feet). It became more attractive when I realized the trip wouldn’t all be a repeat because Jupiter Mountain is right there too.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
Advice? One piece? Pay little heed to the naysayers and your detractors. I got a lot of criticism from all sides when I started climbing mountains. My husband wanted me at home, my parents feared I would die, my boss thought I was being a bad wife, New Mexico Mountain Club people sniffed that I was wild, reckless, and irresponsible. My kids thought I was just plain crazy. Pay little heed, but don’t be stupid. Work on your fitness, do your homework, take a course, find a climbing mentor and good partners. Learn from them. Reflect on your climbs: What did you do well? Where can you improve? Climb year round, and do solo stuff too so you can learn self-reliance and how to manage fear. Stay true to yourself and always give 100%. Live in the moment, have fun, and celebrate living.