Spotlight on Dave Hale!

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Q:  What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
I hiked to the summit of Pikes Peak a couple of times with my Boy Scout troop in the early 1970s.  However, I mark my fourteener career as beginning with Longs Peak (my first fourteener as an adult), which I climbed in early August, 1996.  In July 1997, Emily and I did Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross as "Part 2" of our honeymoon...this is when I really got hooked on the Colorado fourteeners. 

Q:  At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
Soon after starting my teaching position at the Air Force Academy, a fellow faculty member invited me to go on the "Annual Department of Biology Fourteener Climb," which had been a departmental tradition for several years.  We climbed Tabeguache and Shavano on July 18, 1998, and I quickly fell in with a small dedicated group of fourteener climbers.  The infectious enthusiasm of my new climbing colleagues, the addictive thrill I experienced from these early climbs, and the appealing challenge of the Colorado Grand Slam got me committed that summer. 

Q:  What is your favorite fourteener route?
My favorite is the South Couloir Route on the Crestone Needle, as it offered a bit of everything I enjoy in a climb:  challenging backpack approach (from the west), beautiful secluded campsite (Cottonwood Lake), steep class-3 climbing, incredible solid rock (with great hand- and foot-holds!), and serious experienced climbers. 

Q:  What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
This is a difficult question, as all of my fourteener ascents have been very positive experiences.  I would have to rate my June 27, 2002 climb of Mount Lindsey as the best all-around experience.  The day started with a bear encounter in camp, so my excitement for the peak and my performance on the climb were amplified by a long-lasting dose of adrenaline.  The weather was beautiful, and I was on the trail with my hyper-energetic climbing buddies Scooby and Shep.  I was amazed by the exquisite mountain scenery of Huerfano Basin and the exceptional wildflowers blanketing the tundra.  Some sections of the route were challenging for the dogs, so I had to work with them to get us all to the summit.  Everything went so well, we were a great team, and the summit was especially rewarding.  We had the entire mountain to ourselves. 

Q:  What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
I have never experienced sustained "terror" on a fourteener, as I have always been cautious (i.e., timid...) about the weather, and I avoided serious exposure in the days when it bothered me.  But, there have been some "moments"...  The most terrifying was on Capitol Peak, my last fourteener. During our descent, my colleagues and I were ascending slightly different lines on K2.  I was moving in an ascending spiral to the northwest-north side before pushing straight up to the summit.  About 50 feet below K2's summit, in an exposed position, I tested a large rock before committing my weight...it seemed to be quite solid.  I moved onto it, and grabbed two high hand-holds; then, as I shifted to move my feet to the next foot-holds, the rock just peeled out of the face and plunged down the 1800-foot drop towards Capitol Lake.  I was securely attached to those hand-holds, so no harm…but, it was still my closest call ever on a fourteener. 

Q:  Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
Before the end of this summer, I hope to complete all four of the great fourteener traverses.  I have been considering other mountain lists:  doing all of the fourteeners at least twice (and by a different route than my first ascent), climbing all of the centennial peaks, climbing all of the "lower-48" fourteeners. 

Q:  What 14er did you climb last?  Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
Capitol Peak was my last fourteener.  This one previously eluded me...we were thwarted at Capitol Lake by an early-season snowstorm last Labor Day weekend.  My original plan was to do Mount Sneffels last, as this is a climb some of my less-experienced friends and relatives could have done with me. 

Q:  What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give someone just starting out?
It's difficult to choose a most important single piece of advice...I agree with all of the previous "Spotlight on..." responses to this question!  So, I will make a very general inclusive statement:  heed the advice of more experienced climbers, and learn from the mistakes of others.  The advice is readily available in Roach's guidebook and on FourteenerWorld.com, and the mistakes can be found in the newspaper...