Spotlight on Doug Hatfield!

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Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
I always loved the mountains and when I moved here in April 23, 2004 as a job transfer for work (best thing that ever happened) and did not know where to hike being new to Colorado so I hiked partway up Pikes Peak every weekend for a month before finally committing to climbing all the way to the summit on May 31, 2004.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
After doing Pikes Peak someone referred me to Roach’s Guidebook and after looking through it I was anxious to try the other 14ers and after my second trip into the mountains while doing the Lincoln Group on June 12, 2004 I started to think about wanting to completing them all, but difficulty of some of the 14ers (Elks, San Juans and Sangre De Cristos) had me thinking that I would never complete them as they scared me just looking at them let alone climbing them.  As soon as I did my first Class 3 climb of the Sawtooth between Mount Bierstadt and Mount Evans on August 12, 2004 I figured I may complete them or at least try to complete them all, but after my successful solo summit of Little Bear Peak on July 3, 2005 I knew without a doubt that I would be able to complete all the 14ers.

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
I loved climbing all the 14ers and will probably re-climb a couple that I like most.  I especially liked Pyramid Peak, Capitol Peak, North Maroon Peak, and Crestone Needle.  My favorite if I had to select just one is Northeast Ridge to Capitol Peak due to the scenery, knife edge and remoteness.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
I feel that anytime I climb a mountain is a delightful moment, but the most delightful moment for me was my first summit of a Class 4 of Little Bear Peak on July 3, 2005 with no rockfall since no one was around with a clear day (a little breezy though) and after this successful climb I wanted to start climbing the harder more challenging peaks.  My other favorites were climbing Sunshine Peak in mid-September last year with the changing aspens along with some friends going me for my final 14er climb of Mount Massive.

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
This one is an easy one for me.  While doing my second 14er trip into the mountains doing the Lincoln Group on June 12, 2004 I started early, but not early enough and after doing Mount Democrat, Mount Cameron and Mount Lincoln I finally arrived on Mount Bross just as a electrical storm came through as I could hear very loud buzzing in my ears and my head was getting shocked extremely bad, enough that I started to put my hands on my head to help protect my head from the shocks and to make matters worse I keeping hiking down the ridge for the next 10 minutes not knowing what to do or where to go.  This helped me learn the hard way to leave early and I am very thankful for not getting struck by lightning, someone from above must have been looking out for me.  It is also this same trip that also made me think that I should maybe find something else to do to occupy my all my spare time instead of climbing in the mountains, but later thought I just could not do that as I was already bit by the bug of peakbagging.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
I am into list and hope to climb all the 13ers in my lifetime (this is probably more of a dream then reality), but in the short time future I would like to do all the great traverses, my remaining county highpoints, the Centennials, Lost Creek Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness Peaks that I keep reading so much about and any other mountains that grab my attention and just trying to be safe and have fun in the mountains.

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
I have never been eluded by any 14er mostly do to lots of luck come to think of it I think I have only had moderately bad weather three times.  Mount Massive was my last 14er, which was summited on October 8, 2005 and I saved it for last so I could have some of my climbing friends that still had to do it so they would join me and it just kind of worked out that way as I knew that Mount Massive I could do after the snow starts falling and wanted to get all the harder ones out of the way first.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
Start early, be safe and gain experience before tackling the harder peaks.  Read all you can about your route and learn from more experienced climbers the do’s and don’ts.  Also do not be afraid to turn around due to weather as the mountain will always be there, but you may not.