Spotlight on Larry Carlton!

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Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
MY first fourteener was Mt. Democrat along with Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross sometime around June or July of 1999.  I was going to go climb Mt. Missouri with a group of Co-Workers a few weeks prior and they all ended up canceling a few days before.  I was really amped up to go climb a 14er so I decided to do a little research and came up with the Lincoln Group.  I grabbed a backpack from my roommate, packed it with some extra clothes, water, sandwich and a copy of Guide to the Colorado Mountains from the CMC.  What an awesome day!! I went up on a Tuesday and there were only a few people on the trail at the time and I loved every minute of the hike.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
I always thought that it would be cool to be able to finish all the 14ers even before I got started.  It took me four years to climb my 4^th 14er, Grays Peak, the summer of 2003, Road Biking kept me fairly busy during that time.  After climbing Grays, I just kept on going as started to learn as much as I possibly could.

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
There are so many good ones!  I would have to say that I really like the standard routes on Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak, having done the Needle 2x.  I also enjoyed the standard route on Capital.  Chicago Basin is really awesome along with the Wilson Group.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
All my fourteener trips have been delightful.  I find great delight in watching the weather all week, planning and researching the route for the next trip, driving to and from the trail head and most of all being on the trial!!

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
Fortunately, I have not had any overly terrifying moments to speak of.  I have come across SAR a few times and assisted with the beginning stages of a rescue over by Mt. Wilson earlier in the year.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
I would like to complete the 100 highest peaks in Colorado in the next year or so; I have been working on them slowly and have about 33 left.  I would also like to complete a second round of 14ers in the next few years; I have already repeated 16 of them in the last year. 

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
My last 14er was Mt. Eolus on August 13^th of this year.  I did not intentionally save this one for last, I just kind of worked out that way.  I was saving Evans for my last climb but decided that I would rather finish in solitude vs. being around 100s that drove their car to the top.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
Try to obtain as much information as possible about Mountaineering as early as possible and put it to use!  The CMC is a great place to start/join; I have learned a ton from the great instructions and members!