Spotlight on Rex Headd & Amy Kubal!

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Amy: Huron Peak in June 2003. Three weeks after I first met Rex and he was already hauling me up to 14,000 feet. I was well prepared with my Jansport book bag, Nike running shoes, cotton t-shirt, and 1998 South Dakota State Cross Country Meet sweatshirt… Thanks to Rex’s great planning and my exceptional gear, we were successful and went on to climb La Plata the next day.

Q:  At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
Rex: It wasn't until I moved to Boulder in October 2001 that I learned that Colorado had many more 14ers than just Mt. Elbert. I was immediately committed to climbing them all. I thought it was a good way to keep me in the mountains while living in Colorado and keep me in shape for the Western Highpoints. I spent the winter asking and talking to anybody at work that knew anything about the 14ers. When summer finally came around I climbed almost 30 my first summer in Colorado. 

Amy: When Rex started repeating peaks he had already done so that I could climb them also I knew that I wanted to do them all. I loved everything about our adventures – the awesome feeling of freedom, the pain of the journey, and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pure exhaustion at the end of the day.

Q:  What is your favorite fourteener route?
Rex: It is hard to pick just one, a few come to mind. Crestone Needle, Crestone Peak, and the Dead Dog on Torreys Peak were very enjoyable as well as Capitol Peak. I would have to rate Capitol as my favorite, the approach was beautiful, Capitol's North Face from Capitol Lake is quite imposing, and the Pierre Lakes Basin just blew me away. Oh yah, the Knife Edge and the scrambling to the summit was a blast as well.

Amy: This is a difficult question for me, as each 14er has it's strong and weak points. The changing seasons create new experiences and have completely altered my opinion of a mountain. However, Mount of the Holy Cross was one of my favorite hikes – it offered a little bit of everything – a well traveled trail, grassy slopes and boulder hopping. The views from the top were awesome – I especially liked the “Bowl of Tears”.

Q:  What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
Rex: Several come to mind again on this one. Summitting Capitol Peak and taking in the surrounding beauty from the summit was quite spectacular. Both my trips into the Chicago Basin were some of my favorite days in the mountains. The top of the list would have to be spreading my dear friend Lindsey's ashes from the summit of Mt. Lindsey. Her sister Kelly was with us as well as several other of my and Lindsey's good friends. It was a very special moment and we were honored the family bestowed the privilege on us.

Amy: Each and every climb was exceptional. I enjoyed every moment I spent learning about myself and about my climbing partner (who also happens to be the love of my life). I can't say any one moment stands out more than another, but often the most enjoyable moments for me were the overwhelming feelings of exhaustion at the end of our journeys. Knowing that I had experienced what so many will never know.

Q:  What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
Rex: Up until last weekend I didn't really have an answer for this question. The only really close call I had personally was a rock had my name all over it while we were climbing the Dead Dog Couloir this May. I was able to move to the side and the rock missed me by a mere 3 feet. But last weekend while we were climbing Wilson Peak, near the broken cliffs section just after the Gladstone saddle, I heard Amy scream out and yell for help. I thought for sure she had taken a fall. She was climbing a cliff section and grabbed a large rock to pull herself up when it slid down on her. She was holding it up with her chest and I was able to hold it just long enough for her to get out of the way before I had to let it crash down the slopes. It was definitely the closest call we ever had on a 14er.

Amy: This one is still very fresh in my mind – Wilson Peak when I went to pull myself up a section of rock. I grabbed onto what seemed to be a firmly planted, large boulder and it moved. With one foot ready to slip and an extremely large boulder ready to plummet down the side of the mountain and take me with it if I moved – I seriously thought I was a goner. But, Rex (my hero) came to my rescue, saving my life and solidifying my decision to keep him as my climbing partner for life.

Q:  Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
Rex: Well I'm still working on those pesky Western Highpoints, they took a back seat to the 14ers the last few years. I just need Granite Peak in Montana, Rainier in Washington, and then hopefully Denali in a year or two. As for Colorado, we don't have any formal lists planned. I've made a mental list of some of the more interesting lesser peaks in Colorado and we'll go climb peaks just because they sound fun. There are a lot of peaks up in Wyoming that I want to climb, many of the 13ers up there. Anybody that has browsed my website knows that the Wind River Range in Wyoming will always be my "home range" and I definitely have lots and lots of peaks to climb up there.

Amy: No, I am out for the experience, the challenge and the pure enjoyment of each journey. Lists hold nothing for me – there are so many things I want to do and mountains I want to climb. I don't want my life to revolve around a list or climb a mountain just because it is on a list.

Q:  What 14er did you climb last?  Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
Rex: El Diente was our last peak. I didn't intentionally save it for last, but when Amy and I were down to just the Wilson Group, I made a plan that would allow us to finish on El Diente and complete the 14ers on the same peak. I read a lot of accounts of people having to make multiple trips to close out the Wilson Group so I feel fortunate we were able to climb all three this past weekend.

Amy: El Diente, it was not intentionally saved for last on my list, but Rex waited to do it last so that we could finish together. I'm not sure I was a great partner on this mountain – I seriously did not think I was going to make it to the top (the whole broken rib thing, I mean it's not bad as long as I don't cough, sneeze, laugh, breath or move). I wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for Rex's constant encouragement and support – Thanks Baby.

Q:  What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give someone just starting out?
Rex: I'll offer a few that have been extremely helpful to our high success rate on the 14ers. First of all, get fit and stay fit. Bike, hike, run, and lift weights during the week, whatever you prefer. It makes the 14ers so much more enjoyable when you're not stopping to catch your breath every 100 feet. It also helps when you really need to cover some ground quickly to beat a storm, climb multiple peaks, etc. Also leave early for the summit. I prefer getting to the trailhead the night before so all we have to do in the morning is wake up and start hiking. I used to drive up to the trailheads the morning of the hike and found I'd be half wore out from the drive to the trailhead. We leave extremely early for the summit from the trailheads, 3 a.m., 4 a.m, 5 a.m. depending on the length of the hike. We try to be on the summit by 8 or 9 a.m. In all of our 14er hikes, we never had to experience our hair standing on end or our trekking poles buzzing because we leave for the summit so early. An added bonus is that you'll have the ascent and the summit to yourself. :-) Finding a great partner to share the experience with and keep you motivated also helps a bunch. Sometimes I don't think I would have gotten out of my sleeping bag if it wasn't for Amy. Lastly, remember to stop and soak in the scenery. The summit is only one point on every high country excursion, enjoy the forests, flowers, lakes, and critters. Even the marmots... except when they are eating your gear or food stash. :-)

Amy: Find someone you can share the experience with – who understands and appreciates the entire journey. This journey will teach you so much about yourself – it is awesome to have someone to share your lessons with. You will be challenged in ways you have never been – and will find out how physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually strong you are. Carry these experiences with you each and everyday of your life, use what you have learned everyday and remember just how insignificant your problems seem when you are standing on top of the world looking out on all that God has given you.