Colorado Mountain College Adventures

President Hauser with faculty members Johann Aberger (l) and Derek Johnston (r) on the summit of Maroon Peak, 14,156 ft.

As the College was preparing for the 50^th anniversary celebration, Photography Professor Derek Johnston challenged CMC President Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser to climb or hike 50,000 vertical feet. She took up his challenge, completing the goal in 31 hikes and 167 miles, many with CMC colleagues as guides and trail companions.

The journey was a fitting tribute to the obstacles overcome by the bold visionaries who founded this exceptional college in the early 1960s. For countless nights, traveling pre-interstate roads, through rain and blizzard, they achieved the improbable — a coalition of rural citizens who voted to tax themselves to create a college, a college which now influences lives across the world.

Read more about Dr. Hauser's 50K for 50th Challenge below.

Climbing 50K Vertical for the 50th

Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser’s 50K for 50th Challenge

Goals

Climb 50K vertical feet for CMC’s 50th Anniversary, Summer 2016
No repeat hikes (each vertical foot unique)
Start in late May, finish by September
Hike in every CMC county with a campus at least once
Carry #CMCAdventureFlag at all times

By the numbers

0 = hikes repeated
1 = Rolex Found on a 14er trail (returned to its Front Range owner thanks to 14ers.com lost-and-found page)
2 = highest points (Mt. Humphreys in Arizona at 12,866 and Castle Peak in Colorado’s Elks Range at 14,265)
3 = lost toenails
4 = months to complete the goal
5 = states hiked: CO, AZ, UT, MN, and CA (Countries: 2 – US and So. Africa)
7 = hikes in counties with CMC campuses (Pitkin, Garfield, Eagle, Routt, Summit, Lake, Chaffee)
7 = 14ers climbed (Holy Cross planned as extra credit in early October)
13 = CMC colleagues or collaborators who joined in the fun including my awesome husband
32 = total hikes included in the calculations and the number of times Derek Johnston’s name gently cursed for suggesting the crazy idea!
167 miles covered
52,000 vertical feet hiked

The details

5/26/16, Boy Scout Trail, 1000 ft vertical, 5 miles. (Garfield County)

5/28/16, Big Spring (Utah) Canyon/Squaw Flat Loop, Needles District, Canyonlands NP, 800 ft vertical, 7.5 miles. (with Jeff)

5/30/16, Storm King memorial trail to first look out. 1000 ft vertical. (2 miles) (Garfield County) (with Jeff)

6/1/16, Hanging Lake 1000 ft vertical. (2.5 miles) (Garfield County)

6/5/16, Red Hill/Carbondale, 500 ft vertical (3 miles) (Garfield County)

6/14/16, Grizzly Creek. 1600 ft vertical (7 miles) (Garfield County)

6/19/16, Browns Creek Falls, 1000 ft vertical (6 miles) (Chaffee County) (with Jeff)

6/23/16, Red Mountain (partial), 600’ vertical (2 miles) (Garfield County)

6/25/16, Wheeler Trail (to junction) 1500 vertical (5 miles) (Summit County)

7/4/16, Ragged Mountain Trail, 800 ft vertical (8 miles) (Gunnison county) (with Jeff)

7/7/16, Mt. Yale, 4700 vertical (Chaffee County) (9.5 miles) (with Trey Shelton and Mike Spaulding)

7/8/16, Mt. Shavano, 4700 vertical (Chaffee County) (9.5 miles) (with Mike Spaulding)

7/15/16, Torreys and Grays peaks. 4000 (Summit County/Clear Creek) (9 miles) (with Marti Awad) (Found a ROLEX and returned to owner thanks to Lost and Found posting on 14ers.com)

7/17/16, Copper Mountain base to just below top of Super B lift. 2000 vertical (4 miles) (Summit)

7/21/16, Jess Weaver trail. 1000’ vertical (5 miles) (Garfield County)

7/30/16, South Maroon Peak, 4900 (Pitkin) 11.5 miles (with Derek Johnston, Johann Aberger, Scott Robson)

7/23/16, Beaver Ponds (Ohio Pass), 500 (2 miles) (Gunnison County) (with Jeff)

7/27/16, Windsor Lakes near LV, 1000 (2.5 miles) (Lake County)

8/7/16, Cathedral Lake, 2000 (6 miles) (Pitkin) (with Jeff)

8/13/16, Lost Lake trail, Grand Mesa. 200 vertical (3 miles) (Mesa) (with Jeff)

8/16/16, Fish Creek Falls (regular trail) 1800 vertical (5 miles) (Routt)

8/17/16, Fish Creek North Fork (up steam bed). 1000 vertical (4 miles) (Routt) (with Ken Brenner)

8/28/16, hiking the north shore of Lake Superior. 300 vertical (Minn) (3 miles) (DWP bday weekend)

8/29/16, Mitchell Creek, 1000 vertical to log bridge (4 miles) (Garfield County)

9/2/16, Doc Holliday trail up to Sopris view, 1000 vertical (5 miles) (Garfield County)

9/4/16, Broken Rib trail to grizzly creek, Oak Creek Road. 1000 vertical (4 miles) (Eagle County) (with Jeff)

9/11/16, Castle and Conundrum Peaks, 3500 vertical (Pitkin) (9 miles) (with Mandy Hughes, Tom Barney, David Parker)

9/16/16, Sedona, AZ "unnamed" hike, 300' vertical, (2 miles)

9/17/16, Mt. Humphreys, 3500 vertical (12633', highest pt in AZ) (with Dan McGourin) (10 miles)

9/20/16, Booth Falls, 1800 vertical (Eagle County) (4 miles)

9/28/16, Arbaney-Kittle Trail (Eagle County), 1500 vertical to look-out, 3 miles

9/29/16, Sawmill Lake (Northstar ski area, CA) 500 vertical (4 miles)

Vertical feet total = 52,000

Mileage total = 167

Extra credit

12/19/16, Table Mountain, Platteklip Trail (South Africa) 3,400' vertical (2 miles), considered one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the world.

CMC Adventure Flags Around the World

While Dr. Hauser was completing her 50K challenge, other Colorado Mountain College faculty and staff were taking the CMC Adventure Flag with on travels near and far, posting photos with #CMCAdventureFlag. Here are some of them, with more still coming…

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