Dan Suitor, Centennial Finisher!

[coopergould]

Congrats Dan!! It was great meeting you and Glen at the summit (this is Cooper who topped out just before you guys from the back door route).

Amazing accomplishment and a perfect day to wrap up an incredible journey. Glad you guys got to enjoy those beers at the saddle!! Your humility and love for the mountains was inspiring - hope to share a summit again in the future!

[Kiefer]

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[Dan_Suitor]

Thanks Glen and thank you everyone who posted and aided me along the way! It has been a long pursuit.

As Glen mentioned, I started with the original Centennial list and had to pivot when the LiDAR list came out. As a result, I ended up completing all peaks on both lists.

I should say that Gladstone was my favorite because it was my finisher, but my favorite was Jagged due to its remoteness and challenge. Thanks to Joe Kinner of SJMG who guided me.

Some memorable climbs and experiences:

• Thunder Pyramid with a small group in the climbing community willing to brave the mountain and the pandemic to take it on. We took the time to pay homage to Steve Gladbach, who I had the privilege of climbing Shavano/Tabeguache with.
• Rio Grand Pyramid from 30-mile campground was one of my longest single day solo hikes ever, 23+ miles and 5,200ft of vertical. Of course, I had to visit the window while I was there.
• The biggest challenge was the trip Glen mentioned at the start of this post, with him and his son Nick. I ended up orphaning Turret. I’ve never been so spent! As Clint Eastwood once said: “A man’s got to know his limits”. Stories were made, lessons were learned, and fun times were had.
• Teakettle with Kurt Blair as my guide. One of my first class-V peaks.
• My 14er finisher on La Plata Peak. As one who tries not to take the easy way out, I had our group take Ellingwood Ridge instead of the standard route. It offered just the right amount of spice.
• Crossing paths with Bill Middlebrook on the summit of Mt. Bierstadt, who was up there on a climb with his son.

Finishing on Gladstone with Glen was an appropriate way to complete the Centennials. It was difficult, as the Centennials are, and I’m glad we did it together, having each other’s back along the way.

As far as the Bicentennials are concerned, that’s a no-go. The Centennials include the 14ers, but taking on the Bicentennials is like starting the list of 100 all over again. My days of chasing lists are done, but I will still be found climbing Colorado’s high mountains and being part of the 14ers community.

[BKS]

Congrats Dan. Way to keep plugging away at it

[smrcka]

Way to go Dan! Congratulations!

[14erFred]

Way to go, Dan! Congratulations on completing your quest to climb Colorado's 100 highest peaks!