Endurance athlete attempting to hike state’s 100 highest peaks in record time
Mountaineer Andrew Hamilton, with the aid of Andrea Sansone, is currently undertaking an attempt at hiking the 100 highest peaks in Colorado in record time.
The duo and a support group began the quest for Hamilton to hike the 100 highest peaks in 20 days on Sunday, June 27. As of Saturday morning, July 3, seven days into the attempt, Hamilton had hiked 24 of the 100 highest peaks.
The two are updating interested people on their progress on their Instagram page, @a2summit. They started their quest by hiking Culebra Peak in the rain.
“The snow up high made for some treacherous Class 2 rock hopping,” they wrote in an Instagram post.
They proceeded to climb in rainy, and at times wintry conditions, on peaks including Mount Princeton, Mount Columbia and Mount Harvard.
Sansone wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, June 30, that hiking LaPlata Peak was cold in the hail and rain.
“We made great time despite the harsh weather,” Sansone wrote. “It hailed and rained on us hard, just about the entire way up after we reached the saddle. Coming down, we had an adventure through the willows that left us soaking wet, and so cold!”
The duo then turned their sights to the Centennial Elks Traverse of Cathedral, Conundrum, Castle, Thunder Pyramid and Pyramid peaks.
“He gained all his time on the Cathedral to Conundrum traverse which allowed him to get the Pyramid traverse in the light which really saved him, because he struggled getting down Pyramid in the dark, he was so tired,” Sansone wrote on Instagram.
On the sixth day of the attempt on Friday, July 2, Hamilton scaled North and South Maroon, Hagerman, Snowmass and Capitol peaks.
“He is so tired, but he got through the hard terrain, now it’s just surviving the climb,” Sansone wrote on Instagram.
On Saturday morning, Sansone posted to Instagram that scaling Snowmass and Capitol were really rough for Hamilton.
“Coming out of Capitol felt like eternity for him,” she wrote.
Sansone said Saturday morning Hamilton was next slated to attempt Grizzly Peak.
In 2018, Hamilton became the first person to summit all 58 of the mountains in the state above 14,000 feet in one winter.
For this summer record attempt at the centennial, Hamilton is following the 3,000-foot rule.
“Andrew is not allowed to receive any support 3,000 feet below the summit and above,” Sansone wrote on Instagram. “Anything below 3,000 feet is fair game. For example, we can carry his pack, supply him with food, etc., but he cannot take support once he hits that magic 3,000-foot line.”
To follow along with Hamilton’s progress, visit: Share.garmin.com/14ers.
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