I recently met up with old friends, Jeff Hauser and Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser. I have such strong connections with both of these folks going back over 20 years. They live near Glenwood Springs and look up at this massive mountain, Mt. Sopris. I’ve been told Sopris appears way taller than its 12,966 feet; like the Mt. Kili of Glenwood and Carbondale. They’ve always wanted to hike it and, since I am in the midst of training for climbing Ama Dablam in Nepal, it was perfect timing.
Sopris is partially comprised of a rock glacier, meaning rocks from the size of baseballs to cinder blocks are all moving. If you were to stick a trekking pole in the rock and went back the next week, it would have moved downward. Let’s just say it’s not ADA compliant. There were tons of ankle twisting and knee busting loose rocks, which rolled and shifted under foot.
We hiked up and camped at 10,000 feet at Thomas Lakes and hiked up the next day. Despite the tough landscape, we made good time, and it was a beautiful day without rain. Jeff and Carrie have a romantic tradition of holding hands as they walk the last few feet together and this time I was invited to join; so we reached the top like the Wizard of Oz characters.
I have quite the history with Jeff and Carrie. I met Jeff in ‘97 when I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and married my wife, Ellie, on the side of the mountain. Jeff was just this random guy who wanted to climb Kili. He called the trip organizer who told Jeff there was a family going and he should contact my dad. Ed invited Jeff aboard and explained how I was attempting the 7 Summits and had been training around the world…Well, Jeff walks into the Arusha hotel, sees a guy with a white cane and assumes that can’t be me. Jeff always laughs remembering how Ed left out one small detail.
Since Kili, Jeff and I have climbed other mountains together like Mt. Elbrus in Russia, and have run numerous races, including the New York marathon. Jeff loves to reminisce about the time we were running and he yelled, “Watch your Gait!” Assuming he meant my running posture, I adjusted and then promptly ran headfirst into a GATE.
Carrie is also an old friend. After she met and fell in love with Jeff, she became President of Colorado Mountain College. A few years ago, I was invited to speak at their Commencement and received an honorary degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership. Also, in 2017, Jeff became President of Challenge Aspen, a renowned adaptive sports nonprofit. Twenty years ago, I learned to ski with Challenge Aspen, meeting some of the guides I ski with today.
All of this goes to show that if you live long enough, the pieces of your life seem to converge into something meaningful.