General Statistics

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Compiled by Cave Dog

-Name for the Speed Record for Climbing All of Colorado's Fourteeners: Mighty Mountain Megamarathon(M⁴ )

-Definition of a Fourteener: A natural geographical point with an elevation between 14,000 and 14,999 feet that descends in every direction and has been demeaned by the mountaineering community to be significant. (Recently, the Colorado mountaineering community has been using an elevation gain of 300 feet from the saddle with the parent peak [the 300 Foot Rule] as a determiner of a peak's significance; however, a peak's difficulty, distance from the parent peak, and climbing heritage are also taken into consideration.)

Cave Dog's M⁴ Challenge

-Start Time: September 4, 2000 at 2:30 am

-Finish Time: September 14, 2000 at 10:56 pm

-Total Time on Trails: 7 days, 7 hours, 51 minutes
-Total Time in Support Vehicle: 3 days, 12 hours, 35 minutes
-Total Time Not on the Trail or in the Support Vehicle: 0
-Total Time: 10 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes
-Percentage of Total Time on Trail: 67 percent
-Amount of Time Less than Previous Record: 1 day, 19 hours, 9 minutes

-Number of Peaks Climbed Completely at Night: 12
-Number of Peaks Climbed Mostly at Night: 4
-Number of Peaks Climbed with Some Darkness: 6
-Total Number of Peaks with at least Some Darkness: 22
-Total Night Climbs: 16
-Percentage of Climbs at Night: 29 percent

-Number of Peaks with Strong to Severe Winds: 12
-Number of Peaks with Lightning: 3
-Number of Peaks with Falling Snow: 4
-Number of Peaks with Snow on the Ground: 12
-Number of Peaks Iced Over: 5

Peaks per Day* Vertical Gain per Day*
(in feet) Mileage per Day*

Day 1 7 14,654

Day 2 6 15,542

Day 3 5 11,109

Day 4 5.2 10,271

Day 5 3.8 9,412

Day 6 4 16,165

Day 7 4 10,990

Day 8 3 9,995

Day 9 6 14,396

Day 10 7.6 17,025

Day 10 5/6 2.4 8,999

Total 55 138,558

Most in 24 Hour Period 8.2
17,989

Average in 24 Hour Period 5.1 13,578

*Please note that each day is based on a race day, from 2:30 am to 2:30 am.

-Total Vertical Loss: 143,183 feet
-Difference between Vertical Gain and Vertical Loss: 4,625 feet (more vertical loss)

-Average Amount of Time Spent on Each Peak Including Driving: 4 hours, 44 minutes
-Average Amount of Time Spent on Each Peak Climbing: 3 hours, 12 minutes

-Number of Singular Climbs: 15
-Number of Double Climbs: 6
-Number of Triple Climbs: 4
-Number of Quadruple Climbs: 1
-Number of Quintuple Climbs: 1
-Number of Septuple Climbs: 1
-Total Number of Mountain Groups: 28

-Number of Traverses: 7

-Number of Peaks Summitted Solo: 50
-Peaks Summitted with a Climbing Partner: La Plata, Grays, Torreys, Bierstadt, and Evans
-Peaks with a Climbing Partner for the Approach but not the Summit or the Descent: Needle and Quandary

-Number of Class 1 Routes: 9
-Number of Class 2 Routes: 67
-Number of Class 2+ Routes: 5
-Number of Class 3 Routes: 22
-Number of Class 4 Routes: 16
-Total Number of Routes: 119

-Subpeaks Over 14,000 Feet Cave Dog Climbed Incidentally during the M⁴: Cameron, West Mt. Wilson, South Bross, and North Snowmass

-Number of Routes Done for the First Time During the Challenge: 1 (the Snowmass/Capitol Traverse)
-Number of Times Cave Dog Attempted the Snowmass to Capitol Traverse during Training: 4 (foiled by lightning twice, a wrecked car, and a body recovery effort)

-Number of Times the Order of Mountains was Changed during the Challenge: 2

-Weight Loss: Approximately 10 pounds (Cave Dog's lowest weight since Sophomore year in high school)

-Age: 29
-Height: 6' 0''
-Normal Weight: 150-155 pounds

-Number of New Shoes Used Up during the Challenge: 3
-Number of New Gloves Used Up during the Challenge: 2
-Number of flat tires during the Challenge: 3

-Minimum Starting Weight of Pack: 3 pounds
-Maximum Starting Weight of Pack: 6 pounds
-Minimum Weight of Clothes: 5 pounds
-Maximum Weight of Clothes: 6 pounds
-Total Starting Weight of Gear: 8 to 12 pounds (including all incidental weight such as a watch and glasses)

-Number of Fourteeners Summitted with a Dime Mistakenly Carried Along Much to Cave Dog's Horror at the Extra Weight: 21
-Amount of Lift Estimated to be Required to Carry One Ounce to the top of All 55 Fourteeners: 70,000 pounds

-Number of Climbs that a Map was Brought Along: 2 (Culebra and the Capitol Group)
-Number of Climbs a Map was Used: 0
-Number of Routefinding Mistakes that Took More than a Few Minutes to Rectify: 0
-Number of the Ten Essentials Brought Along: 3 1/2 (food/water, clothing, a watch compass that was never used, and sometimes a headlamp)
-The Ten Essentials: Map, compass, sunglasses and sunscreen, extra food, extra clothing, headlamp/flashlight, first aid supplies, fire starter, matches, and knife

-Number of People Involved or Contacted in Resolving the Culebra Question: 22

-Number of People in The Dog Team: 6
-Number of Support Crew Members: 5
-Number of Primary Support Vehicles: 3
-Total Number of Support Vehicles: 6

-Number of Miles in a Train with Cave Dog Aboard: about 12
-Number of Miles on an ATV with Cave Dog Aboard: about 4
-Number of Miles the Support Crew Hiked: about 37
-Average Number of Miles a Primary Support Vehicle Drove: about 2,500
-Number of Miles Driven with Cave Dog Aboard: 1636.8
-Number of Pages in the Dog Team's Driving Directions: 35
-Number of Indications on the Dog Team's Driving Directions: 979
-Estimated Amount of Time Lost Due to Driving Errors While Cave Dog was in a Vehicle: 3 minutes

-Cave Dog's Times for each of the Mountain Ranges that were Climbed Continuously:

San Juans	1 day, 23 hours, 54 minutes
Sangre de Cristos	1 day, 14 hours, 7 minutes
Tenmile/Mosquito	13 hours, 47 minutes
Front	1 day, 2 hours, 55 minutes

(There has been some speculation that each of these four 14er range times are records in themselves. There appears to be scant information on such a contrived distinction; so, one cannot know for certain. However, the San Juan Range time is the most likely to be a record. It should also be noted that the San Juan Range time was started 3,000 feet below the summit of Windom according to the rules of the M⁴. The Front Range time was stopped 3,000 feet below the summit of Longs. These are unlikely locations for starting and stopping points for a range time.)

Cave Dog's Training

-Number of Years Cave Dog Planned on Making a Challenge: 4 1/2
-Number of Years Cave Dog Trained and Scouted: 2 1/2
-Amount of Time Taken Off the Record During the 4 1/2 Years Cave Dog Planned on Making an Attempt: 2 days, 18 hours, 20 minutes (15 days, 9 hours, 55 minutes to 12 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes)
-Number of New Records During the 4 1/2 Years Cave Dog Planned on Making an Attempt: 3 (14 days, 16 minutes; 13 days, 22 hours, 48 minutes; and 12 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes; plus a new women's record of 14 days, 14 hours, 49 minutes)

-Number of Times Cave Dog has Summitted a Fourteener: Approximately 250
-Number of Times Cave Dog has Summitted a Fourteener Solo: Approximately 225
-Number of Times Cave Dog has Climbed Most of the Fourteeners: 4
-Number of Times Cave Dog has been Chased Off a Fourteener Because of Lightning: Approximately 35
-Number of Times Cave Dog has Heard the Rocks Buzz on a Fourteener: 1
-Number of Times Cave Dog's Hair has Stood on End on a Fourteener: 4
-Number of Times Cave Dog has Heard Zippers or Other Metal Buzz on a Fourteener: 8
-Number of Times Cave Dog did Not Summit a Fourteener for Some Reason other than Lightning: 3 (group got tired, blizzard, and body recovery effort)
-Name of Cave Dog's Nemesis: Lightning
-Number of Fourteeners Cave Dog has Climbed Completely at Night: 30
-Cave Dog's Usual Companions on a Fourteener: Picas and marmots during the day and bats at night
-The Longest Cave Dog has Bivied on a Fourteener: 36 hours (the Needle)
-Cave Dog's Most Unexpected Find on a Fourteener: A thirty passenger plane wreck
-Most Number of Consecutive Days Cave Dog has been Snowed on while Climbing Fourteeners: 7 (June)
-Most Amount of Snow Fallen on Cave Dog while on a Fourteener: 14 inches (October)
-The Highest Wildflower Cave Dog has Found on a Fourteener: 14,400 (near the summit of Massive)
-Longest Fall Cave Dog has had on a Fourteener: 5 feet (microburst in the Wilsons)
-Number of Times Cave Dog has been Injured on a Fourteener beyond Abrasions: 1 (crushed foot on Eolus)
-Number of Times Cave Dog Almost Killed his Climbing Partner on a Fourteener: 1 (Accidentally dislodged a 10 foot long boulder that came within 18 inches from his climbing partner on Snowmass)
-Number of Times Cave Dog Thought He Saw Human Remains on a Fourteener: 1
-Number of Flat Tires Cave Dog had Scouting out the Fourteeners in the Summer of 2000: 11
-Number of Years Cave Dog Climbed Fourteeners: 2 1/4
-Cave Dog's Favorite Mountain: Teocalli Mountain

Fourteener Statistics

-Estimated Number of Times a Colorado Fourteener was Climbed in the Summer of 2000: 200,000

-Name of the Main Nonprofit Organization to be Credited with Enhancing Fourteener Trails in Recent Years: The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative(CFI)

-What is the 300 Foot Rule: One of the considerations for a point to be considered a peak is that it most rise at least 300 feet from the saddle to its parent peak.
-Number of Peaks Over 14,000 Feet that Meet the 300 Foot Rule but are not Considered 1 of the 55 Fourteeners: 0 (North Massive is estimated to have a rise of 280 feet from its saddle with Massive; if the estimate is low, it may become the 56th Fourteener)
-Number of the 55 Fourteeners that do not Meet the 300 Foot Rule: 2 (North Maroon, a rise of 234 feet, and El Diente, a rise of 259 feet)

-List of Fourteeners with Elevation:

Peak Elevation in feet Peak Elevation in feet

Sunshine Peak 14,001 Mount Oxford 14,153

Huron Peak 14,003 Tabeguache Mountain 14,155

Mount of the Holy Cross 14,005 South Maroon Peak 14,156

North Maroon Peak 14,014 El Diente Peak 14,159

San Luis Peak 14,014 Kit Carson Peak 14,165

Wetterhorn Peak 14,015 Mount Bross 14,172

Wilson Peak 14,017 Mount Yale 14,196

Pyramid Peak 14,018 Mount Belford 14,197

Redcloud Peak 14,034 Crestone Needle 14,197

Mount Sherman 14,036 Mount Princeton 14,197

Little Bear Peak 14,037 Mount Shavano 14,229

Ellingwood Point 14,042 Mt. Wilson 14,246

Mount Lindsey 14,042 Longs Peak 14,255

Culebra Peak 14,047 Mount Evans 14,264

Handies Peak 14,048 Castle Peak 14,265

Sunlight Peak 14,059 Quandary Peak 14,265

Mount Bierstadt 14,060 Torreys Peak 14,267

Humboldt Peak 14,064 Mount Antero 14,269

Missouri Mountain 14,067 Grays Peak 14,270

Mount Columbia 14,073 Mount Lincoln 14,286

Challenger Point 14,081 Crestone Peak 14,294

Windom Peak 14,082 Uncompahgre Peak 14,309

Mount Eolus 14,083 La Plata Peak 14,336

Snowmass Mountain 14,092 Blanca Peak 14,345

Pikes Peak 14,110 Mount Harvard 14,420

Capitol Peak 14,130 Mount Massive 14,421

Mount Democrat 14,148 Mount Elbert 14,433

Mount Sneffels 14,150

-Number of Named Peaks over 14,000 Feet in Colorado: 73

-Named Peaks over 14,000 Feet Not Considered Fourteeners and Their Rise Above the Connecting Saddle with Their Parent Peak:

Peak	Elevation in feet	Rise in feet
North Massive	14,340	280
Conundrum	14,060	240
Southeast Longs	14,060	240
South Elbert	14,134	234
South Massive	14,132	232
North Eolus	14,039	179
South Mt. Wilson	14,110	170
Cameron	14,238	138
Massive Green	14,300	120
Northeast Crestone	14,260	120
West Mt. Wilson	14,100	120
West Evans	14,256	116
East Crestone	14,260	80
East La Plata	14,180	80
South Bross	14,020	80
South Little Bear	14,020	80
North Snowmass	14,020	40
Northwest Lindsey	14,020	40

-Most Widely Held Misnomer about the Fourteeners: The Collegiate Peaks are a range (in fact, they are a collection of peaks in the Sawatch Range)
-The Most Widely Mispronounced Fourteener: Elbert (el-bert not al-bert)
-Other Commonly Mispronounced Fourteeners: Tabeguache ( ) and Shavano ( )
-Myths about Fourteeners: A Fourteener was mined into oblivion outside of Leadville and that Cameron was built up to 14,000 feet by mining tailings
-A Fourteener Controversy: Some are trying to have Evans renamed because of the atrocities against the American Indians promoted by its namesake, John Evans, Second Governor of the Colorado Territories from 1862-1865.
-Another Fourteener Controversy: There has been a long standing controversy over the ownership of Culebra. The land had been given to the ancestral residences of San Luis as a land grant as part of the expanding Spanish empire. In 1960, Jack Taylor, a lumberman from North Carolina, managed to get legal ownership of the land for a very undervalued amount. The residence of the area feel that they were swindled out of their ancestral lands. The result has been a bitter controversy marked by distrust and antagonism. The dispute escalated when Show Lou Pai, chief executive officer of Enron Energy Services, an international contractor of energy and building maintenance services based in Houston, purchased the land. Consequently, he closed the land to the public. Access to Culebra for mountaineers is only a side issue. The main controversy is over access to the land for the local residences of San Luis. The Taylor family allowed mountaineers access for a fee three mouths of the year. Under the current ownership the Colorado Mountain Club has been able to negotiate access for a limited number of climbers one day of the year.

-Number of Fourteeners Completely Privately Owned: Around 5 (This number seems to change according to the times, the person asked, and the definition of private. Kit Carson, Challenger, Lindsey, Sherman, and Culebra appear to all be private; however, Kit Carson and Challenger may reverted back to the public because of a rider to the Great Sands National Park bill. Efforts were made by the Colorado Mountain Club to buy Culebra when the Taylor family had it for sell. Unfortunately, they were unable to raise enough funds. If you are interested in helping out, the Nature Conservancy may be the best avenue.)
-Number of Fourteeners Closed: 1 (Culebra)
-The Value of the 77,000 acre Taylor Ranch, which Included Culebra, in 1993: $21.1 million

-Percentage of the Oxygen at Sea Level While at 14,000 Feet: Approximately 60 percent (The air at 14,000 feet is still 21 percent oxygen; however, their is about 60 percent less atmospheric pressure; so, that 21 percent of the air at a 14,000 foot elevation yields 60 percent less oxygen than 21 percent of air at sea level. Variations also occur due to weather.)
-Percentage of the Oxygen at Sea Level While at 29,000 Feet: Approximately 33 percent
-Average Oxygen Saturation of Blood Leaving the Lungs for a Nonacclimatized Individual at Sea Level: 97 percent
-Average Oxygen Saturation of Blood Leaving the Lungs for a Nonacclimatized Individual at 14,000 Feet: 80 percent
-The Lower Limit of Oxygen Saturation in the Blood Leaving the Lungs Considered by the Medical Community Necessary for Normal Functioning: 93 percent

-Number of Injuries Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999: 273
-Number of Fatalities Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999: 59
-Total Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999: 332
-Average Number of People Injured by Lightning in Colorado Per Year Over the Last Twenty Years: 14
-Average Number of People Killed by Lightning in Colorado Per Year Over the Last Twenty Years: 3
-Average Number of Casualties by Lightning in Colorado Per Year Over the Last Twenty Years: 17
-Worst Year in the Last Twenty Years for Lightning Casualties in Colorado: 1995 (30 Injured, 4 Fatal)
-Least Bad Year in the Last Twenty Years for Lightning Casualties in Colorado: 1993 (1 Injured, 1 Fatal)
-Number of Years in the Last Twenty Years Colorado has had No Fatalities Due to Lightning: 0
-Out of the 332 Colorado Casualties Due to Lightning From 1980 to 1999, how many were on a Fourteener: 14 (including one incident with 5 casualties and one with 3 casualties. CFI estimates that in 2000 there were 200,000 people climbing Fourteeners)
-People that are More Likely to be Struck by Lightning in Colorado: Linemen, farmers, golfers, bicyclist, people hiking on ridges or peaks, people standing next to telephone poles, power poles, fences, trees, or goal posts, and people standing in fields or walking to their car in a parking lot
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in November, December, January, February, and March: 0
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in April: 12
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in May: 41
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in June: 91
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in July: 80
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in August: 77
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in September: 28
-Number of Casualties Due to Lightning in Colorado From 1980 to 1999 in October: 3
-Uncertainty about Data: Data is estimates to be underreporting by 28 percent for fatalities and 42 percent for injuries
-How Many Casualties has Colorado had between 1959 and 1994: 394 casualties (299 injuries and 95 fatalities)
-Which States had higher Casualties Due to Lightning than Colorado between 1959 and 1994: Florida (1523), Michigan (732), Pennsylvania (644), North Carolina (629), New York (577), Ohio (545), Texas (498), Tennessee (473), Georgia (410)
-Which States had the Least Casualties Due to Lightning between 1959 and 1994: Alaska (0), Hawaii (4), Nevada (18), Oregon (26), Vermont (30)
-What Rank is Colorado in Damages Due to Lightning between 1959 and 1994: 26th
-In Colorado, What Ratio of Lightning Flashes Result in Insurance Claims: 1 out of every 52 Ground Strikes
-Number of Volts in an Average Lightning Flash: 30 million
-Number of Amps in an Average Lightning Flash: 10,000 to 200,000
-How Far Can a Single Lightning Bolt Travel Before Striking Ground: 25 miles
-Where do Most of the Lightning Ground Strikes Occur in Colorado: Between Denver and Pueblo

-Highest Colorado Fourteener: Elbert 14,433
-Lowest Colorado Fourteener: Sunshine 14,001
-Height Difference between the 55 Fourteeners: 432 feet
-Distance between the Farthest Colorado Fourteeners: Approximately 206 miles
-How Much of Colorado is Encompassed by the Region that Contains Fourteeners: About a third

-Number of Peaks Over 14,000 feet in the United States: 91
-Number of Fourteeners in the Continental United States: 72
-Number of Fourteeners in Colorado: 55
-Number of Fourteeners in California: 15 (like Colorado, the accepted number of Fourteeners in California has risen, from the traditional count of 13)
-Number of Fourteeners in Washington: 2 (Traditionally, Mt. Rainier is considered the only Fourteener in Washington; however, some list include 3 peaks on Rainer including Point Success 14,158 that does not meet Colorado's 300 Foot Rule and Liberty Cap 14,112 that does qualify under the 300 Foot Rule. The 300 Foot Rule does not work as well with volcanic ranges that tend to have very distinct mountain summits.)
-Number of Peaks Over 14,000 feet in Alaska: 19 (uncertain as to how this number was derived)

-Highest Point in the Rockies: Elbert, Colorado 14,433
-Highest Point in the Continental United States: Whitney, California 14,494
-Highest Point in the United States: Denali, Alaska 20,320
-Highest Point in North America: Denali, Alaska 20,320
-Highest Point in the Western Hemisphere: Aconcagua, Argentina 22,834
-Highest Point on Earth: Everest, Nepal and Tibet 29,035 (The debate over the height of Everest has been long. The most recent measurements using GPS technology in 1999 arrived at 29,035 feet plus or minus 7 feet. This raised the bar slightly from the traditional 1954 measurement of 29,028 feet mostly because of new theories as to the shape of Earth, the geoid, and moving plates of crust that put sea level in the Himalayas slightly lower. The measurement of the top of Everest to the center of the Earth is considered very accurate; however, questions about sea level and the depth of snow on top of Everest account for the 14 foot uncertainty. Many around the world still use the mid1800s measurement of 29,002 feet.)
-Tallest Mountain on Earth: Mauna Loa, Hawaii 13,677, 5.5 miles higher than the surrounding sea floor
-Biggest Mountain in the Sun's Solar System: Olympus Mons, Mars 88,600 feet (Olympus Mons is about 335 miles across and has a shear face 32,800 feet tall)