The dramatic events in Nepal this week have overshadowed the beginning of one of the most impressive athletic challenges of the year: Kilian Jornet’s States of Altitude project. Jornet plans to connect all the 14,000-foot peaks across the lower 48 United States (not including Alaska and Hawaii) by foot and bike.
Colorado kickoff
The Spaniard started on September 3 with the LA Freeway traverse from Longs Peak to South Arapaho Peak on the Continental Divide. He never dipped under 12,000ft (3,658m) and bagged many peaks on the way, his press team reported. Despite not being acclimatized, he completed the traverse in 16 hours and then continued with a 79km night gravel ride south to Echo Lake campground. “Sometimes, the best recovery is to keep moving,” Jornet said.
Jornet was accompanied by local friends who were able to keep his pace. He counted on Kyle Richardson for the first mountaineering traverse, and ultra-endurance cycling champion Lael Wilcox pedalled by his side to Echo Lake.
The second day, with nearly no sleep, Jornet pushed on:
The morning brought Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Evans) and Bierstadt, but Colorado’s afternoon storms had other plans. A weather system rolled in, forcing route changes that added four hours to the day. Kilian pushed through to bag Grays and Torreys before finally reaching the team around 10:30 pm.
Six hours of sleep, another gravel cycling trip, and one more 14,000’er (Quandary Peak) followed. Jornet had already totaled 259km on foot and by bike in 41 hours of movement, and topped out on six Colorado 14,000’ers.
Day three brought Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Sherman in the Mosquito range. He couldn’t step on the summit of Mount Bross because the peak is located in privately owned land with restricted access.
Day four, Colorado’s highest peaks
Day four was even more intense. In the morning, he climbed Holy Cross peak in just over 3:49 hours to the top and back. Then he cycled to the Sawatch range for a traverse of Colorado’s highest peaks, Mount Massive (4,398m) and Mount Elbert (4,401m). Together with Gavin Mackenzie, he knocked them both over in a single late afternoon push.
“The plan was to complete the traverse in around eight hours, but after moving almost continuously for nearly 20 hours, Kilian [Jornet] was feeling the fatigue and decided to dial back the pace on the uphills,” his press team noted. Jornet finished at 3:40 am the following morning.
On September 7, Jornet took a “rest” day by cycling 87km from Twin Lakes via Independence Pass and Aspen toward the Elk range.
By the end of the day, he had summited 13 fourteeners, covered 570km, and completed almost 80 hours of activity. Since then, he hasn’t let up, continuing to move through some of the most challenging routes in Colorado. However, we will have to wait for further details because he reports on his progress with a few days’ delay.
The terrain covered by Jornet by September 7. Photo: States of Elevation
