There's been a 300 percent increase in traffic on these mountains over the past 10 years. Metro-area residents can zip to the trailhead at neighboring Grays Peak in less than an hour. On a summer's day, it's not unusual to see 30 people hanging out at the summit. Hikers and campers take cell phones into the backcountry, a high-tech hedge against disaster or a link with those not fortunate enough to be at the top of a mountain. At the top of a Fourteener, a person is as high as they can be in Colorado without breaking the law.
Some people go to extremes for that high.
In August 1997, Ricky Denesik of Telluride tackled all 54 in a record time of 14 days and 16 minutes. He started on Windom in the San Juans and ended at Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, but that last peak was no walk in the park, even by power hiking standards. Driving sleet and 60 mph winds stopped Denesik's first attempt. He and Fourteener veteran Gerry Roach finally ascended at night, under a thumbnail moon, then climbed down before dawn. For 13 years, Lou Dawson's prime climb time was the dead of winter, the better to ski back down.