Hi this is Bernie J of Bernie's Journeys,
“Seeing America First”.
When I moved to COS a while
back I was told not to miss the fireworks show on New Year's Eve shot off from
the top of Pike's Peak. It wasn’t till later that I learned that people actually
hiked up the mountain to do the deed.
The Pikes Peak AdAmAn Club has
been a tradition since 1922. It is a unique group of mountaineers, who each
year on December 30th and 31st, climb the icy slopes of Barr Trail on the east
face of world famous Pikes Peak.
The Club is dedicated to the
memory of the original five guys that thought it would be more fun to climb a
cold mountain than dance with a warm girl (or so I’ve been told).
Their had the idea that each
year, only one new member would be added to the Club, and as a result, the name
AdAmAn (add a man) was chosen. Each year, members choose one new member from a
list of applicants, and today, ladies your also welcomed.
As the group hikes they flash
mirrors from a location at timberline to friends and families in the Colorado
Springs area and in the early afternoon, they finish the ascent to the summit.
The climb from timberline (~12,000 feet) to the 14,115-foot summit is often
accomplished on icy and snow swept slopes with wind chills as low as -50
degrees.
At the stroke of midnight on
New Year's Eve, they launch a spectacular fireworks display, which on a clear
night, can be seen for hundreds of miles along the Front Range of the Colorado
Rockies and eastern plains.
In a previous show I interviewed
Donald Sanborn the President The Pikes Peak AdAmAn Club and I quickly learned that slogging up
the mountain is only half the battle, there is also the coming down. A number
of four-wheel drive clubs have banded together to bring the hikers back down.
For that info I was put in touch with Larry. We had a nice chat and I learned
that climbing Pike Peak is only one part of the AdAmAn Club experience.
I was given the very unique
opportunity of being invited to ride up and down with the 4-wheel drive folks
and experience the light show from the top. Thanks Larry!!!
Listen to the show;
