Michael Charrier
My first 14er (14 thousand foot mountain) was summited over a decade ago, and I went with a group of friends who had this weird tradition where they’d fly kites on top of every mountain they climbed. I fell in love with the idea and ever since then, I shamelessly stole it and made it my own for every 14er I climbed. Every mountain I summited, I did something new. Sometimes my wife and I wear formal wear (complete with monocles), sometimes we play ping pong (poorly), but my favorite has to be when we hiked up Mt. Elbert. Mt. Elbert is the highest point in Colorado at 14,439 feet at the very tip, and it’s no joke to climb it. We decided this time to spread some joy among the weary mountain climbers by dressing up in Santa outfits and giving out gifts. We handed out dozens of gift wrapped energy bars, kombucha, and the like. Many people wanted to take a picture of themselves with Santa on top of a mountain, but the best part came when one 6’5″ 250lbs gentleman wanted to take a picture on Santa’s lap. We all got a kick out of it and left with some good stories to tell.
