Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Climbing Oregon's Five Tallest Mountains in One Run

Last month, Christof Teuscher, an associate professor at Portland State University, climbed Oregon's five tallest mountains in one run, completing the 150-mile, 50,000-foot elevation gain adventure in 67 hours, 23 minutes. Here's how he described the mountainous challenge before starting:
"On Thu, Aug 18, 2016, I will make a first attempt at climbing/speed traversing all 5 Oregon peaks over 10,000ft (3,048 meters) in a single push: Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister. I will connect the 5 peaks by running between them. The total distance is around 150 miles (241km) with about 50,000ft (15,240 meters) of elevation gain. I expect this endurance challenge to take anywhere between 70 and 90 hours. Nothing too crazy. To the best of my knowledge, no such attempt has ever been made."
He didn't drive from mountain to mountain, he traveled by foot. Assisted by his wife, Ursina, who brought him food, water and additional gear, he managed a feat that certainly nobody else has ever done. Watch his 8-minute video of the adventure.



Unfortunately, Teuscher found himself unprepared when his run concluded on the slopes of Mount Hood. As he reported to the Oregonian newspaper, when he reached the portion of the climb called the Hogsback -- about 650 feet below the summit -- he was turned back by ice he wasn't equipped to climb. Had he carried his heavier mountaineering boots and crampons, he would have been able to reach the summit, he wrote in his post-trip report.

"Of course that was a big disappointment," he said. But he's not letting that take away from the experience. "The summit is a small part of that adventure, so to me it feels like I was successful even if I didn't make it all the way up."

There will likely be some purists who call his attempt incomplete, but Teuscher says to give his five-mountain run a try yourself before criticizing what he's accomplished.

Teuscher attracted a lot of attention in 2015, when he summited Mount Adams, then ran to Mount Hood and summited that peak as well. He finished the 158-mile trek in less than 65 hours, a feat that earned him spots in outdoors magazines and local news outlets.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
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