Via the years, I’ve supported many buddies and acquaintances endeavor feats of endurance. However final Tuesday felt totally different. A longtime pal wasn’t going for a win or a quickest identified time (FKT), however making an attempt an enormous — we’re speaking actually massive — private mission, and I’d get to be a companion for an infinitesimally small a part of it.
That pal was Kilian Jornet, and that mission was his States of Elevation mission. On this mission, throughout the fall of 2025, he’s making an attempt to summit all the publicly accessible 14,000-foot mountains (14ers) within the U.S.’s decrease 48 states, connecting all of them by foot or bicycle.
The sundown lights up the ridge whereas climbing Handies Peak. All pictures: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
I’d be becoming a member of him up and over Handies Peak, the excessive level on the Hardrock 100 course and the closest 14er to my house in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
Late final Tuesday morning, I drive out to Grouse Gulch, the place we’d come off of Handies later that day, and run the ten miles over Cinnamon Cross to the Grizzly Gulch Trailhead, the place we’d begin. After a spot of fishing, I be a part of two of his assist personnel, Nick and Preston, to attend for Kilian. It’s right here that I study Kilian had re-routed his day. After summiting Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn Peaks, he’d cycled a brief manner towards Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks. Situations warranted that he alter his deliberate route and, as an alternative, cycle the 30-plus kilometers to climb the 2 peaks by way of a unique path. He took it in stride. This was nonetheless the identical unflappable Kilian who years in the past received Hardrock whereas working many of the race with one arm in a sling after dislocating a shoulder in a fall early within the race.
Kilian’s gravel bike for his States of Elevation mission.
I see him for the primary time that day as he casually jogs into the trailhead parking zone the place he warmly greets me earlier than taking a seat on his assist truck’s tailgate. He casually studies on the previous hours’ double summit whereas munching away on peanut M&Ms and a sandwich. Nothing in his demeanor belies the truth that he’s neither 11 hours of motion and 4 14ers into his day nor two weeks into his grand journey. He’s absolutely in his ingredient, a maestro of mountain motion.
Kilian snacking on the tailgate of his crew’s truck.
Nervously, I set out of the parking zone with Kilian and Nick, his photographer, videographer, and crew particular person. What mortal wouldn’t be nervous heading out to climb a 14er with the best path runner of this technology? Kilian leads us over the small bridge throughout the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River earlier than sprinting off as if shot from a cannon after we attain the primary incline. Just a few moments later, he slows, turns barely to flash an enormous grin, and says, “Simply kidding.” He is aware of I’m nervous about maintaining with him and is taking the sting off!
We spend practically all the subsequent hour and three,000 ft of climbing, catching up and reminiscing. We met some 16 years in the past, on Kilian’s first journey to the U.S. to aim the Tahoe Rim Path FKT. It was part of his first massive running-based mission, known as Kilian’s Quest, and the yr was 2009. Memorably, he dropped me lower than a mile into that effort regardless of a a lot youthful me having run a sub-20-hour Leadville 100 Mile only a few weeks earlier. Sixteen years later, I’m nowhere close to the athlete I used to be then, however Kilian certain is!
Kilian climbing his fifth 14er of the day.
We transition from meadow to ridge round 13,000 ft, Nick and stops me for perhaps 20 seconds to seize video of me setting the scene. As we end, Kilian passes by after his personal transient cease. I’m off his wheel and received’t be catching him on this terrain! My comfort for getting dropped is the rising superb golden hour gentle. My efforts to remain near Kilian are hampered by my need to snap some pics alongside the best way. Whereas Kilian is 40-some 14ers into his September, this is able to be my first of the yr and I’m taking it in.
A magical sundown on Handies Peak.
As I climb in Kilian and Nick’s footsteps, I hear iRunFar’s personal Meghan Hicks and athlete Anna Frost cheering from their summit perch. Earlier, they got here up the bottom of Handies to affix Kilian on the summit. All of us rendezvous atop the mountain and taker in a magical sundown whereas snacking on treats Anna had introduced. The sundown is sweet sufficient that Kilian pauses not far beneath the summit to snap a pic, regardless of having a professional photographer there. As soon as Kilian, all the time Kilian.
Kilian snapping a pic on his manner down Handies Peak.
On the descent off Handies, after the glory gentle however earlier than darkness, I comment to the group how wonderful it’s that we’ve collectively identified every one other for therefore lengthy. I’d first run with Meghan in 2008, Kilian in 2009, and Anna in 2011. A lot has occurred in that span. Within the second’s context of descending off Handies on the Hardrock 100 course, we understand that we’ve collectively completed 15 or 16 Hardrocks in that point. We snicker not lengthy later after we nonetheless handle to briefly miss the left flip to take us towards Grouse Gulch out of American Basin, regardless of mentioning that easy-to-miss flip a number of instances already.
Kilian, Anna, and Meghan heading down Handies.
In darkness down on the Grouse Gulch trailhead, we meet one among Kilian’s crew in addition to native San Juan badass adventurer Scott Simmons, who’s becoming a member of Kilian for the following legs of his mission. Some 14 hours into the day, Kilian nonetheless has to cycle over to the close by city of Ouray. This experience consists of some actually tough dust street that will be difficult sufficient on a mountain bike. Kilian will do it on a gravel bike, at evening, 15 hours into his day’s motion.
This seemingly epitomizes Kilian’s States of Elevation mission: an enthusiastic grasp of his craft placing in large day after large day stuffed with unbelievable moments. Typically these moments — the cleansing of contemporary snow from every handhold excessive within the treacherous Crestone peaks earlier in his mission — have taken place in quiet solitude, whereas different softer summits are achieved awash within the heat glow of friendship and late summer season sunsets.
Golden hour good instances atop Handies Peak.
