It began as a result of Kevin Reilly wanted one thing to do. He was studying in regards to the exploits of endurance athletes and researching troublesome mountain linkups that mix a number of peaks into epic mountaineering feats. And he determined to pursue one in every of his personal.
Simply 2 years after he and his spouse moved to Colorado from Massachusetts, Reilly was in lots of ache. In 2023, he was identified with psoriatic arthritis, forcing him to take a break from his longtime profession as an electrician.
He skilled intense ache if he tried to work — however it additionally harm if he simply sat round for too lengthy. Reilly wanted a venture, so he began taking a look at Colorado’s greatest mountains and dreaming about one thing that will push him to his limits. Although he’d solely hiked two of the state’s 14ers (an area moniker for mountains over 14,000 ft), Reilly felt drawn to the grandeur of the Rockies.
That’s how he got here up with a linkup of Mount La Plata, Mount Huge, and Mount Elbert, three of the best mountains within the state. With over 14,000 ft of elevation acquire throughout practically 31 miles, he realized his pet venture might be a worthy addition to Colorado’s infinite provide of outside challenges.
After months of intense coaching and planning, the 35-year-old set out on Sept. 14 and crushed the linkup in lower than 24 hours. It wasn’t till later that he spoke with Quickest Identified Time. It turned out that he’d “unintentionally” recorded the feat sufficiently for inclusion with the record-keeping group.
So say good day to the Cloud Metropolis Highline. It would sound daunting, however Reilly is certain of 1 factor: “If an asthmatic, arthritis-ridden, former smoker can do it, what’s your excuse?”
Kevin Reilly: Planning, Coaching for Ache and Acquire
When Reilly began planning the logistics for his 14er linkup, he instructed GearJunkie that he had little or no expertise with excessive mountains — or endurance sports activities typically.
Earlier than he started each day coaching that will final for a lot of months, the longest race he’d accomplished was a 5K. His prognosis in 2023 got here shortly after he hiked his first 14ers: Mount Bierstadt and Mount Huron, the latter of which was his first solo ascent up a Colorado peak. However as Reilly turned enamored of mountaineering within the mountains, he additionally needed to confront the realities of his arthritis and its affect on his life.
“It was a very humbling factor at age 33 to ask guys to maneuver a ladder for me,” Reilly mentioned. “I wasn’t dealing with it nicely.”
Finally, Reilly mentioned he needed to take a break from his electrician job with the assist of his spouse, Alayna. He wanted to pursue one thing completely different — discover a new venture. So, he started researching Colorado’s hardest mountain hikes, in search of a objective that was intense however doable.
He thought of recognized linkups like the favored Decalibron Loop, which incorporates the summits of 4 14ers alongside its 7-mile path. However with solely 3,700 ft of elevation acquire, that also appeared too simple to Reilly.
Reilly mentioned he was in search of one thing that didn’t have lots of information connected to it.
“I simply needed one thing void of competitors. I do know what competitors can get out of me, and it’s not at all times nice,” he mentioned. “This was born out of a want to push myself, not stack myself up in opposition to different folks. These particular mountains allowed me to try this.”
The particular mountains — La Plata, Mount Huge, and Elbert — are three peaks that dominate Colorado’s Sawatch vary. He designed a route that will summit all three of the mountains, involving 14,414 ft of vertical acquire. He didn’t know if he might pull that off in lower than 24 hours like he needed, so Reilly began coaching onerous.
Within the months main as much as his Sept. 14 try, he walked, ran, or hiked over 1,200 miles. In 2023, he ran his first half-marathon. Then, he completed a full marathon. When September lastly arrived, it was time to see if all that coaching had paid off.
‘Cloud Metropolis Highline’ FKT: 19 Hours, 53 Minutes, and 5 Seconds
Reilly’s spouse woke him up at midnight on the “morning” of Sept. 14 and drove him to the bottom of Mount La Plata from their house in Superior, Colo. By 2:15 a.m., Reilly was on the path. There have been no indicators of life anyplace within the darkness.
“It was fairly spooky,” he mentioned. “Irrespective of what number of instances you do that, there’s nonetheless a boogeyman on the opposite aspect of the timber.”
Then he emerged from the treeline, greeted by a heat breeze and a glittering Milky Manner overhead. Feeling pleased to have the mountain to himself, Reilly “motored up” La Plata within the black, and rapidly descended the again down.
At this level, his spouse picked him for a brief, 3-mile experience to the Mount Elbert trailhead. Reilly used a automotive for this brief portion of the journey due to considerations in regards to the street’s lack of rails, sidewalks, and streetlights. He acknowledges, although, that one other hiker might select to take the danger.
As soon as on the Mount Elbert trailhead, he began cruising up the south aspect — his favourite a part of the linkup. The state’s highest mountain, Elbert’s main route is forgiving, with a mild slope meandering up an enormous, open plain beneath an “otherworldly” sky, Reilly mentioned.
After summiting, he descended the northern aspect, ultimately arriving at his first tent and cache of provides. It was a lot wanted, as he’d run out of water miles earlier.
From there, he adopted the Colorado Path till the Mount Huge trailhead. It was there when Reilly began to really feel the toll on his physique. After 12 hours, he’d already coated 20 miles with about 10,000 ft of elevation change.
His joints have been “on fireplace” from the exertion. So Reilly mentioned he took off his Brooks Cascadia path runners and spent a couple of minutes icing down his legs in Half Moon Creek. He smeared some Daybreak dish cleaning soap on his blistered ft as a lubricant, which he known as “an outdated household trick,” and threw on some knee braces.
“The third one was a very tough one,” he mentioned. “I used to be having a tough time getting my water down or consuming.”
As he arrived on the mountain saddle, Reilly discovered it troublesome to benefit from the panoramic view of the Continental Divide. He “puked in every single place” as quickly as he took off his Nathan 12L working pack. That “wasn’t an excellent signal,” he mentioned, however he knew he solely wanted an hour to make the ultimate summit.
When he lastly reached it, he had the height to himself. He broke down in tears as he texted his spouse and mom to allow them to know he was secure.
He’d pulled it off. His Garmin Enduro 2 watch recorded a time of 19 hours, 53 minutes, and 5 seconds.
‘Able to Something’
The following morning “was fairly cool,” Reilly mentioned, with the wheels already delivering his head, “in regards to the subsequent factor.” He’d achieved precisely what he needed, which was discovering his restrict.
“I walked away from this sense like I’m completely able to doing no matter I wish to,” Reilly mentioned.
He mentioned he’d like to discover a technique to “do that on a regular basis.” However with the approaching winter bringing the mountaineering season to an finish, he hopped on Certainly final month to begin in search of work.
This time, nonetheless, he’s not even contemplating jobs that may deliver extra ache to his arthritic palms. And he might have discovered one thing: instructing particular training at an area public college.
“I’m actually excited to attempt one thing new,” he mentioned. “There’s little or no we’re not able to.”
