By Susan Baker
Takeo and Anthony Wada are an amazing father-son team who
just completed hiking up all fifty-four of the Colorado Fourteeners together.
My first impression of them was how rapidly they overtook my own hiking team on
Mount Eolus in August, 2007. I initially thought they might be sherpas conditioning
in Colorado. They paused to visit with us during a rest break, and it was
immediately obvious how enthusiastic young Anthony is to be accomplishing this
feat with his father. Flashing happy smiles, they told us their names and
shared that they are a Japanese family living in Monument, Colorado. Born April
26, 1996, Anthony is eleven years old—slightly younger than my own
daughter—and Takeo is forty-two. Their strong relationship has been
cemented by climbing and skiing together. When they hike, Takeo’s wife, Maki,
remains at home with two younger children.
Takeo and Anthony Wada atop Uncompahgre Peak
The pair hiked their first fourteener, Mount Evans, together
on July 23, 2005. Anthony was just nine years and three months old at the time.
He didn’t even know what a
fourteener was, and at that point had no idea that he would climb all of the
fourteeners in Colorado in the next twenty-six months. Takeo had also just
begun his climbing career on the same trip.
One year later, they climbed Pikes Peak (#11) via the Barr
Trail. This was Anthony’s first backpack trip ever. In a single day, they
climbed all the way from Manitou Springs to the summit and back to Barr Camp
for the night. They ascended 8000 vertical feet and covered nineteen miles in a
little over twelve hours—an amazing feat for a ten-year-old.
Climbing Wetterhorn Peak (#16) in August, 2006, Anthony
suggested that they climb them all. This was the first “technical” peak they
had climbed, and they agreed that it might be possible. After all, they only had
thirty-eight to go!
?
Takeo and Anthony with the Maroon Bells in the background
By July 25, 2007, they had accelerated the pace and were on
#38, South Maroon, making it in a single day out and back to the parking lot.
Anthony says simply “it was hard!” He’s still grinning though.
In the next two weeks, Takeo and Anthony climbed ten more
peaks as they counted them off: North Maroon, Pyramid, Capitol, Castle, Wilson
Peak, Mount Wilson, El Diente. They moved into Chicago Basin where we first met
on Mount Eolus. We were still on our way up as they waved on their way down.
They had plenty of time to run over to Windom and Sunlight, where Anthony
perched high on top of the summit boulder with no hands or feet to support him.
A few hours later, we slogged down the rain-drenched trail
below Twin Lakes. Again the pair overtook us, having climbed three peaks
compared to our one. Anthony was wearing a poncho, still out in front of his
dad, and still grinning happily. Anthony told me that he is stronger mentally;
he often wants to keep going when his Dad wants to stop.
“What is the secret of your success?” I asked them. “Anthony
needs to be the leader. He prefers a slower pace, so he gets to set the speed,”
Takeo replies. “When I run out of patience, he becomes quiet. Another secret
recipe is food: Cliff bars of all flavors. At night we cook rice and sometimes
backpacking food. We eat sushi to celebrate on the drive home.”
After meeting them, I was compelled to hear more of their
story. We continued our friendship through phone calls and e-mail so that I
could hear the details of their last few climbs. I asked Anthony if he was ever
scared or lost. He replies, “I was scared by the storms on Kit Carson and
Missouri. There was hail, lightening, and snow. Those were not as much fun. I
didn’t care for the scree on Kit Carson and South Maroon. We got lost a few
times, but it was never a problem except for wasting an hour.”
A few other memorable peaks included Longs Peak, which they
completed in nine hours round trip, and Crestone Peak and Needle, which they
traversed without a rope. Anthony reports that Capitol and Pyramid were his
favorites because of the spectacular fourth-class finish and excellent views.
September 21, 2007, was the culmination of this dream. They
climbed Mount Massive and encountered no other people the entire day. Though
clear and beautiful, it was an extremely windy. Takeo noted, “I may be exaggerating,
but it felt like a seventy- or eighty-mph wind, way more than I ever
experienced before. Anthony literally got blown away and fell several times! He
was not happy! I think there is always a challenge climbing 14ers, even on an
easy route. We thought about turning back several times before we got to the
ridge, then the wind died down a lot. We got lucky again.
Takeo’s advice to other climbers is to keep training all of
the leg muscles in order to prevent injuries. He also noted the importance of
balancing priorities: “hurry to the summit to beat the storm, but slow down to
keep my son safe and motivated.” Anthony shared some thoughts, too. “Mother
Nature is not always nice. You don’t have to climb 14ers if you don’t want to.”