Climbing Mount Princeton

Photos courtesy of Bob Wright ’72

The first view of Mount Princeton: Go get ’em, Tigers.

Walk uphill until you can’t go any farther: That was the goal of the Class of 1972’s mini-reunion climb of Mount Princeton in central Colorado. Before sunrise on July 17, 2009, 33 classmates – joined by 24 relatives and friends – began the trek. Twenty-four reached the 14,197-foot-high summit. In this slide show, they share the experience of climbing Mount Princeton.

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The first view of Mount Princeton: Go get ’em, Tigers.


Sallie and Bob Wright ’72’s Cabin 11 became “Climb Central.”



Meals were casual and comfy in the open-air pavilion.


The Ptarmigan Lake training hike gang, ready to go.


The Brown’s Pass training hike crew takes on a longer, steeper hike.


Victor Prechtel ahead of Daryl English ’72, crossing Denny Creek.


Rock slides crosses the Ptarmigan Lake trail as it rises toward the treeline.


Merc Morris ’72 on the western Continental Divide above Cottonwood Pass.


Sunrise, high on the sides of Mount Princeton.


Left to right: ’72 classmates Tom Jones, Dave Kimball, and Diana Foster four miles into the hike and approaching the treeline.


The boulder field is massive, and climbers seem to disappear into the jumble of rocks.


This is as good as the boulder-field “trail” gets. The valley is about a mile below.


Left to right: John Prechtel ’72, Victor Prechtel, Bob Wright ’72, Bob Gilbert, and Jack Crews ’72 taking five beneath the summit, 1,300 feet above.


Mount Antero is a spectacular backdrop to these climbers on the summit ridge.


A closer look at the boulder field provides a sense of its formidable size and brutally obvious name.




Nikos Monoyios ’72 on the last push up the summit ridge.



You’ve come a long way, baby! John Prechtel inches up the final ascent.


Dave Kimball’s daughter, Meredith ’07: This is how it feels to reach the summit.


The ER with a view! Diana Foster provides some high-altitude first aid to Bill deGolian ’72, who picked a fight with a rock.


Tigers on Top!: the sequel.


Mount Antero, Mount Princeton’s neighbor to the south.


Rob Hamm ’72 and Laura Hamm ’12 begin the tedious descent. On the ridge far below, other climbers seem like ants.


Dave Barkhausen ’72 uses walking poles to help pick his path down the summit ridge.


Yea! We did it! The group photo at “Camp Princeton” July 18, 1972.

Tigers On Top brain trust: Merc Morris, Rick Curtis ’79, Sallie Wright, and Bob Wright.


 

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