More Than Just Me: Marc Strawser and the Colorado 14ers

By morethanjustme on September 27, 2023
8 min read

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I started climbing a few years ago after moving from Michigan to Colorado, quickly falling in love with the mountains. They forced a different, more positive perspective on me, regardless of how I felt before I started each adventure. It is unbelievably gratifying being able to help people who have never been on a mountain to hike to the summit of one of the 14,000' peaks in Colorado, allowing them the chance to see the mountain's perspective on life. It will be even more amazing to use these mountains to bring awareness to Pediatric Cancer and the kids fighting for their health and their lives. It didn't take long for me to wander into the wilderness after moving to Colorado from Michigan at the age of 24. My friend Chad, who feels like a brother to me, asked me to go with him to hike Mt Elbert for his birthday. We camped overnight and spent most of that time celebrating another year of his life. We had only lived in Denver for a few months at this point and spending almost no time at elevation the lack of oxygen was very noticeable. I didn't sleep much but woke up excited and ready to go. After maybe an hour of sleep for both of us we set off. It was a long, brutal hike but eventually we made it to the summit. I still remember the feeling of reaching the summit, and I will always remember that day, it was special. The view was incredible, but completing the challenge and pushing through elements was an awesome experience. Not many days after that summit the snow started falling and it put any climbing attempts on hold for several months for a novice hiker. I was impatient, and it only got worse as winter set in. I wasn't aware of the seasons up in the Rockies, and how they differed from Denver, so I tried several times to go in May, first up Evans, then up Grays and Torreys.

A frozen lake from St. Mary's Glacier
A frozen lake from St. Mary's Glacier

After a few failed attempts due to late season blizzards and avalanches covering the road I was able to summit again. I was officially hooked!

View from the summit of Torreys Peak
View from the summit of Torreys Peak

The first summer I spent in Colorado I tried to hike as much as I could, usually going with friends. With each summit I started becoming more addicted, I had to get all of them, all 58. I've been an athlete my entire life, so I quickly acclimated and didn't have any more issues with altitude. I started with the easier peaks, then moved into the class 3 routes in the front range. Eventually I decided it was time to go hit Capitol, and since I couldn't find anyone to go with me I did it solo. When I say solo, I mean that quite literally, as I didn't see a single person the entire trip. It was so amazing, but at times I was anxious knowing I wasn't going to get help if something did happen. I loved that entire trip. The climb, the solitude, not to mention my camp site directly below the beautiful landscape, all of which were captivating and relaxing in their own way. The view from the summit was a bonus with Pierre Lakes sitting below, Snowmass to my right, and the Bells off in the distance -- my happy place.

My Happy Place
My Happy Place
Capitol Peak Panorama
Capitol Peak Panorama
Capitol Lake from Ridge to Capitol Peak
Capitol Lake from Ridge to Capitol Peak
Sunrise from below K2 on the way to Capitol Peak
Sunrise from below K2 on the way to Capitol Peak

That summer I was blessed to finish many summits. I was also able to attack more difficult climbs including Pyramid Peak in snow, and the traverse between El Diente and Mt Wilson.

Mt Wilson summit after El Diente-Wilson Traverse
Mt Wilson summit after El Diente-Wilson Traverse
Many Seasons from Pyramid Peak
Many Seasons from Pyramid Peak

Last spring/summer was a little different. I signed up to do something I've been wanting to do since I was a teenager, I wanted my Green Beret. I trained hard, running and training multiple times each day. I was in Boulder almost every day, with morning runs at Chautauqua Park and free solo sprints up the flatirons. As summer rolled in I began training in higher elevation. I would spend multiple days hitting peaks, hiking as many miles as I could. It was this training that led me to the decision to take on this adventure of climbing all 58 peaks, hiking between them all. I'll stop here on the life story, as my experience in the military is one to forget and one that still doesn't sit well with me, but one I will allow to drive me for this challenge and many others, knowing I have what it takes to accomplish what I want. When all said and done in 40 days before leaving for what I thought would be my last visit with family before shipping out I had hiked 258 miles, gained 101,000' of elevation, and reached the summit of 27 peaks. I finished the “Great Traverses” 4th of July weekend on Crestone Needle after completing the Little Bear-Blanca traverse and Maroon Bells in previous weeks, I can’t wait to climb them each again on this journey.

Summit of Crestone Needle looking back at Crestone Peak
Summit of Crestone Needle looking back at Crestone Peak

On to bigger and better things! I believe in Tommy and More Than Just Me. I have always wanted to do something amazing, to invest in a cause worth my precious time and energy. Of course the causes are always worth as much time and energy as can possibly be utilized, however finding a legitimate foundation to join is difficult. So many NPOs are out there with a front of "changing the world", investing minimal money into the cause and as much as possible into their own pockets. Of course I could always go solo, use a "Gofundme" page and donate all funds raised to my cause, but why do that when I can be part of something so much bigger? Enter More Than Just Me, the name itself is outstanding, the idea behind the name even more amazing. It isn't just a reminder that the world doesn't rotate around me, but a reminder that we are all connected, and we all need to support and help each other. On top of that, it's a battle cry to remind everyone what can be accomplished when we come together. Live Your Life and Be Bigger Than Yourself, both are a motto for MTJM. Life is so precious. Allow me to rephrase that, Everyone's life is so precious. Live your life, live your talents, give everything you have to accomplish your goals. Be bigger than yourself, because regardless of how "big" you are, you can always be bigger when you're part of a team with the same goals and aspirations. The MTJM team is more than just a bunch of people working on bringing awareness to their cause, it's a mission that involves the people those donations are going to help! More Than Just Me is a family, and I am excited and honored to be part of it. The route through the 58 will start at the bottom of the Sangre de Cristo range at Culebra Peak. It's privately owned and costs money to climb. It’s also one of the more remote peaks, and the furthest southeast. From Culebra I'll head north through the rest of the Sangres over difficult traverses, the Great Sand Dunes, finishing in Crestone. From Crestone will be a long, flat hike as I head west to San Luis Peak. I'll do somewhat of a circle through the San Juan range 14ers, finishing that range on Uncompahgre then head north and hit the Elks, starting with a summit of Castle Peak and finishing on Capitol, finally hiking to Aspen. From Aspen I will hike through some serious Colorado wilderness and summit Mt of the Holy Cross, then head north to notable Longs Peak. I'll proceed south and hit the Front Range peaks (except Pikes), and Tenmile/Mosquito range peaks. Mt Sherman provides good access through this range to reach the other 14 Sawatch peaks ("Nolan's 14"). After going north to south through those 14 peaks I will head east to the finishing summit of Pikes Peak. Pikes was chosen as the finishing peak to allow people to participate who can't necessarily hike to the top of a 14,000' peak. There's a huge parking lot on the summit, and it's a nice place to relax and socialize. The adventure starts at the end of June, and should be completed in less than 80 days, the exact day falling on whichever saturday or sunday we can coordinate the most participants. The purpose is to bring awareness to Pediatric Cancer, a disease the medical field still has not been able to understand, and one that certainly is not publicized as much as it should be. We are hopeful a major part of the journey will involve placing a MTJMe coin at the top of each peak. Each coin would have a connection to a child battling courageously against this disease. We want to make it personal, something people can really grasp and empathize with, and we want those warriors to have people they've never met help support them like they deserve. For this part of the endeavor to happen we need people and businesses to join in and support the cause to fund the coins, and most importantly we need families willing to participate and allow us to use their story. We already have a few peaks represented by awesome kids, it’s time to get have their story told! The 14er community can be a huge part of this, able to join on summits when they can, and hopefully collect the coins and participate as we tell the stories people need to hear about a disease that takes these kids’ lives far too early. I love the mountains in Colorado, and I want everyone to experience what they have to offer. While I climb and hike through them I believe I can give a little bit of what these mountains have to offer to so many people who may never get an opportunity to reach the summits themselves. Three months of hiking and climbing is nothing compared to what the kids fighting for their lives are going to be dealing with in that time, but hopefully when it's done those kids will have more support from a lot of people they've never met. It isn't going to be easy, but knowing I can help will give me all the motivation I need, even when it's just myself in the middle of the pitch-black forest in Colorful Colorado.

Snowstorm on Wilson Peak
Snowstorm on Wilson Peak
Bluebird Day on Kelso Ridge
Bluebird Day on Kelso Ridge
Sunny Hike of Missouri Mountain
Sunny Hike of Missouri Mountain
Atop Handies Peak
Atop Handies Peak
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