Doug Hatfield Completes Pueblo County

[John Kirk]

First Pueblo County Finisher today. Congrats Doug! How bad is the scrub oak on those western six?

[BradD]

Congrats Doug! So much for there being no Pueblo finishers. Another county bites the dust.

[lukePlumley]

Well done Doug, Pueblo Pioneer!

[DHatfield]

Thanks guys! John, there're pretty bad especially Oak Ridge, getting up to Point 7,545 as well as getting back down from Point 7,635.

[John Kirk]

Thanks guys! John, there're pretty bad especially Oak Ridge, getting up to Point 7,545 as well as getting back down from Point 7,635.

I was afraid of that... Guess I should wait for my wounds from Pittsburg and 8220 to heal before taking on more bloodstained adventures.

[susanjoypaul]

Nice job, Doug! It was a pleasure to join you on three of them, especially your final summit.

As for the scrub oak... there's nothing like a hot shower to remind you of how you spent the weekend: 16 miles and 5500 vertical feet, half of it spent battling the deciduous, insidious devil weed. The scrub oak won - I think I'm down about a pint...

Can't we just hike up some nice, groomed trails every once in a while? Say, follow the hordes up Quandary? I hear there are cairns... and no barbed wire. Or did I dream it?

Kidding, of course :-) County summits are too much fun - something to do with the thrill of the hunt, I guess. Let's go find some more...

[DHatfield]

Thanks Susan! The scrub oak won for sure as I'm still healing. Okay looking at some more, now it's just which one as there are so many to choose from.

[Jeremy Hakes]

Congrats, Doug! Fun to pioneer new routes and find new info.

[Steve Knapp]

Congrats Doug! It's about time one of you Springs climbers tackled that list.

Not good news about the scrub oak. I guess I was picturing more barren, grassy, cactus filled rangelands. I'll probably not be in a hurry to get these, but I'm glad someone did it. What was the hardest peak(s) to obtain?

[MikeRodenak]

Way to be a pioneer Doug! Congrats! It may be a short list, but long approaches, scrub oak and Ft Carson seem to combine to make it a tough list!

[DHatfield]

Thanks Jeremy, Steve, and Mike!

Jeremy - I'm starting to really like doing things others haven't climbed yet, or at least other members on LOJ.

Steve - I've procrastinated long enough and figured once I got Booth out of the way I could sweep the rest of them pretty easily. I with they were more barren, grassy, cactus filled rangelands, however where is the fun in that! All the peaks were all Class 2, except for a 2+ boulder on top of Oak Ridge. The hardest due to access and the thickest scrub oak known to man was getting up and down off off Point 7,545 and Point 7,635 from the west. Maybe the east is better. Either way lots of access issues.

Mike - So true!