Lou Dawson had made it official, I was the third person to ski all of the Colorado 14ers. As the first person to do so, his announcement obviously carries some weight. And when he called to invite me to ski Len Shoemaker Peak with some friends two weeks after finishing the project, I just assumed he had some sort of coronation planned. I was pretty sure, I just wasn’t sure how it come.

I figured a formal ceremony to be unlikely. Maybe I would be shown some secret handshake or get some special pin like mountain guides or PSIA instructors wear so proudly. Maybe it would be some sort of fraternity house style initiation or a key to the executive bathroom at the Maroon Bells Visitor Center. I would soon find out though I knew not to hold my breath.

Nearing the summit, no ceremony yet, what’s Lou waiting for? It must be happening on the summit.

And still nothing.

Later, after getting back to the trailhead, Lou, Neal, Perl, Michael and Doug proceeded to drink and eat all the beer and chips I brought. Neal later said, “Good job on the beer, that scored you some points” and I pieced together from conversations overheard that were it not for Lou’s son Louie having to go to school and freeing up room on the snowmobile, I might not have even been invited.

OK. Maybe there will be something special when I get back to town, in the fashion of the ticker tape parades that Superbowl and World Series champs receive.

Or maybe it’s like I have always believed, that it’s just not that big of a deal and you should never take yourself too seriously.

Thanks guys, that was fun.