Sean O’Rourke playing on Teewinot’s summit with the Grand Teton behind. Courtesy photoLA MOUNTAINEERS News:
Join the Los Alamos Mountaineers at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 at Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos for an exciting presentation by Sean O’Rourke, a Los Alamos native and peak-bagger.
The event begins at 7 p.m. with social time and member reports of recent and upcoming trips.
Since escaping graduate school in 2009, O’Rourke has traveled and climbed the mountain west from Baboquivari in Arizona to Robson in Canada, living on the road for half the year and writing about the experience at drdirtbag.com. Though he occasionally brings ropes, tents and partners, he usually climbs peaks solo and car-to-car in a day.
Among his most “extreme” outings, he has climbed all 15 of California’s 14,000-foot peaks in 62 hours, summited Mount Robson in 15, and traversed the Kaweah peaks in 19.
In his talk, O’Rourke will describe how he progressed from ordinary dayhikes in Colorado and California to longer and steeper endeavors. He will argue that most mountaineers can climb most peaks in a single day, and that with sufficient motivation and moderate skill, any peak in the lower 48 is a dayhike.
The talk will describe trips to some of the most remote peaks in the Cascades, including the northern and southern Pickets.
The Los Alamos Mountaineers meetings offer, in addition to the featured talk, refreshments and casual conversation, as well as updates on upcoming trips and safety advice learned from outdoor adventuring. Everyone is welcome.
