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<\/a>Photo: Eric Gilbertson<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n
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On October 5, Gilbertson confirmed for the first time that East Crestone Peak is actually 3.6 inches taller than Crestone. And because they\u2019re connected by a ridge that barely dips 50 feet, “this means East Crestone is, in fact, a ranked 14’er and Crestone is a sub-peak,” Gilbertson said.<\/p>\n
That might not seem like a big change to some. But for the thousands of hikers and climbers who obsess over Colorado\u2019s 14,000+ foot peaks, it\u2019s big news. According to Gilbertson\u2019s findings, the Centennial State just lost one 14’er and gained a new one.<\/p>\n
The 3.6-inch difference: East Crestone vs. Crestone<\/h2>\n
Gilbertson is an associate teaching professor of mechanical and civil engineering at Seattle University<\/a>. He\u2019s summited K2 without oxygen and has bagged all of the Centennial 14’ers (Crestone Peak, included). Two years ago, he became just the third American to receive the Snow Leopard Award<\/a> for summiting all five 7,000m peaks in the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n Last year, he surveyed Mount Rainier and proved that the summit had moved over 150 meters from the summit point recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A graduate of MIT, he\u2019s a no-nonsense kind of person who approaches problems very methodically. He applied that meticulousness to the Crestone survey.<\/p>\n “I did this as rigorously as possible,” he said.<\/p>\n Photo: Elijah Gendron<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n They used two separate receivers, one on each peak. The receivers took data simultaneously so that any atmospheric distortions would be the same for both data sets.<\/p>\n “Each of these receivers is on a one-foot rod, which is perfectly vertical and touching the exact summit. And then that\u2019s stabilized with a tripod,” he described. “So then we can measure the height of the receiver, and subtract off a foot, and you get the height of the ground underneath it.”<\/p>\n The longer these receivers log data, the more accurate it gets. So, after leaving the trailhead at 1:30 am, hiking the grueling trail to the summit, and arriving right at sunrise, he, Loftin, and Elijah Gendron had to hang out at 14,299 feet for two hours and 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Photo: Eric Gilbertson<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n It made for a long day, not least because Gilbertson had his flight home that same afternoon. It was a race against the clock to gather the data they needed, get down, and then get to DIA as fast as possible.<\/p>\n But you can\u2019t rush science. So, they waited, taking in the views, relaxing, checking up on the receivers, taking measurements, and generally killing time until the data was done logging.<\/p>\n Gilbertson made his flight. When he reviewed the data back at his Seattle home, he was pretty excited about what they\u2019d discovered: a 3.6-inch difference in favor of East Crestone Peak.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s really close,” he said. “Which is why we were using all the fancy equipment.”<\/p>\n Now that we have the data proving East Creston is the true summit, the USGS should make it official, change the maps, and notify the public. Right?<\/p>\n It\u2019s not quite that simple, according to Gilbertson.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>A long day<\/h2>\n
Making it \u2018official\u2019<\/h2>\n