Man Hikes 1,100 Miles + Summits All Colorado 14ers in 43 Days

I just recently hiked and summited my very first 14er a couple of weeks ago and it was unbelievably awesome. LITERALLY, the first thing I thought of when I got back down the mountain and to my car was "where and when is my next one going to be?"

Now due to exhaustion, including legs that felt like rubber, by the time I made it down to the car, the thought of immediately going to summit another one was THE. LAST. THING on my mind. That's what makes Pawel Szafruga's accomplishment that much more incredible to me.

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This man not only summited all 58 Colorado 14ers, but he also did it without the use of a car, bike, or any other mode of transportation to get from trail to trail. He hiked every bit of the way. The whole journey, up and down the mountains and going from trail to trail was done on foot and tallied up over 1,100 miles in 43 days.

Pawel's journey began on July 14 and recently ended on August 26. He said that his body is still feeling the effects of his efforts. He's currently suffering some liver issues and a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which results in the body breaking down its own muscles amid extreme and prolonged strain. Not to mention his feet and the pounding that they took.

I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this had to be. Not only from the physical grind but the fact that he slept in a bivy sack for ALL but three nights (when he stayed in a hotel.) He managed to carry several days' worth of food at a time.

Here are some incredible numbers that put things in perspective and make this that much more incredible and cause me some serious pain just thinking about it and looking at these numbers.

All of the distance up the peaks, down the peaks, and between the peaks was traveled by foot and spread between three pairs of trail running shoes. All 1,182.5 miles and 297,000 feet of vertical gain an average of 27.3 miles and 6,800 vertical feet per day.

For more on this man's incredible and inspiring journey, click HERE.