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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2019)
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019 BHS grad sets climbing record By Ashly Winchester For the EO Media Group “The solitude allows me to be really in touch with my effort, the conditions around me, and the beauty.” “I am always ready to turn earlier than teamed climbers around me if something seems off,” he said regarding the dangers inherent to climbing. “Weather, route conditions, effort levels, my body, I am tuned into all of these. Any one of them can be enough to make me call it a day.” In typical PE-teacher form, Hardrath affi rms that fi tness is key. “In an odd way, speed is safety up there. If you can move faster without being winded, keep yourself fed/ hydrated, all the while prop- erly performing your skills, that means less time in the elements,” he said. “And it is the time up there, in those conditions, that get you. It is a huge confi dence boost out there to know that at no point am I more than two to three hours from my car.” With more than 37 suc- cessful single-day summit pushes, including a trek up to an elevation of 20,564 feet on Chimborazo in Ecuador, Hardrath seems to have a system. “I have heard it said that it’s the times you turn around, not continuing to the summit, that are the most important to remember. ation of the conditions. “It’s tough to remain cen- tered and know when to back down when you are pushing your limits,” Hardrath said. “But I have spent over a decade of my life refi ning the fi tness and building the skills to be in a place to do these things. This feels like a place to really explore with those. It feels like an art. “We all have heard stories of the great explorers who pioneered routes and climbs in this country,” he said. “In a way, this feels like a way to continue that spirit. I admire all the people who are bringing their experience and creativity (and fi tness) to do things in a way not seen before.” When asked to describe Hardrath’s style on the mountain, Clayton Herrmann, a fellow guide with Hardrath at Shasta Mountain Guides in Mount Shasta, California, had this to say: “Calculated, pas- sionate, full of heart, grit, real and authentic tenacity with a fi re and a dream in his step.” As far as his mind-boggling fi nishing time, 19 hours and 28 minutes to be exact, Hardrath responded matter- of-factly: “All the metrics of my climbing and descending for this year pointed to sub-20 hours being possible, I just had to be sure to have the logistics between detailed and dialed in. The whole day I had this feeling of enormity for what I was doing, but also a calm sureness it was, indeed, possible for me.” If this has seemed entirely too serious, Hardrath laughs as he says, “I did it [the driv- ing] in a Suzuki Swift.” The Swift is Suzuki’s rebranding of the Geo Metro, a vehicle that is somewhat of an icon of small, gutless cars across the nation. A sticker on the back window reads: “Undercompen- sating” To follow Hardrath on Insta- gram, go to (@jasonhardrath), on Strava, or on Facebook. Have you ever wondered what school teachers do in the summer? Well, here is one story you might not expect. Jason Hardrath, a physical education teacher at Bonanza Elementary in southern Or- egon, and a 2007 Baker High School graduate, doesn’t just talk about fi tness. He lives it. When school released in June, he took to the roads of the Pacifi c Northwest with big goals in mind. Since then, he has performed some notewor- thy feats in the mountains and on trails. He even took up a part-time position with Shasta Moun- tain Guides during the peak climbing season. However, his most recent achievement has stirred a bit of conversation in the mountaineering commu- nity. He climbed Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood in a single day. You read that right. Hardrath successfully climbed Submitted photo the three tallest peaks of the Jason Hardrath, a 2007 Baker High School graduate who teaches physical education Northern Cascades in less classes at Bonanza Elementary, climbed three mountains in record time this summer. than 24 hours. Appropriately named the Cascades Trifecta, these towering peaks boast “I agree,” he said. “What remain willing to check myself call it “summit fever” when summit elevations of 14,411 good are 30, 40, or even 100 that I am staying reasonable. you fail to turn around at a feet, 12,280 feet, and 11,250 successes if you don’t know You have to know when and time that you should. Recent feet above sea level, respec- what made them successful. why you turn around, and fi lms have depicted what can tively. Maybe you were just lucky. I know you’ll actually do it.” happen when summit fever They are tall enough that have to acknowledge that and Mountaineers frequently takes over rational consider- many mountaineers dedicate multiple days to climb just one. Combining all three means covering more than 35 miles on foot with over 20,000 feet of vertical gain. Hardrath is not the fi rst to take on this endeavor. Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin, curators of the increas- ingly popular Fastest Known Time website and podcast, documented the fi rst-known attempt in 2005, taking 28 hours to complete the effort (records include driving time). And earlier this year, Eric Sanders and Mike Cham- bers became the fi rst-known climbing team to succeed at scaling all three of these Ashly Winchester is a freelance skyline-dominating peaks in writer and adventure blogger. less than a single calendar day You can fi nd her on Instagram by fi nishing in 22 hours and as @ashly.winchester or at www. 53 minutes. wildspaceswildheart.com So what makes this effort by Mr. H, as his students call him, unique? Please Help Us Help Others First of all, he completed YOU can make a difference! the entire effort solo and self- supported. Then there’s the Donations Needed Now fact that he beat the current - Receiving Blankets record by nearly 3 fi hours. It’s - Baby Hygiene Products a remarkable feat. - Diapers & Pull-ups “I really enjoy being out Submitted photo - Laundry Detergent there alone,” Hardrath says. Jason Hardrath says climbing alone helps him appreciate “my effort, the conditions around me, and the beauty.” - Potty Chairs COUNTY District Easement. Com- mission Chair Bill Harvey Continued from Page 1A recommended that Baker The commission appointed County keep its name on the Baker City Police Depart- easement in case the district ment Chief of Police, Ray were to go defunct so that the Duman, to the Board of the county would retain control Baker County Transporta- of the water. Commission- tion/Traffi c Safety Commis- ers Bruce Nichols and Mark sion. The commissioners ap- Bennett recommended the proved the Microenterprise county remove its name from Intergovernmental Agree- the easement. ment between Baker County, Bennett said by not having Wallowa County, Union the county on the easement, County and La Grande. La the county is free of any Grande will administer the liability and under ORS 401 program as it is the lead ap- the county would obtain plicant. emergency control of the wa- The commission discussed ter district should the New adding New Bridge to the Bridge Water District become New Bridge Water Supply defunct. Commission Chair Harvey said he was worried about any time lapse because of the water source’s importance to the county. The commis- sion decided to research the county’s liability should the county remain on the ease- ment. The commission discussed potentially using the Busi- ness Oregon Special Public Works Fund to construct the Mason Dam hydroelec- tric plant. The commission postponed the decision citing the need for further research to determine the profi tability of the hydroelectric plant and different interest rates and plans that would satisfy both parties. On July 30, the county held an auction for a manu- factured home at 14094 Pine Creek Lane. There were no bidders so now the manu- factured home is county property and will be included in the sale of the 6.39 acres on Pine Creek Lane. The county acquired the property through foreclosure. The commission postponed setting the minimum bid to determine whether or not the county would need an ease- ment for road access. The commissioners postponed their review of quarterly fi nances until the next session on Sept. 4. GET $ 50 INSTANT REBATE ON A SET OF 4 Rachel Pregnancy Center ROAD CONTROL 2192 Court • 541-523-5357 GOOD BOYS R LT275/65R-18/10 123S Cannot be combined with other offers. Limited time. Terms & conditions apply. WE GLADLY MAKE APPOINTMENTS Rain Wednesday night combined with cooler temperatures and higher humidity reduced the spread of the Granite Gulch Fire to a minimum Thursday, although heavier fuels continued to LEW BROS. the fi re and alert us to any changes in activity,” Incident Commander Adam Wing said in the press release, bringing the total number of fi re line personnel on the ground to seven. Aerial mapping Thursday showed the total footprint of the fi re has grown to 4,600 acres. Fire activity is expected to pick up in the next few days as warm, dry weather moves back in. 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