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.
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