Every year on December 30, the AdAmAn Club travels from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak. At midnight, they launch fireworks in celebration of the New Year. Each year they add a new member to the group, hence the name “add-a-man,” whose name was stylized into “AdAmAn” by one of the original members.
The AdAmAn Club began on a whim in 1922 when five men, known as “the frozen five,” decided to hike up to the top of Pikes Peak to ring in the new year. These men, Harry Standley, Fred and Ed Morath, Willis Magee and Fred Barr, hiked the mountain only to find that the door to the summit house had frozen shut, so they had to pick through the ice to open it. Once inside, they warmed up, lit a bonfire, shot off a few railroad flares that they found on the trail to celebrate, then hiked back down the next day. The next year, according to The First Fifty Years (an archive of membership), “Fred Morath proposed that the Club could be perpetuated by adding one good man each year” and the legacy was born. Some famous honorary and associate members include Lowell Thomas, Richard Byrd, Sir Edmond Hillary, Mark Reyner and Spencer Penrose, to name a few.
Steeped in tradition, the hike has become a ritual of preparation and execution. After a hearty breakfast, members hike up to Barr Camp to spend the night, visiting AdAmAn Point to light a bonfire. On New Year’s Eve they hike the rest of the way up the face of Pikes Peak to prepare what they hope to be a spectacular firework show. I say “hope” because sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate. They test-fire some small fireworks (five of them, in honor of the frozen five) at 9:00 while communicating with friends in Colorado Springs. If the fireworks are visible from the city, the show goes on. If they’re not, the group pack their things and head down the mountain by jeep.
This year’s hike will be dedicated to Dr. Ted Lindeman, who will make the climb for the 50th time. I’ve known Ted for a long time through shared interests outside the Club, so I sat down with him over tea and scones to discuss this historic event.
The first time Ted hiked with the AdAmAn Club was in the late 60’s with his dad George, who was president at the time. At age 16, Ted was among the youngest guests ever to hike with the Club, but the idea, according to George, was to include some younger men to break the trail, especially when the snow got deep. Ted became the newest “added man” in 1973, and he’s only missed three hikes since then. Only once has the group not reached the top. Last year (2018) there was a terrible storm that worsened after the climbers reached Barr Camp. Only six or seven stalwart souls braved the blizzard-like conditions the next day. Ted was among them, but they only made it to about 12,000 feet before stopping. The water in their bottles had frozen, nobody’s phone worked, and ice kept building behind their glasses so quickly they couldn’t see. It was either turn back or lose somebody—so they turned back.
I recently published an article entitled, “Ten Reasons to Visit Colorado Springs in the Winter,” but the AdAmAn climb didn’t make the list, and for a very good reason: not just anyone gets to hike with the AdAmAn Club. The vetting process for guests is rigorous; anyone who seeks membership must complete several guest hikes before being considered for permanent membership. Nobody joins for just one hike; it’s a lifetime membership comprised of those who seek to enjoy the journey, not to see who gets to the top first. It’s about teamwork, not about checking a box on your bucket list. I asked Ted how they weed out those who are too competitive, and he said there is a strict ranking and election system. If you’re good-natured and don’t complain, and have completed at least three guest hikes (among other things), you might be considered for membership. This year will admit member number 102, but not everyone climbs every year.
To commemorate his 50th climb, Ted will hike out to AdAmAn Point with a few long-time members, and they’ll reminisce as they look at downtown. He also looks forward to reaching the A-Frame at timberline, where the climbers stop to signal locations down below with mirrors. The sun is low because the solstice has just passed, making it easy to communicate the old fashioned way with friends and family down in the city. If they can’t light up a certain area they’d like to, they get creative, strategically standing at different distances and bouncing sunbeams off their friends’ mirrors until they hit the target. Their reward is a signal flash in return. Ted started carrying a custom-made, extra-large mirror in his backpack on his third climb, and he’s been using it ever since.
This picture shows Ted and others during the 1994 climb. It was taken by my mother-in-law, Ginny Martineau, as the Club arrived at Barr Camp in 1994. Her hiking group, the Rocky Mountain High-kers, is a women’s group that has hiked all over Colorado and New Mexico for the past three decades. It is their tradition to “beat the men up to Barr Camp” and greet the AdAmAn Club as they arrive at the mid-point every year.
Some traditions are maintained, but some things have changed, mostly in the name of fire safety. Modern hikes include at least one “pyro,” or licensed pyrotechnician. Ted became the first of four licensed pyros who are not only in charge of the fireworks, but also the safety measures before they even get up the mountain, such as permits from the county commissioner and the forest service. Ted has been involved with the fireworks since his first hike, but has been in charge of them since the 1980’s. Now, instead of hauling them up the Peak on their backs or on pack animals, or putting them on the last cog train of the season, the Club shoots fireworks that have arrived by truck earlier in the week.
Ted stays in shape by bicycling almost everywhere, but instead of intense training for the climb, mostly he just “wings it.” He recently retired from the Chemistry Department at Colorado College, so at least this year he doesn’t have to manage grading final exams while gearing up for the hike. Preparing for and thinking about the climb are things Ted does all year round, since it is a major part of his life. After all, being in the Club is a family affair for the Lindemans. Besides his father, Ted’s brothers Carl and Bill are also members, as shown in the header picture. Bill joined in 1983.
If you’re looking for a unique New Year’s Eve experience, get out your mirror and stand outside between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. this December 31 so you can signal the AdAmAn Club as they make their 98th climb, and you may get a signal back. Then later, step outside at midnight to see Ted fire an amazing firework show from the top of America’s mountain, Pikes Peak. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for Ted’s historic tribute to the legacy of the AdAmAn Club.
