Video by Chris Clark, Clark Media Productions-the summit of Mt. Elbert
Highest Recorded Classical Music Concert in the Rockies
On September 9, 2024, I climbed to the summit of Mount Elbert with Chris Clark and Melissa Davis Capka, and performed the highest recorded classical music concert in the Rocky Mountains at 14,439 feet. Mt Elbert is the highest peak in the Rockies and the second highest in the lower 48, second only to Mount Whitney in California.
We hiked the East Ridge trail from South Mount Elbert trailhead starting at about 10,500 feet and ending at 14,439 feet with a total of 10.5 miles roundtrip.
Chris had flown up from sea level on September 6 and I had driven out from Kansas the same day. We had both done some acclimatization hikes in preparation. As part of this project, I have also made instructional videos on playing at higher elevations, though not quite this high. It’s also important to note that I’m a doctor of clarinet, not medicine. There are so many dangers in a hike like this and this is not meant as backcountry or medical advice at all. This is only my own experience, please don’t try this yourself!
As an experienced mountaineer, I knew how to prepare for this hike but felt daunted by not being able to acclimatize longer in Colorado before climbing. I made the best of it by trying to take out all the variables except for elevation in my preparation. I wanted altitude to be the only variable that I couldn’t control, even though it was the most decisive one. So, I started training harder, so that at least the distance and climbing wouldn’t be a problem, though I knew that the elevation would be. In preparation for this hike, I spent a month increasing my long walks to 14-16 miles, way overshooting the required distance on Elbert. I also took advantage of the beautiful University of Kansas campus, picking a different building to climb stairs in every day with a pack. With a tendency towards anemia, I beefed up my iron rich foods and prioritized balanced and nutrient dense meals . I focused on rehydration with electrolytes as well and tried to sleep as much as I could for recovery.
My only major mistake in preparation was to not test out my old boots. Back when I had been doing a lot of mountaineering in Colorado, I had tended to wear trail runners on the high peaks, but was worried about doing so carrying such a heavy pack that included the clarinet and music stand. It turned out to be a preventable rookie mistake and I had to end up pushing myself past a terrible blister.
At 4:00 AM we arrived to South Mount Elbert trailhead after a drive up a strenuous four-wheel drive road performed perfectly by Melissa in a Ford F 150. We headed up through darkness past a marsh by the trailhead filled with who knows what.
Trail sign at the beginning of the hike
We hurried past and kept chatting through the darkness, arriving at tree line at day break. The sun coming over the mountains from the east illuminated Twin Lakes and the Arkansas River Valley, glistening off of aspen forests just starting to change. The trail was amazing, having been recently renovated.
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-predawn light over Twin Lakes
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-sunrise
Once above tree line, the true size of the mountain was revealed. Though Elbert is not a technical 14er, as the largest in the Rockies, the length and difficulty of the trail is really a slog.
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-view of Mt. Elbert from around 12,000 feet
Around 13,000 feet, the trail steepens
After a serious sufferfest with many stops to catch my breath, I arrived for the first time at the summit at around 8:15 AM. I summited a bit before the rest of the group, anxious to perform after so many months of preparation. I found only two climbers at the summit who generously videotaped my first pass on my iphone. Chris had sent me up with a small hand-held camera but I was too hypoxic to figure out even the simplest mechanism.
Mt. Elbert's summit
At first my body seriously rebelled against playing so quickly after summiting and I had to take a few deep breaths, not as much for my air support as for getting blood to my fingers and embouchure muscles. I took a moment, let all of my CO2 out, channeling the great free diver Claire Paris Limouzy. I remembered my interview with her and her emphasis on approaching free diving with joy, awareness, and relaxation. I looked around me at all of the splendor of this vantage point and relaxed. I then played excerpts from Florence Price’s Adoration, Anne Guzzo’s Pika (a piece that she had written for me three days earlier when we had to pivot the concert due to my duo partner contracting covid 19), an adaptation of Thylia Yazzie’s Farewell, and an ode to composer Ray Adams.
The two hikers, women in their 30s, appreciatively and patiently recorded my first concert and I descended to meet Chris and Melissa at about 13,000 feet. I was worried about weather but Chris and Melissa reassured me (rightly) that we still had time to get them up to the summit. I looked at these two people that had done so much to support me in this project and knew that I had to go back up with them.
Melissa Davis Capka and Chris Clark ascending Elbert's vast flank
We summited as a group at 9:08 AM, with some small puffy clouds forming and wisps over the west. We spent about twenty minutes at the summit and I was able to perform and record again, this time on Chris’s superior gear. As I scrambled with my frozen fingers to put my clarinet together again, Melissa assembled the music stand, and Chris got his gear together in no time. I will never forget the sight of Chris at 14,439 feet gallanting tossing his glove to the side of the trail to get the shot when it mattered.
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-recording at the summit
The dozen or so people at the summit didn’t even know what hit them and were equally pleased as they were confused by this concert! I played as much as I could of the same pieces as the first summit, this time a bit more polished. It was odd that I felt almost no pain on the second go around, it was like my body had instantly recognized what was going to happen from the last time. I was breathing more than I normally would and my tone and pitch were terrible, but it was indeed a clarinet concert on the highest point in the Rockies.
Summit of Mt. Elbert, looking west
Worried about weather, we were gone as quickly as we came, and got down the trail, resting only when we were at tree line. Finally snacking laying on our packs in a beautiful meadow with autumn tinted late summer grasses and flowers, we allowed ourselves to laugh and reflect on the last 7 hours.
Resting at tree line
We ambled comfortably for the rest of the way, arriving back at the trailhead before the storms. We passed a magical aspen grove right below tree line that we had stumbled past in the darkness on the way up. Just beginning to change on September 9, we were witness to the most amazing sight. Just the faintest kiss of gold on the top leaves shivering over a humusy carpet of red and yellow grasses. It’s a sight that we will never forget.
Aspen grove on Mt. Elbert's east side
We arrived back at the 4WD trailhead at about 1 PM and were joined by an amazing older couple that we drove back to the 2WD parking.
Once off the peak, the bad weather miraculously never materialized and we were treated to the most beautiful Colorado day for the rest of the afternoon. September 10 and 11 brought horrific storms over the range, so we had found the perfect day on September 9. On September 10, bruised and battered a bit, we were able to watch a storm roll over the peak from Twin Lakes and hope that no hikers had become caught unaware up in a terrible situation.
Mt. Elbert view from Twin Lakes in a fast moving storm on September 10, 2024
We spent the next few days filming videos about the climb and footage about playing at high elevations. We also recorded the featured pieces in a more optimal setting. I loved the climb and being able to have the privilege to perform in such an unconventional and stunning location. I also felt fortunate to be able to record it up there with Chris for YouTube so that people who couldn't afford a classical music concert OR make it to the top of a mountain could enjoy both for free. This experience redefined my connection to music and the mountains and has fundamentally changed how I think about music.
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-early morning on the trail
As a trained classical musician and orchestral player, I have never really allowed myself to make mistakes, unless exploring folk music and improvisation. But on the mountain, I felt freer; like I was just able to be in the moment and nothing had to be perfect.
Photo by Melissa Davis Capka-looking south from the trail
The project taught me so many logistics about playing at higher elevations and using this experience to optimize more typical concert situations. But there was also such a freedom to be able to let go of expectations about how I should sound and to just enjoy the music. I was playing on an old clarinet and mouthpiece that I decided I could sacrifice to the mountain. Clarinet is already a persnickety instrument and when I was playing principal clarinet in Central City Opera at 8500 feet for years, I always had to struggle with reeds to get everything perfect for Verdi and Puccini. Clarinet was barely made to play at that elevation and not AT ALL at 14,000 feet. The intonation, tone, and accuracy of the Elbert concert were never what I would have accepted usually. But the mountain made me forget all of that and myself and get past all the noise and expectation. It got me back to an essence of playing that we sometimes lose as professional musicians.
The first kiss of Fall on the higher aspens-Mt. Elbert is on the far right
When we have it all on the line in a dark concert hall, with the spotlight on us, sometimes joy and connection get forgotten for the sake of accuracy. When your whole reputation and livelihood depend on a concert, it’s hard to allow ourselves to be fallible and human. Though I don’t recommend that anyone ascend a mountain and perform EVER, I do recommend that every professional musician grab a cruddy old instrument and go play outside. It’s the inspiration for so much of the music that inspires us. And it really gets us back to the joy and connection of our craft.
