Member Bio

Member #: 45
Member Year: 1963
Bruce Sommers

Bio Summary
Community Activity Summary
Active in Jaycees, the First United Methodist Church (member of many committees) , the Associated Builders & Contractors, the Pikes Peak Highway Board, support to Laurie and Bob in school activities, adult leader in Boy Scouts, Electoral Precinct Chairman of 17, and for many years he would also perform as a shepherd in Cheyenne Mountain High School's production of the "Littlest Wiseman"
Occupation Summary
General contractor, US Army 1943-1946, US Army Reserve until 1967 retired as a Captain
AdAmAn Service
Secretary Treasure of the AdAmAn Club 198? - 198?
Hobbies
Mountaineering, backpacking, skiing (AdAmAn Don Lawrie taught Bruce to ski), hunting, Colorado Railroads, photography, and traveling
Climbing Experience Summary
Climbed all 53 of Colorado’s 53-14'ers (when there were only 53 14ers) Backpacked the Grand Canyon traverse—South Rim to North Rim and back with AdAmen Wallick and Dwight Hamilton Backpacked to Chicago Basin and its 3-14'ers twice

Bio Detail
Community Activity Detail

Occupation Detail
President of Sommers Building Company, he built homes for several years and expanded to building renovation and remodeling work across the Pikes Peak Region, to include work at Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, the Air Force Academy and inside Cheyenne Mountain.
Climbing Experience Detail
Climbed all 53 of Colorado’s 53-14'ers. Have backpacked the Grand Canyon traverse—South Rim to North Rim and back with AdAmen Wallick and Dwight Hamilton and backpacked to Chicago Basin and its 3-14'ers twice. Fond memory of climbing West Spanish Peak in July of 1977 with AdAmen Bill Arnold, Ryer Hitchcock and son Bob Sommers, Bill summited under some difficulty (he was suffering from cancer) , and died four weeks later. Started son Bob climbing 14ers at 10 and did seven 14ers with Bob

Memories
Memories From First Climb
Maybe not on the first climb, but he commented that its not always the best choice to be with the first group on top, when the key to the summit house is with a guy in the second or third group!! Being at 14 thousand feet on 31 Dec hanging around outside gets old fast!!
Memories From First Member Year

Memories of Family
Always supported by Elaine Sommers his wife. She would take him to the trailhead with other wives and family members (our children). As a family when Bruce was on the climb we made cookies, flashed mirrors from the city to the climbers and stayed up late for the fireworks. When AdAmAn Bill Lloyd started to bring up handheld radios, it always always fun "calling" Bruce on a phone patch!! Over Christmas and New Years a wonderful friend from Chicago would come stay with us, Lillian Malpe. Lillian had contact with a radio personality in Chicago, and one year Bruce did a radio phone patch from the summit to the radio station - the AdAmAn Club went live over the airways in Chicago (Written by Elaine Sommers).
Favorite Memories from Climbing Fourteeners
When AdAmAn Fred Morath would visit ColoSpgs, we would have Fred over for dinner and rich conversation. Many of our close friends were AdAmAn members. We enjoyed fishing at AdAmAn Bob Watson's Rainbow Falls Trout Hatchery, many great hikes and 14ers with AdAmAn friends (aforementioned and Ryer Hitchcock).
Memories from Favorite Mountain Climb
Along with Pikes Peak, it had to be one of the peaks in Chicago Basin. He always felt Blanca was his most difficult mountain - due to a fall and snowfield slide and running into a rock field and that injured him.
Memories of Favorite Gear
His ruck sack that was on many an AdAmAn Climb - the family still keeps this as an artifact and a Holubar expedition down jacket that was sewn by Elaine Sommers
Memories of Worst Gear Failure
On a Colorado Mountain Club trip, Bruce put a hot rock (warmed by a fire) in the bottom of his sleeping bag - it was so hot that the sleeping back started to smolder and burned that the night and ruined the sleeping bag.