The Tippy-Top of Colorado Springs

On a man—and a writer—who never quite climbed Pikes Peak. A view of Pikes Peak from about 1870. (Photo by Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. I grew up in Colorado Springs, which at the time was a little city at the base of Pikes Peak. People knew about it primarily in relation to other things: “It’s the city south of Denver, right?” “It’s the city at the base of Pikes Peak, right?” It’s also the home of the Air Force Academy and of Focus on the Family, so you’d always get people who knew it (and either loved or hated it) based on those. Jane Clark Scharl is a poet and playwright. Her books include the verse plays Sonnez Les Matines and The Death of Rabelais, and the poetry collection Ponds. More Where I'm From