Eastern Michigan Athletics
The Mountain Within: Eastern Michigan Football Climbs Pikes Peak, Builds Team Beyond the Field
7/20/2026 3:00:00 PM | Football
The Eagles’ Pikes Peak tradition builds leadership, trust, and the bond needed for a football season
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (EMUEagles.com) -- At 4:15 a.m., with headlamps cutting through the darkness and the summit of Pikes Peak still miles away, the Eastern Michigan University football program begins another journey that has become far more than a mountain climb.
On Saturday, July 17, Eastern Michigan Head Football Coach Chris Creighton and a group of 31 student-athletes, coaches, and staff members completed the program's annual pilgrimage to the summit of Pikes Peak, a 14,115-foot mountain in Colorado's Front Range. The climb has become one of the defining experiences of Creighton's program, a tradition built around leadership, sacrifice, trust, and the belief that championship teams are formed long before they step onto the football field.
The goal is reaching the summit, but the purpose has never been the mountain itself.
For Creighton, the climb represents a physical challenge that mirrors the journey every football team faces throughout a season. There are moments of confidence, moments of doubt, unexpected obstacles, and times when the only way forward is to rely on the people walking beside you.
"The mountain takes care of everything," Creighton said.
Those words have guided the tradition since it began nearly three decades ago. The mountain has a way of revealing character. It exposes who is willing to endure discomfort, who is willing to encourage others, and who understands that success is not achieved alone.
The first Pikes Peak trip took place in 1997 when Creighton was the head coach at Ottawa University. He had traveled to Colorado Springs for a wedding and met Randy Kunkel, the father of the maid of honor, who had climbed Pikes Peak several times. Creighton asked if his team could stay at Kunkel's home and make the climb.
The group drove from Kansas to Colorado in vans, stayed in a basement, and climbed the mountain together.
What started as a simple idea quickly became a cornerstone of Creighton's leadership philosophy.
"That first year, none of us had done it before," Creighton said. "It was just magical. It was an awesome experience for all of us. We made it a tradition."
Since then, the climb has followed Creighton through multiple coaching stops and eventually became part of the culture at Eastern Michigan. This year marked the 13th Pikes Peak trip for the Eagles.
Over the years, the details have changed. Creighton has challenged teams in different ways, including carrying a painted gold rock to the summit, completing overnight backpacking trips, and creating other obstacles designed to test perseverance. At Eastern Michigan, one of the biggest challenges has become carrying a 51-pound pipe wrench to the top of the mountain.
The object itself is less important than what it represents.
Every player has a role. Every player contributes. Every player shares the responsibility of reaching the summit.
"We go as fast as the slowest man," Creighton said. "That's a challenge that nobody thinks about."
On a football field, teams are often measured by their best players. On Pikes Peak, the standard changes. The group succeeds only when everyone succeeds.
Some climbers handle the altitude better than others. Some push ahead. Some struggle with headaches, fatigue, or the unfamiliar challenge of being more than 14,000 feet above sea level. The mountain requires patience and awareness.
The same is true throughout a football season.
A team's journey is never a straight path. There are injuries, setbacks, difficult opponents, and moments when confidence disappears. The teams that overcome those challenges are the ones that stay connected.
"The path isn't straight," Creighton said. "There are switchbacks. At times, you're going downhill, and you don't even want to take another step because you know you have to go back up. But that's how a season goes."
The climb begins with a clear view of the destination. Before the ascent, the team visits Garden of the Gods, where players can see the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance.
That image provides a powerful lesson.
At the start of a football season, teams have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish. Goals are established. Expectations are discussed. The destination is visible.
Then the work begins.
For most of the climb, the summit disappears from view. The players must focus on the next step, the next conversation, and the next person beside them. Football follows the same pattern.
"You've got to have the goal and the vision, but then you're not talking about that every day," Creighton said. "It's the step right in front of you. It's that practice. It's that rep. It's that day. It's that week."
The climb also serves as the final piece of Eastern Michigan's leadership development program. Before reaching the mountain, each participant is paired with a teammate. The assignment is simple: serve that person throughout the experience.
For Creighton, leadership is not defined by standing at the front. It is defined by lifting others.
Players are challenged to help their partners in any way possible. That might mean carrying extra water, helping with a backpack, giving encouragement during a difficult stretch, or making a small sacrifice to make the experience easier for someone else.
The conversations along the trail are just as important as the physical challenge. Partners ask each other a series of questions designed to build trust, strengthen relationships, and create deeper connections among teammates.
The experience transforms the way players view leadership.
"The leader being up front and in charge, that's not what great leaders do," Creighton said. "Great leaders know they're there to serve."
That lesson extends beyond the mountain.
Football requires players to put the team ahead of individual goals. A wide receiver must block for a teammate. A defensive lineman must occupy space so someone else can make a tackle. A veteran player must help younger teammates understand expectations.
The climb simply brings those lessons into a different environment.
For many players, the summit becomes one of the most memorable accomplishments of their lives. It is something they completed with teammates who shared the same struggle and refused to leave anyone behind.
Creighton has seen the impact continue years after players leave Eastern Michigan.
Former Eagles defensive lineman Arron Pipkins (2012-15) recently returned to campus and shared with Creighton how the experience changed him. He told his former coach he had continued climbing mountains, including returning to Pikes Peak and preparing for future climbs.
Creighton never expected a football trip to create a lifelong passion.
That is part of why he continues the tradition.
The modern college football landscape changes quickly. Transfer movement and roster turnover create challenges for teams trying to build chemistry. Creighton believes intentional experiences like Pikes Peak are more important than ever.
Culture requires investment.
"Anybody who doesn't think culture matters, they're not going to think this is relevant," Creighton said. "But does being a team matter? Absolutely."
Eastern Michigan's football program has built a reputation around relationships and shared experiences. The Eagles have accomplished things on the field that had never been done before in program history, and Creighton believes the foundation comes from creating a true team environment.
The mountain does not care about recruiting rankings, statistics, or individual accomplishments. It does not care who was a starter or who arrived through the transfer portal. It asks every person the same question: Are you willing to help the person next to you?
When the Eagles finally reach the summit, the view provides the reward. But the lasting memories come from everything that happened along the way.
The early morning starts. The difficult stretches. The conversations. The encouragement. The moments when teammates stepped forward for one another.
Those lessons will follow Eastern Michigan into the football season.
The mountain ends at the summit. The journey continues on the field. And when adversity arrives, the Eagles will have a reminder of what they already know.
They have climbed before. They know how to keep moving forward. They know they do not have to climb alone.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (EMUEagles.com) -- At 4:15 a.m., with headlamps cutting through the darkness and the summit of Pikes Peak still miles away, the Eastern Michigan University football program begins another journey that has become far more than a mountain climb.
On Saturday, July 17, Eastern Michigan Head Football Coach Chris Creighton and a group of 31 student-athletes, coaches, and staff members completed the program's annual pilgrimage to the summit of Pikes Peak, a 14,115-foot mountain in Colorado's Front Range. The climb has become one of the defining experiences of Creighton's program, a tradition built around leadership, sacrifice, trust, and the belief that championship teams are formed long before they step onto the football field.
The goal is reaching the summit, but the purpose has never been the mountain itself.
For Creighton, the climb represents a physical challenge that mirrors the journey every football team faces throughout a season. There are moments of confidence, moments of doubt, unexpected obstacles, and times when the only way forward is to rely on the people walking beside you.
"The mountain takes care of everything," Creighton said.
Those words have guided the tradition since it began nearly three decades ago. The mountain has a way of revealing character. It exposes who is willing to endure discomfort, who is willing to encourage others, and who understands that success is not achieved alone.
The first Pikes Peak trip took place in 1997 when Creighton was the head coach at Ottawa University. He had traveled to Colorado Springs for a wedding and met Randy Kunkel, the father of the maid of honor, who had climbed Pikes Peak several times. Creighton asked if his team could stay at Kunkel's home and make the climb.
The group drove from Kansas to Colorado in vans, stayed in a basement, and climbed the mountain together.
What started as a simple idea quickly became a cornerstone of Creighton's leadership philosophy.
"That first year, none of us had done it before," Creighton said. "It was just magical. It was an awesome experience for all of us. We made it a tradition."
Since then, the climb has followed Creighton through multiple coaching stops and eventually became part of the culture at Eastern Michigan. This year marked the 13th Pikes Peak trip for the Eagles.
Over the years, the details have changed. Creighton has challenged teams in different ways, including carrying a painted gold rock to the summit, completing overnight backpacking trips, and creating other obstacles designed to test perseverance. At Eastern Michigan, one of the biggest challenges has become carrying a 51-pound pipe wrench to the top of the mountain.
The object itself is less important than what it represents.
Every player has a role. Every player contributes. Every player shares the responsibility of reaching the summit.
"We go as fast as the slowest man," Creighton said. "That's a challenge that nobody thinks about."
On a football field, teams are often measured by their best players. On Pikes Peak, the standard changes. The group succeeds only when everyone succeeds.
Some climbers handle the altitude better than others. Some push ahead. Some struggle with headaches, fatigue, or the unfamiliar challenge of being more than 14,000 feet above sea level. The mountain requires patience and awareness.
The same is true throughout a football season.
A team's journey is never a straight path. There are injuries, setbacks, difficult opponents, and moments when confidence disappears. The teams that overcome those challenges are the ones that stay connected.
"The path isn't straight," Creighton said. "There are switchbacks. At times, you're going downhill, and you don't even want to take another step because you know you have to go back up. But that's how a season goes."
The climb begins with a clear view of the destination. Before the ascent, the team visits Garden of the Gods, where players can see the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance.
That image provides a powerful lesson.
At the start of a football season, teams have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish. Goals are established. Expectations are discussed. The destination is visible.
Then the work begins.
For most of the climb, the summit disappears from view. The players must focus on the next step, the next conversation, and the next person beside them. Football follows the same pattern.
"You've got to have the goal and the vision, but then you're not talking about that every day," Creighton said. "It's the step right in front of you. It's that practice. It's that rep. It's that day. It's that week."
The climb also serves as the final piece of Eastern Michigan's leadership development program. Before reaching the mountain, each participant is paired with a teammate. The assignment is simple: serve that person throughout the experience.
For Creighton, leadership is not defined by standing at the front. It is defined by lifting others.
Players are challenged to help their partners in any way possible. That might mean carrying extra water, helping with a backpack, giving encouragement during a difficult stretch, or making a small sacrifice to make the experience easier for someone else.
The conversations along the trail are just as important as the physical challenge. Partners ask each other a series of questions designed to build trust, strengthen relationships, and create deeper connections among teammates.
The experience transforms the way players view leadership.
"The leader being up front and in charge, that's not what great leaders do," Creighton said. "Great leaders know they're there to serve."
That lesson extends beyond the mountain.
Football requires players to put the team ahead of individual goals. A wide receiver must block for a teammate. A defensive lineman must occupy space so someone else can make a tackle. A veteran player must help younger teammates understand expectations.
The climb simply brings those lessons into a different environment.
For many players, the summit becomes one of the most memorable accomplishments of their lives. It is something they completed with teammates who shared the same struggle and refused to leave anyone behind.
Creighton has seen the impact continue years after players leave Eastern Michigan.
Former Eagles defensive lineman Arron Pipkins (2012-15) recently returned to campus and shared with Creighton how the experience changed him. He told his former coach he had continued climbing mountains, including returning to Pikes Peak and preparing for future climbs.
Creighton never expected a football trip to create a lifelong passion.
That is part of why he continues the tradition.
The modern college football landscape changes quickly. Transfer movement and roster turnover create challenges for teams trying to build chemistry. Creighton believes intentional experiences like Pikes Peak are more important than ever.
Culture requires investment.
"Anybody who doesn't think culture matters, they're not going to think this is relevant," Creighton said. "But does being a team matter? Absolutely."
Eastern Michigan's football program has built a reputation around relationships and shared experiences. The Eagles have accomplished things on the field that had never been done before in program history, and Creighton believes the foundation comes from creating a true team environment.
The mountain does not care about recruiting rankings, statistics, or individual accomplishments. It does not care who was a starter or who arrived through the transfer portal. It asks every person the same question: Are you willing to help the person next to you?
When the Eagles finally reach the summit, the view provides the reward. But the lasting memories come from everything that happened along the way.
The early morning starts. The difficult stretches. The conversations. The encouragement. The moments when teammates stepped forward for one another.
Those lessons will follow Eastern Michigan into the football season.
The mountain ends at the summit. The journey continues on the field. And when adversity arrives, the Eagles will have a reminder of what they already know.
They have climbed before. They know how to keep moving forward. They know they do not have to climb alone.
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