Man attempts to push a peanut up 14,000-foot Pike's Peak with his nose

Snow capped Pikes Peak soaring over the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado in a colorful Autumn morning.
Snow capped Pikes Peak soaring over the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado in a colorful Autumn morning. Photo credit Getty Images

This may not be something that can be put on a resume, but it is an accomplishment, as a Colorado man is attempting to push a peanut with his nose up the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak.

Bob Salem, 53, is attempting to climb one of Colorado's highest peaks, but instead of on his feet, he'll be doing it on his hands and knees while he pushes the nut with his nose, NPR reported.

"Basically, I'm just going to sit here and low crawl my way up here," Salem told KRCC.

Salem, a United States Army veteran, is a stay-at-home dad, and to push the peanut, he uses a device that looks like a homemade gas mask but is made from a CPAP machine with a black plastic service spoon taped to it.

With the peanut on the ground in front of him, Salem shared that there isn't "really much to it but just to keep flicking."

When it comes to why Salem decided to push a peanut up 14,000 feet, he shared with KRCC that he has his reasons.

"It gives me an opportunity to celebrate our nice little city here," he said to the station. "And I have a charity that I'm on the board of, and I get to actually talk about that a little bit."

The charity that he serves, Home at Last, helps to house people who are experiencing homelessness.

During the interview with KRCC, Salem was asked by one person walking by if he was really going to flick the peanut all the way up the peak, to which he replied, "oh, yeah."

While it seems crazy, Salem is attempting to become the fourth person to push a peanut up the peak with his nose in almost the last century. A local historian, Michael Maio, shared that the first did so in 1929.

"There were stories about squirrels and tourists taking his peanuts. And so he had to keep replacing the peanuts with a new supply," Maio said. The other two who accomplished the feat did so in 1963 and 1976.

As for Salem, he still has a way to go, and he shared that he is camping along the way with a spotter carrying his backpack. He shared with the station that he hopes to reach the peak by the weekend and is prepared for whatever he may face.

"I got kneepads and elbow pads - OK? - in my trusty little hat here," he told KRCC. "For the higher elevations, I got, like, a one-piece snow suit if I need it or something like that. But other than that, just some sunscreen and [laughter]."

Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images