14,505 Feet and Still Climbing!
Randy Coyle, self described as an avid outdoorsman and mountaineer felt the call to go west from his Pennsylvania roots. During the year that he traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada, he scaled the peaks of the tallest mountains in every state and province he visited. During the summer of 2000, Randy was approached by one of his clients to find him a home with a view, so Randy responded, “I know where there is the greatest view in the United States.” He and his client set out to climb Mt. Whitney, rising to 14,505 feet at the summit, making it the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S. During their ascent, they camped at the 12,000-foot level and one of the other hiking teams had their tent swooped up by one of the large gusts of horrific wind that was always present. The tent was taken vertical for about 100 feet and then as suddenly as it had risen was caught in a down draft and plummeted down the mountainside. Climbing the trail was no minor feat either. They encountered periods of oxygen deprivation and exhaustion. “The last 2,000 feet are the most difficult on the mind and body,” Coyle admitted. But once you actually see the summit, your mind takes over and you are exhilarated. At about 12,000 feet, the air becomes rarified with much less oxygen than at sea level. Randy’s client felt the effects of oxygen deprivation and, going the extra mile for his client, Randy not only carried his own pack up the mountain but returned to carry his client’s pack up and return again to help his client climb. Randy repeated this until they summited, allowing his client to see and feel the thrill of summiting. The client was breath taken with the view but remarked, “The Smithsonian Institute mountain top hut seems a little small for me and my family.” So Coyle planted a “FOR SALE” sign in front of the hut and signed the climber’s log.
Mount Whitney is above the tree line and has an alpine climate and ecology. The eastern slope of Whitney is far steeper than its western slope. This is because the entire Sierra Nevada is the result of a fault-block that is analogous to a door: the door is hinged on the west and is slowly rising on the east. The rise is caused by a normal fault system that runs along the eastern base of the Sierra, below Mount Whitney.
Residents of Lone Pine (where Mt. Whitney is located) financed the first trail to the summit, engineered by Gustave Marsh, and completed on July 22, 1904. Just four days later, the new trail enabled the first recorded death on Whitney. Having hiked the trail, U.S. Bureau of Fisheries employee Byrd Surby was struck and killed by lightning while eating lunch on the exposed summit. In response to this event, Marsh began work on the stone hut that would become the Smithsonian Institution Shelter and completed it in 1909. This is the same hut where Coyle planted his “For Sale” sign some 91 years later.
Randy realized that mountaineering and real estate have a lot in common as it is a constant balance of good sound business principles, being focused on what is going on around you, and implementing a winning game plan. He lives his life like mountain climbing – “One Day At A Time” and “One Step At A Time.” Randy is continually climbing the peaks of real estate in an effort to provide his clients the very best that he has to offer. He specializes in premier properties along the California Gold Coast to include Corona del Mar, Newport Coast, Crystal Cove, Newport Beach, Pelican Crest, Pelican Hill and Laguna Beach. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker Previews International last year, Randy was one of the leading agents at Prudential California Realty’s Newport Beach office for more than 11 years. When he isn’t climbing, in his leisure he enjoys tennis, hiking and writing.
Coyle now has more than 20 years of mountain climbing and real estate experience and has attained the industry’s top awards for achievement. He is a Top Producer at the Newport Beach office of Coldwell Banker Previews International, located at 140 Newport Center Drive, Suite 100, Newport Beach. He can be reached at 949.280.5563 or by email at Randy.Coyle@Camoves.com. www.RandyCoyle.com
