When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, people turned to outdoor activities to stay active while social distancing. One of those activities was mountain climbing, mountains above 14,000 feet in particular. They are called 14'ers and Colorado is the epicenter of these types of peaks.

5 Things Sunday host James Brown sat down with Lloyd Athearn, the executive director of the Colorado 14'ers initiative. Athearn said the appeal of climbing mountains is both physical and mental and that the rewards are spectacular as well as the consequences. So far at least six people have died climbing 14'ers this year.

James also sat down with Jason Kolo, a landscaper from Cleveland, Ohio and an avid hiker who has climbed mountains all over the world.

Jason said he knows the risks, but said he doesn't go into it with that mindset. Instead, he said he focuses on the positive like being in nature.

He said, "being in the clouds or above the clouds is an amazing feeling."

To read more about 14'ers, click below"

People die summitting 14,000-foot mountain peaks. These climbers do it anyway. By USA TODAY's Grace Hauk

Protecting Colorado 14'ers - Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

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Episode Transcript available here

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