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Bob Salem stands at the summit of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak after finishing his quest to push a peanut from trailhead of Barr Trail in Manitou Springs to the top of America’s Mountain. Salem was the fourth person to push a peanut to the summit. Salem volunteered to do it for the 150th anniversary of the town of Manitou Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Peanut-pusher Bob Salem has reached the summit of Pikes Peak.

Salem, from Colorado Springs, became the fourth person to push a peanut to the top of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak when he reached the summit shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, according to multiple reports. 

Using an undisclosed apparatus, Salem trekked the steep slopes of Barr Trail starting last Saturday. He originally aimed to reach the summit on Sunday, July 17, but made it two days early.

Salem became the fourth person to achieve the feat and the first to do it in the 21st century. The first to do it was Bill Williams, who pushed the peanut up America’s Mountain in 1929 to win a $500 bet. Adjusting for inflation, $500 back then would be equivalent to more than $8,000 today.

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Bob Salem, centers, poses for a pictures with tourist after pushing a peanut to the summit of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak from trailhead of Barr Trail in Manitou Springs. Salem was the fourth person to push a peanut to the summit. Salem used about two dozen peanuts to reach the summit as some were lost in the rocks and some just wore out along the trail. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Ulysses Baxter replicated the feat in 1963, using a spoon attached to his nose. The peanut he used is currently on exhibit at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center.

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Bob Salem pushes his peanut to the summit of Pikes Peak on Friday, July 15, 2022.

The last “peanut pusher” was Tom Miller, who reportedly made it to the summit in five days.

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