Mountain Mayhem: A surprise birthday for Kevin O’Driscoll

Surprise! A benchmark birthday party.

Longtime local Kevin O’Driscoll decided he was going to sail through his 60th birthday on Saturday, Oct. 15, without much fanfare. The night before, he solo camped at Capitol Lake and awoke to a fresh layer of snow on the surrounding peaks, feeling invigorated from the natural beauty in every direction.

When he returned to cell phone range later that day, he checked his messages and saw an invitation to swing by his friends’ house for a sunset cocktail, which sounded like a low-key way to mark his birthday. That was the message sent to Kevin, though the text sent to a dozen-plus others indicated a surprise party was in the works. It directed them to arrive in time to add to the buffet, lightly decorate, and be ready to welcome him for an unexpected celebration.

All went according to plan, and the man of the hour was shocked to see so many friends gathered in his honor when he pulled up to the house. Just before a homemade chocolate birthday cake was presented, Kev made a short speech, thanking everyone for the delightful surprise and acknowledging it turned out to be one of his ”very favorite Aspen birthdays.”

He’s now in Belize for a fall break with a handful of friends ringing in the next decade with a tropical trip and lots of adventures!