Usually when someone reaches the age of 60, they think about retirement. For Knoxville, Tenn., Local 760 member Richard Hatten, he took up mountain climbing.
Not including the Smoky Mountains, where the journeyman wireman trains, Hatten has climbed three mountains so far, all of them in Latin America and at incredibly high altitudes. His climb of Chimborazo, a stratovolcano in Ecuador, is so high — over 20,000 feet — that only half the trekkers who attempt it make it to the top.
Every time Hatten reaches a summit, he takes a second to get a photograph of himself sporting a sign with the Local 760 logo, as well as Specialty Service Group, the contractor he works for.
“My highlighting of Local 760 is about inspiring achievement,” he said. “Within our Brotherhood, we inspire safe work practices, producing top-quality work and helping others to be their best. With physical achievements like mountain climbing, I believe we can inspire one another to set high goals and push toward realizing those goals through the strength we find in our Brotherhood.”
Richard Hatten always includes a nod to his local when he reaches a mountaintop.
There’s a similarity of expertise with climbing and electrical work, Hatten said. You have to be familiar with the tools and processes and how to properly use your safety equipment. Communication is also paramount.
“Working with experienced guides is not unlike finding IBEW electricians on the job. You know they’re well qualified,” he said. “And effectively communicating with your team leader and the climbers you’re roped together with can potentially be a life-or-death situation.”
An adventurous person by nature, Hatten likes a good challenge and visiting new places, not to mention seeing what the world looks like from 20,000 feet up.
“Roaming around in a realm of ice is incredibly cool! I once stood on a mountain looking down at a rising moon,” he said. “There are sights and sounds one just can’t find down below.”
His most recent trip was to Huayna Potosi in Bolivia, where he “had some unfinished business.” His group had to cut their previous trip short due to insurmountable snow depth. Bolivia has provided the most fantastic hikes he’s ever experienced, the Mississippi native said.
Hatten’s next trip will be in 2027, when he returns to Ecuador to climb Cotopaxi — again. On the first trek, he and his team only got to 17,000 out of more than 19,000 feet because of a volcanic eruption at the summit. He’ll be 65.
“I want to stare down the throat of a real live volcano,” he said.
Hatten is a great example of someone living life to the fullest, Local 760 Business Manager Tim Oaks said.
“The fact that he does these daring climbs is impressive, and the way he represents our local is inspiring for all of us,” Oaks said. “He’s an awesome journeyman wireman, and we are proud to have him as a member here at Local 760.”
