"Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." -- Cecil Beaton.

These words beat in the heart of the Bay Area's Hans Florine, the mountain climber who became the first person in history to climb 14 14,000- foot mountain peaks in California in four days.

"My mom (Maryann) sends me a quote whenever she sees one appropriate for me," he said. The latest, by the late photographer Cecil Beaton, he said, hit the bulls-eye.

"I worked two years in Los Angeles as a yuppie, 60- to 65-hour weeks, and after experiencing that first-hand, I said, 'Hey, I don't have a home mortgage to pay, payments for a fancy car, or a wife and kids - I'm going to go off and climb mountains.' "

Florine, 39, is one of the world's top speed climbers. He splits his time between his home in Lafayette, climbing the walls of Yosemite Valley and making a living as a keynote and motivational speaker. Unlike many X Game-type competitors, he's also a success at home. He married fellow climber Jacqueline Adams, and they have two children, 3-year-old Marianna and 5-month-old Pierce.

"I watch about an hour of TV a month," Florine said. "In the morning, what gets me up is the idea of living a life that is inspiring. When I hear people, strangers, come up to me and tell me they are inspired by what I am doing, that keeps me going, too."

Florine's latest epic challenge made him the first person to climb eight 14,000-foot mountain peaks in a day in California, and the first person to climb all legal "14ers" in California in four days. One of California's 14,000- foot peaks, Mt. Williamson, the state's second highest peak, is off limits due to a closure to support big horn sheep mating.

To pull it off, Florine hiked and trekked 90 miles, traversed 41,000 vertical feet and slept only nine hours in the process.

The trip started at 1:56 a.m. on Sept. 17 at the South Lake Trailhead (9, 800 feet elevation) out of Bishop in Inyo County. From here, Florine bolted up to Bishop Pass (11,990 feet) and then turned left, trekking off trail on climbing routes to the foot of the Palisades and its cluster of 14,000-foot spires. He summited, in order, Thunderbolt Peak (arriving at 5:56 a.m.), Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mount Sill, Middle Palisade and Split Mountain, and then sprinted back to his car by 5 p.m.

This is believed to be the first time anyone has summited seven 14ers car- to-car in less than 24 hours.

Florine then drove across the Owens Valley to the arid west flank of White Mountain, arriving to the 10,000-foot trailhead at 2:51 a.m. With a headlamp poking a hole in the darkness, Florine raced up the well-marked route,

arriving at the 14,246-foot summit at 5:15 a.m.

He tried to catch some sleep on the drive to Lone Pine and the south flank of Mt. Whitney, to the 10,000-foot trailhead at Horseshoe Meadow. Again, Florine virtually ran to Cottonwood Pass, and then spent the day climbing remote Mt. Langley that evening.

After sleeping a few hours near a lake, he awoke in darkness and set off again. He climbed Mt. Muir, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Russell and Mt. Tyndal in a single day, and then described the 11-mile trip back to the car as "a death march."

Late that night, Florine boarded a private plane for a flight to Siskiyou County in Northern California, and eventually arrived at the Ski Bowl Trailhead on Mt. Shasta at 6:31 a.m. The end was in sight. He crowned the trip by summiting 14-162-foot Mt. Shasta on Sept. 22, climbing 7,000 feet over the course of seven miles in less than five hours, and then virtually running back to his car at the Ski Bowl Trailhead.

"Everything hurt," he said. "My legs felt like logs."

But the record was set: 3 days, 12 hours and 11 minutes. The previous record was 41/2 days, set by Jack Broom.

Florine described his childhood as that of a "military brat,'' eventually settling in Moraga. He graduated with a degree in economics from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

As a climber, he met Jacqueline, a super model with a Vogue cover shot, who is now known as "super mom," says Hans. She is the first woman to climb solo the El Capitan "Nose Route," and also soloed the Leaning Tower Wall of Yosemite Valley. As a couple, they have climbed the Middle Palisade, the El Capitan wall four times, including once when Jacqueline was five months pregnant.

Hans Florine is an avid reader of motivational books and pays attention to songs with inspirational phrasing. At the end of the interview, he spliced in one of his current favorites: "I don't know, but I've been told, you never slow down, you'll never grow old," Florine said. "That's Tom Petty."

In a world where there is no shortage of ambition, Florine stands alone - - on the mountain top.

Day 1: South Lake Trailhead, Bishop: Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mount Sill, Middle Palisade and Split Mountain.

Day 2: White Mountain Trailhead, Big Pine: White Mountain; Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead, Lone Pine: Mt. Langley.

Day 3: Mt. Muir, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Russell and Mt. Tyndal.

Day 4: Ski Bowl Trailhead, Mount Shasta: Mt. Shasta.