Paul Ryan Has Made 'Close to 40 Climbs,' Not 'Climbed Close to 40 Peaks'

I have done this as an update to the original item, but for emphasis I'll do it as a stand-alone new item too.

According to an email I received just now from Brandon Buck of the Romney campaign, Paul Ryan did not mean to say that he had climbed "close to 40" of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks. He was careful to say that he had made "close to 40" climbs. Here is the note:

Hey James - caught your entertaining piece.  Unfortunately, you've got some bad info in there. We're not sure where this started, but he's not said 40 different peaks, its nearly 40 climbs - with a number of peaks climbed more than once.  He's been doing them for more than 20 years. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article from  '09 doesn't say 40 separate summits, but instead "He is fairly careful about what he eats, performs an intense cross-training routine known as P90X most mornings, and has made close to 40 climbs of Colorado's "Fourteeners" (14,000-foot peaks)."

Apparently many listeners may have missed the distinction. For instance, last month an item in the Denver Post said:

[Democratic Congressman Ed] Perlmutter praised Ryan for being physically fit, saying "good for him" for climbing 40 of Colorado's 54 fourteeners -- mountain peaks 14,000 feet or higher.

But for the record, this is the official view. Thanks to Buck for responding.

Extra update. Buck supplies this transcript on an event in Colorado, clarifying that Ryan never said he had climbed 40 different peaks:

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R-WI): Good morning! (Applause.)
Man, it is nice to be here. We ought to just have Madison (sp) speak some more. Wasn't she fantastic? (Cheers, applause.) Gee. Aw. Makes you feel confident about our future when we have bright young people like this that we're raising in our communities, doesn't it? (Cheers, applause.)
You know, it's great to be here in Colorado. I was actually planning on being here in Colorado this week --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah!
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah!
 
REP. RYAN: -- only on my family vacation. (Chuckles.)
(Laughter.) You see, my family's over in one of our great national forests here in Colorado while we speak. We come here every summer. I've been climbing fourteeners for over 20 years here in this great state. (Cheers, applause.) I have such great memories of jumping in our family station wagon in Janesville, Wisconsin, going down I-80 to I-70 and coming out here and enjoying the beautiful Rocky Mountains you have here, busting my back on moguls -- (laughter) -- fishing for brookies and rainbow --
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah!
 
REP. RYAN: -- and climbing these great peaks you have. This is one of the most beautiful states in the country. (Cheers, applause.) It's a big -- it's an awesome place.
You have a big responsibility, and in one of the big responsibilities you have, you have to elect Joe Coors to Congress. (Cheers, applause.)