[CRMTR Editor note]: Boy, did I blow this one. I captured this Trip Report from rec.backcountry when I was San Antonio and sent it to myself at home to make sure I added it to the CRMTR pages. What I didn't do was save the name of the person who submitted it. I believe that it was Tom Stybr, and as such, have added his name to the index for this report... BUT, I could easily be mistaken. Anybody who can confirm/deny that this is the case, please let me know... Steve
My wife got a call from some friends (Kim & David) on Thursday (7/16) saying that they were in Estees Park and planning to do Longs Peak on Saturday.
My original plans called for working on landscaping and various chores around the house, so naturally, I was amenable to a quick change in those plans. :-) The rangers were saying that the Keyhole Route was still "Winter Technical," but David had received reports from a few different people who said it could be done without crampons or an ice axe. We decided this was probably a good time to do Longs, as there would likely be a lot less people if the route was still being called "Winter Technical." I picked up my wife in Ft. Collins Friday evening and we then met Kim & David in Estees Park for a quick dinner and an all too short sleep.
The alarm clock went off around 1:15AM and we were up and on our way to the trailhead early. I was pleasantly surprised to find the parking lot only about 3/4 full (Last time, we had to park about a half mile down the road). As we gathered up our gear, I decided to gamble and not bring my ice axe in the interest of carrrying less weight. After a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, we started up the familiar trail (I had been here in early June on an attempted hike to Chasm Lake and also two summers ago when my wife and I did Longs) around 2:15 AM. I used my Petzl Megabelt headlamp for a light source and it provided more than enough light to guide the way.
The trail is generally in excellent condition all the way to the Boulder Field. I started out with my usual huffing & puffing, but quickly got into a comfortable pace. Above the tree line, the lights of Denver and other Front Range cities could be seen to the east past the dark shadow of the Twin Sisters. Longs and Meeker loomed in the darkness to the west. The eerie landscape of stunted trees and large boulders around the tree line becomes downright ominous in the dark.
We reached the Boulder Field at 12,750 feet around 5:30 AM just in time to catch a great sunrise. Beautiful shades of red and pink appeared in the sky to the east turning Longs, the Keyhole Ridge, and Storm Peak to a incredible shade of pink. Scenes like this always make me realize why I get out there and hike. There were a number of people camping in the Boulder Field in
addition to people who had hiked up this morning, but it was nothing compared to the zoo that was here last time we did Longs. We continued on up to the Keyhole and took a long break in order to eat, enjoy great views of Glacier Gorge below, and survey the route ahead. There was still quite a bit of
snow in the upper half of the "Trough" couloir, but it appeared people were able to bypass the snow on the rocks to the leftside.
Making quick work of the "Ledges" section of the route, we entered the Trough at 13,300 feet and began the long climb up. It started out pretty easy, but a certain amount of vigilance was needed to avoid rolling rocks down on the people below. Reaching the snowfield, we decided to follow the lead of others and climb on the rocks to the leftside of the Trough. This quickly became a real, live scramble climbing along cracks in steeply sloping granite slabs. It was similar to the Homestretch, but more difficult. I would rate it as definitely Class 3 with a few Class 4 moves required. I really enjoyed this part of the climb and felt it added a little excitement to the otherwise uninteresting Trough section of the route.
Kim and David had pulled ahead of me and my wife by about 20 minutes as we made our way through the Trough. Reaching the top of the Trough we scrambled up to a flat, narrow ledge at 13,850 feet that has a long drop on the side opposite the trough. I would consider this the most exposed section of the route. Quite a surprise when you pop your head up out of the Trough and look down into nothingness. We made our way across the airy "Narrows" section and found Kim & David waiting for us at the beginning of the "Homestretch." After a short break, we scrambled up to the summit again climbing along cracks in large granite slabs that make up this section. I would still rate it as Class 3, but easier than what we had been through in the Trough.
Reaching the summit (14,255 feet) around 9:15 AM, we kicked back and enjoyed the great views. The weather was perfect with barely a cloud in the sky. I could see most of the Front Range (even Pikes Peak far to the southeast) and the more distant Sawatch and Elk Ranges to the southwest. We all partook in a nap and various explorations of the large, flat summit. I even surveyed the crossing to Meeker for future reference. I don't remember the exact time we left the summit, but this was defintely my longest time at the top of a 14er. For my wife and I, it was also the first 14er we had summited twice.
Coming down was pretty slow going. A lot of crab walking and even a little bit of down climbing was required to retraverse our route in the Trough. Also, my wife wasn't feeling that great probably due to lack of sleep the night before. It must have been around 1:00 PM before we made it back to the Keyhole, where we took a long break. While we were eating and enjoying the great views of Glacier Gorge (what a beautiful place!), we heard some shouting coming from below. I thought I heard two different voices shouting to each other, but at one point it sounded like someone was shouting, "Help!" Along with several other people at the Keyhole, we scanned the area below looking for any sign of people, but could find none. We didn't hear anymore shouting and a guy with a Park Service radio showed up later, so we decided to head down (What else can you do?) I didn't get to watch the news, so I don't know what happened. Anyone know if there was an incident in Glacier Gorge on July 18?
We pressed on across the Boulder Field and back down to the Chasm Lake Trail intersection. At this point, David pushed ahead as he needed to return the ice axes he and Kim rented by 6:00 PM in Estees Park. Me, my wife, and Kim made our way back slowly to the trailhead. The trail seemed quite a bit longer on the way out than I remembered on the way in (isn't that always the case? :-)) We reached the car at 6:00 PM and headed back to Estees Park to meet David. I then enjoyed a big bacon double cheeseburger at the Moutaineer Cafe while we reviewed the hightlights of the hike. We then parted ways, and my wife and I drove back to Ft. Collins for a much needed shower and sleep.
Kim & David are good hiking partners (and good friends), so hopefully we will be able to do some more hiking together in the future.
All in all, I enjoyed this climb even more the second time than the first. Less people, more interesting climbing, and better weather all contributed. Also, you can pay attention to more details when you're familiar with a route. There are very good reasons why so many people do this route. The scenery is incredible and the hike provides a nice challenge without being too dangerous (assuming the weather is good). Kim said I was crazy to do this route twice, but then we met a guy who had done it 107 times. Now that's crazy (or is it?).
Tom
RTD - Longs Peak by the Keyhole Route: 15 miles Elevation Gain - Longs Peak by the Keyhole Route: 5000 ft.