Longs Peak Colorado - 7/21/05 (Part 1 of 2)

[Pammy]

Part 1 of 2

Hi All

Four of us...all women, from NH, planned a hike to Colorado's 14,259 foot Longs Peak months ago. We anxiously anticipating the hike all winter.
It's a heavily hiked mountain, but only 30% of the people that hike it, make it to the summit. A lot of people are grossly unprepared for the hike...hiking only in a tee shirt and shorts, and are surprised by temps in the 30's and 40's on the summit in the summer.

We hiked the Keyhole route which is a 15 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of about 4800 feet. The ranger station is at 9405 feet.

We flew in on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we did a small acclimation hike to a 9800 foot Mt. Lilly. Perfect hike to warm up. We tried to go to bed at 9pm on Wed night, but I know that at least two of us lay awake most of the night, and only slept an hour or two before our alarms rang at 1am. YES...AM!! We got to the trailhead by 2:15am, and by 2:37am, we were off on our hike. You have to start out eaaaaaaaaarly to beat the afternoon thunderstorms that roll in almost every afternoon. You need to be heading down from the summit by noon to beat the afternoon storms.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. Temps were in the low 50's when we started the hike at 2:30 in the morning. It was the coolest thing starting out in the dark with headlamps. I was totally pumped. We saw very few people on the trail until we were past treeline. The Longs Peak Ranger told us that on a typical nice summer day, there can be 600 or more people hiking the Keyhole Route. Because of late snow, the Keyhole route only opened up that week as a non-technical climb. I think that kept the crowds away. We estimated that may 100 people at most, were on the mountain that day. We expected a line of traffic up the mountain like on a beautiful day hiking up Mt Washington but were pleasantly surprised that, that wasn't the case.

The sun started rising around 5am and wow...what a site!! The hike up until this point...and all the way to the Boulder field is pretty easy.

Around 12,000 feet, Barbara started getting sick from the Altitude. She tried to push her way through it, but was getting worse. Barb is one tough chick, and one very very strong hiker, so I knew she was feeling really horrible when she decided to turn around.

We got to the Boulder Field around 8:30am and had LUNCH!! We were all starving by that time. We started up the Boulder field after we took a quick break to eat. I found the Boulder field pretty easy, and we hiked up it, and to the keyhole pretty quickly which is at 13,160 feet. WOW WOW WOW!!!
Does this hike change after the Keyhole!!!! The views from the keyhole are phenominal. Huge drop offs. From here, it becomes a class 3 hike. The Ranger told us it was class 5. I was feeling great at this point. Totally pumped. Paula took one look at the ledges and the enormous drop-offs and decided she was NOT playing! Fantastic hike, but aint no way she's risking life and limb hiking across those ledges and slippery ramps. I take one look at the difficult terrain and say yee haaa....let's go! I'm thinking...ahh...Paula....aka psycho speed hiker....is not afraid of anything...and she'll be right behind us. I kept watching for her...but she stuck to her guns and had a great hike back down the mountain. And then there were two.

Continued in Part 2 Below....

.

 

[Pammy]

Longs Peak Colorado - 7/21/05 - Part 2 of 2

.....Continued Part 2 of 2

The first section after the Keyhole has several ledges and slippery ramps.
Sky was still totally clear. Weather was my one big worry the whole trip. I would have hated to have not been able to summit because of very high winds, or thunderstorms.....but the weather to this point...was cooperating. We got across the ledges in no time, and then we came to the "Trough". Ugh!!!! The Trough just su*ked!! It seemed to take forever!! It went on and on and on and on and on. Tons of loose rocks everywhere. Don't want to fall here, or you're in for one long fall down the snowfield that was still there. The end just didn't seem near. We were over 13,000 feet, and definitely short of breath at this point, but Kathy and I still felt great.

Finally got through the "Trough"....and came to the "Narrows". Oh, the Narrows was so cool !! 1000 foot drop-offs. Most of the narrows was pretty easy. Narrow, but easy. In one or two spots, there was a boulder cutting off the trail that you had to skirt around...with the 1000 foot drop off. Yee ha!

And then we get to the last 500 feet of the hike. A 45 degree pitch called the Homestretch. This is STRAIGHT UP!!! I've done quite a bit of Rock Climbing, and I thought that this Homestretch was as steep as you would want to climb without ropes. What's below this 500 foot pitch? Yup...you got it....1000+ foot drop off. You fall...you're not coming back. Going up wasn't too bad. Had to look for hand-holds, and a few times, back down to try another route because there was no way to go further on your current route.

Kathy and I both made the summit right around Noon. We were pretty giddy up there, and I sat down for a picture on the summit boulder, and nearly fell off. We were the ONLY TWO people on the summit !! Everyone that has hiked Longs talks about the annoying crowds up on the summit, and here we were all by ourselves. (Two more people stumbled up 15 minutes later, but that was it). It is normally in 40's on the summit this time of the year, but it was 70 degrees and windless on the summit that day. We signed the Guest Book, and had a quick bite to eat. We knew we had to get going rather quickly, because it was now about 12:20pm, and we knew the danger of afternoon storms and lightening.
You're hours above treeline with no place to hide. We walk over to the top of the Homestretch and take a look down, and think...Oh My God...this is a lot steeper going down!! We're both still feeling great and start down, and boy it was a LOT harder going down than coming up. You just couldn't see the handholds going down, like you could on the way up. Some times, it was a leap of faith....just praying that you'd hit that tiny spot with your feet as you slid down a section, and not tumble off the face. The sky was getting very threatening at this point so we were trying to keep going at a good pace.

We finally made it down, and across the narrows. We get to the Trough, and this is when I start feeling pretty crappy. Pretty nauseous. Didn't want to eat, and I hadn't eaten since 8:30 in the morning. All of a sudden I really started really dragging butt. At that point...I thought...hmm....this is what it must be like on Everest. You summit, and have nothing left for the way down. At first I thought it was the altitude, but I realized, that my water tasted horrible, and was really upsetting my stomach. I had drank about 100oz of spring water that I had in my camelback, and my last 32oz
was tap water, and it was just nasty tasting. I kept drinking it because I knew how important it was to drink a lot of water since we were at such a high altitude. Thunder started rumbling....and I really just couldn't go very fast. Between feeling sick, and feeling the altitude...and hiking down the damn Trough and all of those loose boulders and rocks. All of a sudden....this hunk of a man, comes along and starts taking my hand, and then Kathy's hand, and helping us skip all the way down the Trough. We really didn't need his help, but he was just too cute and we smiled as he helped us down. This guy was just flying down like a gazelle (although I did just read about a death on Longs Peak. Someone hiking right in front of a Ranger, and flying down jumping from rock to rock, turned his ankle, and then cart wheeled down 800 feet or so to his death). Kathy and I finally part ways from this beautiful man, and we're so burnt at this point...that we totally lose the trail and end up at what I think is called the "False Keyhole". Oh No!!!! We were losing energy and strength fast....and here we just wasted all of this energy on a route that had no way down, without backtracking to where we started. Kathy ...the smart one....backs down along the trail. Me...no way...I'm taking the shortest path possible to the trail.....a couple hundred feet below us. STRAIGHT DOWN!!! And beyond the trail...yup...you got it....thousand foot drop-off. I made it down most of the way fine....and kind of got stuck. I see the hunk way off in the distance and giddly call his name, and he prances on over to us and helped me down the pretty dangerous spot I was in.

We get to the Keyhole....and the skies are pretty black at this point....and right on schedule...it starts to rain, and thunder, and we see a lightening bolt off into the distance. Kathy is bolting down the Boulder field trying to get me to run along too. And I jump into the tiny shelter on the top of the Boulder field...mainly to get my camera into a ziplock before it starts downpouring (just lost my camera Scuba diving, and was not about to lose the one that I just bought to replace it....along with all of the photos from our trip. Within 5 minutes, I'm back going down the Boulder Field, and the two minute shower stopped. I meet up with Kathy at the bottom of the Boulder Field, and our "friend"...the hunk....is filtering water. I asked him if he'd mind pumping some for me to refill my bottle, since the tap water was making me sick (I can drink any kind of water.....I'm not fussy, but this water was really BAD!!). So he did, and from that point on, I started feeling a better and better. Of course it could also have been because we were getting lower and lower in altitude. I guess is was a combination.

I started picking up speed after this point...and then about an hour later, I pulled out this bottle of oxygen/water spray. It's supposed to be like "a shower in a can". It's not oxygen to put over your nose to breath in. Kathy and I started spraying it on our faces and necks and WOW.....did that perk us up!! We started getting giddy, and practically sprinted the last couple hours down the mountain. Every 20 minutes or so...I'd say...time for a spray!! It really made us feel energized.

We had asked Barb to pick us up at the Trailhead around 5pm, but we didn't get down until almost 7:30pm. Paula and Barb were there waiting for us with a great welcome for us.

WONDERFUL WONDERFUL Hike !!!!!!! Total Hiking time: 16.5 hours (with very little stops!) If you'd like to see the photos, click on the following link and then click on "View Slideshow" at the top. You can use your Right Arrow Key to scroll through them faster. Photo titles are in the bottom left hand corner. http://www.pam.photosite.com/longs/

Happy Trails !
Pam

 

[hogabum]

Long's Peak

Hey Pammy

Great Report and photos............

I attempted that hike in 1977 using the same route you did. We only made it about 200 yards past the keyhole. Your report brought back many great memories of that hike. Your photos are outstanding. I feel like I need to go back there now and finish it. You guys did a great job on a great peak.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Oldsmores]

Excellent report. I've attempted Long's twice unsuccessfully, once 'cuz I didn't have proper gear and once 'cuz I had a very tired daughter. One of these days I'll go back and finish her off (Long's, not the daughter). Anyway, sounds like a great hike!

 

[ADK4Life]

Whoa..great pics and report. Nice to see some people going out on some scrambles

 

[RGF1]

Nice Trip report sounds like you had a great time. Longs is quite a adventure and long day (pun not intended ) . The critter you calla Chincilla? is a Pika. They are the guys making the chirping above treeline and in the Talus slopes. they are rlated to the rabbit .
Longs is a very popualr climb considering it is not at all that easy. But is a a spectaular peak in RMNP.
it was one of the frist 14ers I clmed i have fond memoreis and your report made my day !

 

[sli74]

GREAT TRIP REPORT . . . I enjoyed it and will hopefully get a go at it REAL soon myself. Hopefully, it will have dried out some. Thanks for the great and scary descriptions.

sli74

 

[Rik]

Nice report and pix. I spent a couple of nights in the Boulder Field a few years ago and loved it! Didn't summit because of snow and ice and no crampons or axe but loved being up there. The Chincilla is a Pika. They hang out with Marmots alot at elevations like that. The big wall you see over the Boulder Field I believe is called the Diamond. Thanks for stirring up memories.

 

[carole]

Very nice. Excellant. Wow!!

 

[RGF1]

Nice report and pix. I spent a couple of nights in the Boulder Field a few years ago and loved it! Didn't summit because of snow and ice and no crampons or axe but loved being up there. The Chincilla is a Pika. They hang out with Marmots alot at elevations like that. The big wall you see over the Boulder Field I believe is called the Diamond. Thanks for stirring up memories.

Yes it is the Daimond best seen at Sunrise ! Ther is less used snow / ice Clmb I enjoy on it called Lambs Slide.
Damn all these TRs Adams Slide , Ranier , and more and I cannot hike far for a while argh But keep em coming .

 

[tracker]

Pammy-

Excellent report and pics! It brings back memories from when I climbed it in '85 by the same route. We started early too, but I can't remember the time. The trail head was socked in with fog. It stayed like that for a long ways. I kept thinking there was no way we would make the summit. But a little ways below the keyhole and boulder field we rose above the fog. It was awesome. it was like a sea of clouds with mountain tops resembling islands rising above the ocean.

By the way, the summit of Long's Peak and many other of the front range are part of the eocene erosional surface that was uplifted and subsequently eroded and bisected by the various drainges. That's why the summit is like a table top. It's been a while since I was out there, but I believe when you look out to the horizion you see many flat top mountain features. They are all part of the eocene erosional surface.

 

[una_dogger]

Wow!

Great trip report, awesome photos! What an accomplishment!
Exhilarating just to read about it!

 

[Frodo]

Awesome report!

I climbed it via the same route back in August 2001 and it was spectacular! I also felt the same way (hey this is pretty easy), then I passed the Keyhole... I just followed the "fried eggs" (blazes), and kept uttering "WOW! I better not trip..." the rest of the way to the summit... I also had no problems with crowds or the T-storms (which I encountered on Mt. Sneffles a few days earlier)

That is one beautiful mountain. No wonder it is so popular.

You now have some excellent memories...

 

[sapblatt]

Pammy -
What a great trip, report and pics. Colorado needs to be visited!
That is one hell of a mountain and accomplishment!

 

[Pammy]

Thank you all for the replies and the great comments!! And thanks for correcting me on the Pika! We were wondering what that little guy was!

Bye
Pam

 

[tonycc]

Very nice trip and great report. I'm glad you had fun and made it back safely.

I can't help but comment on the reason you had the summit all to yourselves, you were there too late. This was evidenced by the numerous people in your photos ahead of you at the keyhole, and none on the boulder field behind you. Additionally, you dodged a very real and dangerous bullet when the storm rolled in. You should have been below treeline before then.

This is not to diminish your achievement, but to highlight the dangers out there. Getting killed by lightening or take a fatal fall on wet rocks during a downpour can ruin your day.

I'm not sure how many 14ers you have, but Longs Peak is a tough one for distance and difficulty at altitude. Beginning with other, closer 14ers to get a feel for your performance at altitude and on long exposed sections before attacking Longs makes a lot of sense for any other aspiring 14er baggers.

Again, congrats and thanks for sharing.

Tony

 

[Pammy]

Hi Tony

Well we definitely were up on the summit a little later than we wanted to be because one of the women in our group got sick and we were hiking at her pace hoping that she'd feel better. But... we were up there a little before Noon, and headed down by 12:15pm....so we weren't ultra late either. Also, as you can tell by the Summit Pics, there were only a few fair-weather clouds in the sky by the time we got on the summit. The threatening clouds didn't start rolling in until we were on our way down. The traffic definitely wasn't as heavy as it normally is for that time of the summer according to the Ranger. We started at 2:37am and not a whole lot of people passed us. I think that most of the people that were ahead of us, had camped out in the Boulder Field over night. I expected the Hike in to be like a busy day up Mount Washington, but it wasn't even close. VERY enjoyable hike!!

Take Care
Pam