Long's Peak

LONGS PEAK AS AN OVERNIGHT

Keyhole route stats from 14ers.com

Difficulty:	Class 3
Exposure:
Summit Elev.:	14,255 feet
Trailhead Elev.:	9,400 feet
Elevation Gain:	5,100 feet
RT Length:	14.00 miles
Trailhead: Quad. Maps:	Longs Peak Longs Peak

Last weekend I did Longs Peak as an overnight.  Longs peak is such a long hike that it ends up presenting single day hikers with a toss up.  Either you start very early, and by early I mean hikers regularly start between one and five o'clock AM, or you risk being kicked off the peak by weather before getting a chance to summit.  Now I enjoy hiking by headlamp light as much as the next person, but...

Longs Peak was named for Major Stephen Harriman Long who led a surveying expedition in the Colorado Rockies in 1820.  While Arapaho Indians likely summited Longs Peak trapping eagles well before, Major John Wesley Poweell is usually credited with the first ascent in 1868, starting from Grand Lake.  It is the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and is also the norhthernmost 14er  in the Rocky Mountains.

About a month in advance, I stopped by the Backcountry Office at Rocky Mountain National Park to make my reservations.  They gave me a permit for my backcountry site and an overnight permit for my vehicle.  The "non-technical" climbing season is very short on Longs, between mid-July and September.  

Because I was starting mid-morning, I had to park a ways down the road from the trailhead.  If you are overnighting, make sure that you park your vehicle with both of your wheels completely to the right of the white line.  Since the parking lot and the road leading to the trailhead is outside the park, it is actually patrolled by the highway patrol and you can receive a parking citation.  There is a first-come-first-serve campsite near the trailhead.  There are three backcountry camping sites along the East Longs Peak Trail, one of which is for large groups only.  The first site is called the Goblin's Forest, which really isn't very far into the trail, however it is well sheltered in some short pines.

Longs Peak is a very popular destination and if you are looking for solitude on a weekend, this probably isn't the trail for you.  The Diamond, an east facing, 2,000 foot tall, sheer granite wall, makes the peak a distinct and inspirational landmark.

Since I knew I had all day, I took a short detour on the Chasim Lake trail to snap a picture of Peacock Pool and Columbine Falls.

I reached The Boulderfield in about 3.25 hours and setup my tent.  These campsites are booked full almost every night of the peak season, so the critters are used to scavenging from the patrons, so they are pretty friendly.

The next morning I was up and heading up the trail just before sunup, around 6:15 AM.

The view of the Mount Lady Washington ridge-line as I emerged from my tent.

Being at the foot of the short, steep hill that leads to The Keyhole just after sunrise, made for a great photo-opp.

The last section before The Keyhole itself involves crawling over several very large boulders to reach what looks like a missing puzzle piece, taken out of the ridge-line.

There is a small shelter just below The Keyhole where hikers can get out of the wind for a brief break before pressing on.

Photography Tip: Either before or after you snap a pic, take a picture of your altimeter/clock.  This will help you match your photos to a timeline or map of your hike afterwards.

After emerging from The Keyhole, the magnificent Glacier Gorge spreads out before you, nearly 3,000 feet below.  Turning to my left (south), I saw the section known as The Ledges laid out before me, stretching to the area called The Trough.  Such epic sounding names for everything, right?!  The Ledges are just under a half mile of exposed traversing along the tops of massive rock slabs.  There is one short steep section where climbers can assist their assent with some steel reinforcement bars anchored into a large rock.

Bullseyes or "Fried Eggs" allow hikers to navigate the trail where building a cairn really isn't realistic.

The Trough, is usually lined with snow up until mid July, so an ice axe may be required prior to that.  The passage bottlenecks at the top where several large slabs of rock again provide a challenge.  I noticed several climbers cling to the 15 foot, smooth rock directly below the crest of the ridge, but I chose to use the large slabs as a stairway and weave my way back and forth, hand over foot.

When I emerged at the top of The Trough, I found myself in a small crook in the ridge now facing south with a spectacular view.  Turning to my left again, (east) the somewhat unnerving sight of The Narrows reveals itself.  Everyone says its scarier in pictures than it is in real life and they are right.  The Narrows consist of a single ledge with a very steep drop off to the south.  The narrowest section is about three feet wide and is located near the beginning of the section, then is slowly begins to widen out.

At the end of this section I scrambled over the last ledge and The Homestretch showed the obvious route to the summit via several cracks running parallel to each other.  Stick to the cracks progressing on hands and feet, avoiding the smooth rock faces on either side.

The summit is a very large flat area scattered with large boulders.  From The Boulderfield to the summit took me right at two hours and I had plenty of company.  I recommend walking around the large summit area to take in the views from all angles and to revel in the sense of accomplishment such a summit offers!

The Boulderfield from the summit, see my tent right down there?!

Looking down from the top of The Homestretch

The Colorado Trail (Segments 1 - 6 Denver to Breckenridge)

THE COLORADO TRAIL

Denver to Breckenridge

Trip Stats

Starting Point: Waterton Canyon Trailhead, Denver, CO

Starting Time: Sunday, July 14th, 7:00 AM

Ending Point: Goldhill Trailhead, Breckenridge, CO

Ending Time: Friday, July 19th, 12:30 PM

Total Distance: 105.1 Miles

Average Distance Per Day: 17.5 Miles

Net Elevation Gain: 3,680 Feet

Sum Elevation Gain: ~15,000 Feet

Average Sum Elevation Gain Per Day: ~2,700 Feet

Time: 126.5 Hours (5.5 days)

The week of July 14th, an Army buddy of mine, Neal Metzler and I backpacked the first six segments of The Colorado Trail, from Denver to Breckenridge.  Our original plan was to hike it in seven days but we ended up completing it in five and a half.

The journey begins

On day one, Sunday, we had originally planned to hike from the trailhead to a campsite noted in the guidebook from The Colorado Mountain Club at 11.8 miles into Segment One.  But after hiking up Waterton Canyon Road in just two hours and making Lenny's Rest through a very muggy, heavily forested area in another hour, we made it to this campsite at 11:30 AM.  We decided that this was just too early for our stopping point and there was no water available.  We braved the gathering storm clouds and pushed on to a spot about a half mile above the Platte River.  It was still early afternoon, but still burdened with seven days worth of food and facing a long stretch without water after crossing the river, we decided to setup camp for the day.  We made a run to the river to fill up on water, during which we noticed that there were plenty of camping spots available closer to the river on the east side, but none available on the west side.  We were chatting after supper when we noticed that some scary looking clouds began streaming over the mountain we had descended earlier that day, around eight o'clock.  We barricaded ourselves inside our tents just in time for the deluge to begin.  The next morning, everything was soaked after raining hard off and on the better part of the night.

Monday morning at the Platte River trailhead

On Monday, we packed up our wet camp and headed down to the river.  There we found a beautiful scene with low clouds still shrouding the peaks.  I brushed my teeth and bathed on the river bank with my handkerchief with very cold water.  After filling up on water and scrubbing out our extra pair of socks, we crossed the bridge and headed uphill.

Overlook just above the Platte River

Segment Two has the longest stretch without water, so we made sure to saddle ourselves with as much as we could carry, 4.5 liters for me and 3 liters for Neal.  After climbing up to an old quartz quarry, we entered the Hayman Fire burn scar area.  Even after more than a decade, this area is still an ugly reminder of Colorado's largest wildfire.  Exposed to the sun most of the time with views of a whole lot of burned and rotting trees, Neal and I both agreed later that this was the roughest part of the trail.

Chair Rocks

After reaching Spring Creek Road, we turned north, in the opposite direction of the trail just long enough to refill on water from the firehouse.  This is listed as being for emergencies only, but we noticed everyone was using it to re-hydrate.  Then we were back on the trail.

We continued on to Tramway Creek, about half way through Segment Three.  The creek was a bit underwhelming when we reached it, but we were tired and it was almost suppertime, so we called it home for the night.  With just a trickle of water in the "creek", Neal was having trouble getting his nalgene bottle full without getting lots of floaties.  We had a good laugh when I offered him my handkerchief to filter through.  After seeing me bath with it earlier that day, that didn't appeal to him!  Or maybe we were just exhausted enough that anything would have been funny.

The Colorado Trail symbol reassuring us that we are still on the right trail!

The first half of Segment Four through the Lost Creek Wilderness was the most physically taxing part of our trek.  There are several very steep sections back to back.  But there are also portions like the one pictured below that make it worth while!  And at least we didn't have to worry about dodging mountain bikers around every switchback.

After topping out shortly before reaching the edge of the Lost Creek Wilderness, there is an absolutely amazing stretch of trail, that is just the right angle of downhill that makes it a real pleasure.  We camped for the night just on the other side of Lost Creek where we celebrated Neal's birthday with a couple of Fat Tires I packed just for the occasion.

The view from our campsite on Tuesday morning

The following morning was probably the best part of the whole trip.  The last half of Segment Four is spent slowly ascending through the beautiful Lost Creek valley.  The trail goes up along the west side of the Lost Creek Wilderness in the shadow of the trees.

After reaching the saddle, which is so gradual that you can't really tell where the saddle is, we plunged back into the forested Lost Creek Wilderness area.  Neal took a quick panorama of me taking a much needed break and enjoying the vistas.

Even hiking with a friend, you spend a lot of time with your own thoughts while on the trail.  One of the things I occupied my mind with was thinking about how long distance hiking is a metaphor for life.  There are some parts that are just very difficult, like the uphill sections and sore muscles, etc.  But these sections also offer you the opportunity to gain strength from those around you and are usually the most interesting things to discuss later.  What doesn't kill you, truly makes you stronger.  Another similarity is just the idea of putting one foot in front of the other.  That is not to say that walking/hiking is the answer to all life's troubles, but when things get tough, when you aren't sure you can go on, just do the next thing that need's doing, and then do the next thing, and you'll eventually get through the tough part.  These rough sections make the amazing views and highlights of the trip that much more incredible.  Neal and I discussed at one point how if you had driven up to a lookout in an automobile, you would enjoy the view, but that same vista, reached by backpacking there for several days, suddenly becomes a breathtaking view, but moreover, it becomes an unforgettable experience.

We reached the halfway point of Segment Five where we refilled on water, but since it was still mid-afternoon and the area was so plagued by mosquitoes, we decided to continue on, in spite of the gathering clouds.  We met a larger than life, long distance hiker by the trail name of Hawkeye.  He is a volunteer/fundraiser for the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.  He had lots of interesting stories to tell from his Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail treks.  Please checkout his website, http://www.gohawkeye.com/index.html.  We soon found ourselves nearing the high point near Kenosha Pass with lightning striking within a mile.  Despite our better judgement, we hustled through the treeless sections in an effort to reach the Kenosha Pass Campground before dark.  We reached the campground right around suppertime after hiking 23 miles that day.  Yikes!  It was actually nice to find running water and toilets there though.

The next morning we met up with Hawkeye again and he took our picture with Georgia Pass in the background.  We met another long distance hiker, Kittens, who also had some interesting stories from his Appalachian Trail trek.

The view from the high point of the trip, Georgia Pass

We reached the Continental Divide at Georgia Pass just after noon with lightning striking several miles away, so we didn't take much time to celebrate.  We snapped a quick picture and kept on humping.  We spent that night camped where the trail meets the North Fork of the Swan River.  This was a perfectly nice spot, if a little crowded.  But upon arriving I suddenly lost my appetite and wasn't feeling 100%.  However, after a good night's sleep, I was feeling better and we were back at it the next morning, feeling good knowing that Breckenridge was just a few hours away!  It was actually nice that we were well rested for the steep 1,000 feet ascent we faced first thing.  We reached Breck at 12:30 PM and took the Summit Stage bus to downtown.  We hustled to the Breckenridge Brewery where we requested an outdoor table for obvious reasons and downed a couple of cold ones and a cheeseburger in record time.  When the waiter asked what we wanted, Neal said, anything that doesn't start with "Boil two cups of water".  We, of course, followed up lunch with a crepe from Crepes A La Cart.  We were able to move our reservation at the Fireside Inn hostel where they did our laundry and provided a nice place to cleanup and get some much needed rest on the cheap!

Post trek priorities, 1. Beer X two, 2. Cheeseburger, 3. Shower, 4. Nap

If I was to do it over again, I don't think I would go at the pace we set, but we just wanted to prove something to ourselves and being able to brag about shaving a day and a half off the trek puts a big smile on my face every time!

Devil's Backbone Open Space

DEVIL'S BACKBONE OPEN SPACE

On Saturday, the kids and I finally checked out Devil's Backbone Open Space.  After driving past it several times on our way up Big Thompson Canyon toward Rocky Mountain National Park, I became interested in seeing what it was all about.

As with all our hikes, no matter how short, I checked it out online ahead of time to see what information is available.  Devil's Backbone is managed by Larimer County.

The Larimer County web site has some good information available:

http://www.larimer.org/naturalresources/bbone.cfm

The trail is multi-use and we saw fully outfitted hikers and couples out for a leisurely stole, barefoot and shirtless guys in board shorts, trail-runners and mountain bikers.  Oh, and we also passed a helpful Larimer Country Ranger answering questions for a vacationing family from Ohio.

The trail stretches from the main parking area just off highway 34 on the western outskirts of Loveland, all the way to the southern end of Horsetooth Reservoir.  There is drinking water, a well shaded picnic area and bathrooms available at the trailhead.

There are future plans in the works to expand the trail all the way to Lory State Park at the north end of Horsetooth.

We started with only a couple of hours before lunch so we just decided to do the Wild Loop portion of the trail, which includes The Keyhole.

Blaine spotted a medium sized bull snake along the trail and that really made his day.

The kids got a big kick out of The Keyhole.

The Keyhole is a large window in the thin ribbon of rock that juts up out of the prairie.

The trail even has posted maps like this one at the major trail junctions.

The opening in the outcropping offers some great views of the foothills surrounding Big Thompson Canyon.

The trail is marked with these unique welded iron posts.

We took the opportunity to have a quick snack at The Keyhole and enjoy the vistas.  Then we headed on north down the trail.

We had thought to complete the Wild Loop but just as we were starting back on the main trail a couple of mountain bikers whizzed by and it occurred to me that going back up on the upper trail would mean we wouldn't have to watch our back trail  for the cyclists.

The trail is really well marked with signage showing where the trail is multi-use and where it is designated for foot traffic only.

The trail is fairly level and well maintained.

 The kids and I had fun spending time together outdoors, as usual!

So, if you're like me, and you are looking for another spot for some good, family friendly hiking with some great views, check out Devil's Backbone Open Space.