Longs Peak - 14,255 ft


Date: 8-7-2004

Climbers: George Barnes and Brian Schuster

Route:  Keyhole II, Class 3

RT distance:  15.5 miles

RT time: 11 hours 30 minutes

Time to summit:  6 hours 15 minutes

Time on summit:  1 hour

Time to trailhead: 4 hours 15 minutes

Elevation gain:  5,000 feet

Coordinates of TH:  40° 16.37'N, 105° 33.45'W

Coordinates of summit:  40° 15.28'N, 105° 36.95'W

USGS Quadrangles: Longs Peak

 

Trip Report:

 

Pre-climb:

    We arrived in Estes Park at 10:30 PM after stopping in Boulder for burritos at Illegal Pete's.  After we pitching our tent we set an alarm for 3 AM and tried to get a few hours of sleep before the long day ahead.

 

Climb:

    Three AM comes entirely too fast, and we're soon driving down highway 7 towards the Longs Peak Ranger Station.  Shortly after turning off the highway we begin seeing cars parked on the sides of the road - a sign that the parking lot has long since been filled.  We drive on to the parking lot just for amusement, and then back down the road to park.  Something about the hordes of cars and herds of people walking up the road gives me thoughts of a day after Christmas sale at the Mall of America.  We make it to the trail register by 4 AM and add our names to the already long list.

 

   We start up the trail at a good clip and soon began passing slow moving parties.  Brian works for the forest service and carries a 40+ lb backpack everyday while hiking all over the hills near Grand Lake so this is a cakewalk for him.  Against my better judgment I'm keeping up with him, and 30 minutes into the trail we've passed 20-30 people.  We don't stop for a break until we're above tree line at about 4:45 AM, and then it's only long enough to gulp some water and marvel at the lights of Denver.  Underway again we resume passing the herds as we make our way to Chasm Lake.

 

    At about 5:20 AM we reach the privy above Chasm Lake in enough light to make out the Diamond Face and see the trail without headlamps.  We wanted to get some alpenglow shots of the Diamond Face, and we're confident we can't reach the Boulder field in time to do this from there.  The view is effectively blocked by Mt. Lady Washington between Chasm and the Boulder Field, so we opt to wait for the sun to come up.  It's windy here, and even with Windstopper jackets and gloves we're both pretty cold.  In an attempt to get out of the wind we find a hole to sit in a short way up the trail to Chasm Lake and wait there for the sun to rise.  Nearly 40 minutes later we're rewarded by a spectacular sunrise and perfect alpenglow on the Diamond Face.  The view here is everything it's cracked up to be, and pictures don't do it justice.

 

 

    A lot of the groups that we had passed before Chasm past us while we waited for the sun to rise, and we see a lot of familiar faces as we head for the Boulder Field.  By 7 AM we reach the Boulder Field at 12,750 feet and stop to snap a few pictures.  The Boulder Field is aptly named, with rocks growing from football sized to car sized as you progress south west across it.

 

Brian & George, Keyhole visible on far right

 

    As we stroll through the Boulder Field campsites we note that a lot of people have stopped for an early lunch.  I can't help but snicker when someone pulls out a foot long Subway sandwich, but secretly I'm pretty jealous.  It's funny - no matter what food I bring in my pack, none of it sounds all that great once I'm on the trail.  Brian has been feeding me Keebler Club crackers, and these are a nice break from my almonds and M&Ms.  The trail is becoming more rugged as it progresses across the Boulder Field, and by 8 AM we cross the field and reach the Keyhole at 13,150 feet.  You see pictures of the Keyhole, but it's hard to fathom just how big it is.  The shear size of the overhanging rock is disturbing to say the least, but Brian and I sit under it anyway and eat.  The wind is blowing through the Keyhole with impressive speed, and I'm a little bit concerned about the upcoming exposed trail under such conditions.  I overhear a few people turning around here because of the wind.

 

The Keyhole and the view north from our snack position

 

    Once through the Keyhole I'm relieved to find that the wind is barely noticeable on the trail and the view into Glacier Gorge is amazing.  From here on the trail is more serious - mostly Class 3 scrambling, but the route is well marked with red and yellow "rotten eggs" spray painted on the rock.  We make our way to The Trough at 13,300 feet and are greeted by the backsides of around 50 people above us.  We overhear another climber liken this section to a video game of dodging rocks and I would soon learn she wasn't kidding.

 

 

   As we make our way up the loose rock of the Trough the possibility of rock fall becomes a reality.  What's most disturbing about the situation is the inability of people to yell "Rock!" when they knock something loose.  Trusting nothing to the Cottoneers above us, Brian and I keep a wary eye above as we pick our way up the trail.  We weren't far up the Trough when I look up to see a golf ball size rock heading at my noodle without warning.  I duck and feel sick to my stomach at the thought of the difference 12 inches would have made.  I do my best to yell warnings when I see rocks, and give extra attention to my footing so that I don't cause any rock fall.  Farther up the trough I hear Brian yell and look in time to duck another small rock heading for me.  I move enough to clear it with my head and feel it hit the top of my backpack.  This is entirely too close for my comfort level, and my feelings of caution are replaced by anger.  It's pretty easy to ascend and descend this section without causing rock fall, and there's no excuse for not yelling a warning if you do.  With disgust I watch a cottoneer plunge step his way past me down the slope in Nikes, causing small slides with every step.  Brian and I have had enough, and we decide to head for the snow slope out of the line of rock fall.  I don't have an axe or crampons, but I'm much more confident in my ability to kick steps in good snow than I am in the cottoneers above me to not drill me with a rock.  I make short work of the snow slope and soon reach the upper sections of the trough.  The route becomes blocked by a chockstone, some say getting past it is the toughest move of the entire route.  Brian heads above it to the left, as I head straight for it.  With my reach and leg length I easily scale the crack to the right of the stone and make my way out of the trough at 13,850 feet.

 

Looking down the Trough, the chockstone, and Brian climbing above the chockstone

 

    The Narrows is an exposed ledge across Longs south face.  I'd heard a lot of hype about the exposure here, but it's really nothing to write home about.  A fall would have unfortunate consequences but the footing and hand holds here are most excellent, and the section passes quickly as we make our way towards the Homestretch.

 

Looking back across the Narrows

 

    The Homestretch is a 250 yard scramble up some slabby rock to the summit.  A series of parallel cracks run the length of the section and the climbing is pretty easy.  The sheer number of people going up and down causes some confusion, and more than once I waited for climbers above me to descend.

 

The Homestretch - summit cairn visible on horizon

 

    After about 25 minutes of scrambling up the Homestretch we reach the broad summit at 10:15 AM.  The summit is full of people, and Brian and I make our way to the summit register.  We spend an hour soaking up the views and taking pictures.  The skies are fairly clear for miles in every direction and we feel lucky to have good weather.

 

 

Brian, George, summit marker

 

    The view down to the Boulder Field is amazing, and with the 22x zoom on my camera I can make out the tents we walked past on our way up.  Notice the size of the rocks relative to the tents in the second photo below.

 

 

    By 11:15 AM we decide it's time to head down and enter the Homestretch once again.  Down climbing takes more attention than ascending, and the going is pretty slow.  The vertical bands of rock to the east are interesting and I stop to take some pictures.

 

 

    As we reach the narrows we note that our perfect weather is deteriorating and there are some fairly nasty clouds building to the west.  We descend the Trough as fast as prudence will allow and reach the Keyhole again by 12:30.

 

 

    At the Keyhole we take a minute to peak in the rock hut built there.  I take this opportunity to retrieve my rain gear from the bottom of my pack in anticipation of the approaching weather.  Doing this causes the weather to avert, and we manage to hike the entire way out under sunny skies.

 

The North Face, small rock hut below the Keyhole

 

    By 2 PM we reach Chasm Lake and pause for a few pictures.  The clouds of previous concern are visible above the summit.

 

 

    After endless rock steps we reach tree line once again, and enjoy the comforts of cool shade.  Upon reaching the 0.5 mile sign Brian and I decide to jog the trail out.  By 3:30 PM we reach the trail register and check our names off.  I'm mildly amused by reading the reasons people listed for not summiting in the register, "Wind" being most prevalent.

 

Stream crossing

 

Post-climb:

    Always a sucker for punishment, I returned to Chasm Lake the following day with my wife. The 10 AM start and Chaco sandals were a welcome change from the day before!  On our way down from Chasm just above tree line I had to smile when I overheard someone ask their leader if this was the Boulder Field.

 

                                   Abby & George

 

 

Additional notes:

  • This area has one of the more interesting topographical maps I've seen, click here to see what I mean.

  • The number of people attracted to Longs is fairly disgusting, if I were to do this again I would avoid weekends during peak tourist season in Estes.  If I was forced to climb the Keyhole again with large numbers of other people I would *strongly* consider a climbing helmet.

  • Camping at the Boulder Field would make this a much more enjoyable experience, though getting one of the eight camping spots would require some advance planning.

  • The continuum of climbing experience on Longs can be pretty entertaining.  On a warm day in August on dry route we saw people climbing in everything from sandals to plastic Koflach boots.