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Longs Peak

31 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

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14er, boulder field, Estes Park, keyhole, Oscar Blues, RMNP, the narrows

momma rosasI set out Saturday afternoon with my neighbors, Keith, Jen, Steve and Scott, to hike Longs Peak.  We are pictured here eating in Estes Park before camping out near the trailhead.  The allure of Longs Peak has been haunting me for years now.  Ever since I climbed my first peak back in 2008 – Mount Garfield. I say “haunted” because of the apprehension this trek stirs in hikers as they commit to plans.  As the northern most 14er in the Colorado Rockies, I  see it every day outside my window.  The trailhead in RMNP is a 45 minute jaunt from my house.  But not a year goes by without reading about some hiker in bluejeans and cotton hoodie dying from exposure.  Or being blown off the peak by a gust of wind.  To be fair, this trail takes its share of experienced hikers and climbers too; although there is a strong correlation between victims and cotton wearables.  Every section of trail is popularized by name.  The Boulder Field.  The Keyhole.  The Ledges.  The Narrows.  Those names alone will spook you.

wildWe reserved a 7 camper backcountry permit to camp at Goblins Forest.  Turns out, there was 8 of us as Steve invited 3 friends, Parker, Robert and another Keith.  The rangers were none the wiser as they close at 4pm and we didn’t pitch our tents until around 8:30.  Goblins Forest is a little over a mile in from the trailhead.  It turned out to be an awesome site with plenty of room, even a vault toilet.  Smoke from the Western State forest fires obscured the stars but the weather was fairly warm.  A couple of the guys slept in hammocks.  Jen imitates Reese Witherspoon here in Wild with her backpack loaded up.

goblins forestWe initially planned for a 3am start.  There are several reasons for this.  As one of the most difficult class 3 14ers in the country, Longs Peak is crowded with most hikers hitting the trailhead between 1am and 3am.  It’s a long, slow hike, mostly above treeline, and the early start is needed to avoid the typical afternoon thunderstorms.  Steve’s buddies had some experience hiking Longs Peak and recommended we wake up at 1:30.  We did and hit the trail by 2:30am.  As you can see in this photo, we’re all wearing headlamps.

Ed on KeyholeThe headlamps weren’t always needed above treeline as the full moon illuminated the trail.  And we weren’t alone.  We followed a trail of lights from other hikers climbing up the Mills Morraine into the Boulder Field where the sun finally rose.  This photo captures the sun rising over Mount Lady Washington and the Boulder Field as I scramble over the Keyhole to the western side of Longs Peak.

Scott on LedgesOur timing was perfect in terms of light and crowds.  Our campsite was a little over a mile from the trailhead, giving us a 12.5 mile hike.  This made us part of the main wave of hikers.  Anyone driving up and arriving by 1am will easily find a parking spot at the ranger station and trailhead, but will have a 15 mile hike.  Arrive after 3am and you will find yourself parked a mile down the road; possibly still fine in terms of beating the afternoon showers but you’ll have a 17 mile hike.  For us, the sun began to rise as we entered the Boulder Field and gave us ample light as we passed through the Keyhole and traversed the mile or so through the Ledges, Trough and Narrows to the peak.

Jen on LedgesClick on the photo above to see Scott making his way across the Ledges.  You’ll be able to make out a path marked by bullseyes painted on rocks.  There is no trail, simply these paintings for you to target as you make your way over a steep slope of rocks generously termed a ledge.  Trust me, this was some scary shit.  I can’t imagine people hiking this at night with headlamps, unless perhaps it’s better not being able to see the 1000 foot drop.  Click to enlarge this picture of Jen hiking the Ledges and tell me if this doesn’t scare you.  Longs Peak is considered a class 3 hike for scrambling but no ropes.  But the level of scrambling is intense – over a mile non-stop to the peak.  And the Ledges is just a warmup for the really scary stuff.  Next comes the Trough, an 800 foot climb over loose boulders.

troughThis photo captures Steve’s buddy Keith at the bottom of the Trough.  Note the bullseyes – here again there is no discernible trail.  You just make your way the best you can.  The crowds of hikers slow down at this point to under one mile per hour.  If you arrive late, then the wave of hikers will be coming down while you ascend, kicking an avalanche of small boulders down at you.  Heads up.  Scott turned back at this point as his knee gave out on him.  He was fine since he’s hiked to the top of Longs Peak before.  It is said only 20 percent of hikers ever complete the trail to the top.  I suspect it is a much smaller percentage who ever consider hiking it twice.  In terms of difficulty, the Keyhole is a portal to hell.  Several levels through Dante’s Inferno with increasingly dangerous and brutal scrambling.

climbSeriously, check out this photo of Keith and Jen climbing this granite wall made slick from thousands of previous hikers’ boots.  If you don’t have some basic mountaineering skills, don’t consider hiking Longs Peak.  I didn’t see any kids on this trail.  This is not a family hike.  Just imagine hitting a wall of granite on your path and looking up to see a bullseye painted 20 feet over your head suggesting the way forward.  The 1.3 miles from the Keyhole to the peak was a series of increasingly scarier challenges.  This was more an obstacle course than a hike.

Longs PeakOne point in the Trough is termed the Hoist, because there’s no way the average hiker can climb it without a little help.  Beyond the Trough was the Narrows.  This is where Jen sensibly turned around.  I nearly did and would have if Jen had asked me to stay with her.  The Narrows aren’t termed a ledge because you can’t stand straight up on most of it.  You have to lean into the cliff wall and grab onto handholds as you make your way across several hundred yards of slick granite.  It’s mostly single file and ends with the Homestretch, a several hundred foot climb to the peak.  The return was just as brutal in reverse.  I had to slide down much of it on my bottom.  I didn’t begin to appreciate this hike until hours later while safely drinking beers at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  I’m crossing this 14er off my list and won’t be coming back.

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Wild Basin

18 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Running

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Denver Marathon, Lyons, Oscar Blues, Ouzel Falls Trail, RMNP

Wild Basin TrailheadMy marathon eve workout today consisted of hiking with my in-laws in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park.  We hiked along the Ouzel Falls Trail, which Karen and I first explored back in July.  The weather was ideal – crisp air and full sun.  The Aspen leaves have all fallen at 8500 feet, but the scenery was still stunning.
We made it as far as Calypso Falls.  Ellie was bouncing all over Upper Calypso Falls snapping photos.  The trail overall is fairly pedestrian.  Barbara surprised me with her spry gait, jumping across creeks and rocks.  My in-laws felt comfortable with both the terrain and elevation. It’s a great family hike.  We lunched afterward at Oscar Blues in Lyons.

BarbaraLater this afternoon, I drove into Denver to pick up my race packet at the Convention Center.  Race expos are big events.  Sometime before I got back into road races 5 years ago, the expo apparently became an integral component of the Road Race business model.  I wish I knew the percentage of sales generated from the expo vs registration fees and other merchandise ordered as part of the event sign up.  I just spent a few minutes querying online but didn’t find much.  The Rock & Roll race series, like many others, requires packet pickup at the expo.  I didn’t buy anything but did spend $12 parking.

I’m looking forward to a great day tomorrow.  I expect to run an 8:30 pace.  I’d like to run a bit faster but my primary goal is to run well the final six miles by holding my pace.  I plan to wear a camelbak in order to hydrate with my own electrolyte cocktail – Skratch.  I’ve been training with it.  I like the taste and my stomach does well with it.  I also expect to start out running the first couple of miles with my buddy Chris Price.  He maintains a very disciplined approach and runs the first two miles at a 9 minute pace.  He then speeds up to around 7:30.  His goal is to break 3:20 to qualify for Boston.  I’ll let him go and should finish 20 to 30 minutes behind him.

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Twin Sisters

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail, Ellie Rose

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Estes Park Resort, Grags, hiking, Longs Peak, Oscar Blues, RMNP, Rocky Mountain National Park, summer camp

 

Twin Sisters THAfter the snow pack we encountered on last weekend’s trail, our objective today was to find a trail with southwestern exposure.  The Twin Sisters trail in Rocky Mountain National Park fit the bill.  Plus it starts out 1000 feet lower around 9000 feet.  This trailhead sits east of Lilly Lake just off Hwy 7, a few miles north of Long’s Peak Trailhead.  We spent the night nearby at the Estes Park Resort.  A very nice lodge and spa on Lake Estes.  We drove there Friday evening after picking up Ellie from the last day of her computer programming summer camp at CSU in Ft. Collins.  The drive to Estes Park from Ft. Collins is similar to the drive from Longmont.  You take Hwy 34 via Loveland instead of Hwy 36.

boulderingThe Weather Channel had us set for 50° and rain.  Instead it was gorgeous.  Clear skies and 60°.  Parking at the trailhead was nearly full.  Mostly for a wedding across the road at Lilly Lake.  This is clearly a very popular trail, but we got there early enough with our short drive from Estes Park.  The trail begins for a few hundred yards on a dirt road that’s closed to traffic.  It then veers off to the left with a large sign.  The first mile is a bit of a workout up to these cliffs.  The slope flattens out once it completes some switchbacks and turns south.  I think these cliffs are part of the Grags formation, which are more popular for climbers than hiking.

landslideKaren I turned around when we encountered this landslide that obliterated a hundred yard swath of trail.  Brit and Ellie were undaunted.  They maintained course for the saddle that sits between the Crags and the Twin Sisters Peaks.  This avalanche was pretty impressive.  Apparently caused from flooding, it knocked out trees clear down to Hwy 7 leaving quite an ugly scar on the mountain.  We reached our turn-around point at just over an hour of hiking which gave us a two hour hike total.  We waited for the girls on a bench over-looking Lilly Lake.

Lilly LakeBrit and Ellie took another hour or so to climb up the steep switchbacks that lead to the saddle.  They said they had to scramble a bit using their hands – the trail was so steep.  Doubtful Karen would have liked that.  I wouldn’t say this trail was crowded but we encountered quite a number of other hikers – including a couple of shirtless boys that Ellie said were eying Brit.  Brit told Ellie she thought the boys must go to CU – because they were “buff”.
I highly recommend this trail for family hikes.  The views of Long’s Peak to the west are awesome.  It’s definitely a workout but very doable by all skill levels.  And if you want to let the kids hike, you can choose to hang out at Lilly Lake.  There’s a short mile trail around the lake that I wouldn’t mind visiting for a run.  The trailhead has a restroom, and the scenery is stunning.  We drove back home along Hwy 7 and stopped for lunch at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  Looks like it might rain now but we had a beautiful Saturday morning.

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Middle St. Vrain Creek Trail

09 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

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Brainard Lake, Oscar Blues, Peaceful Valley

boulderWe returned to Peaceful Valley this morning for our final winter snowshoe before I head to Austin for three weeks.  This was our fifth weekend in a row.  Karen wanted to return to Beaver Reservoir and I wanted to return to Brainard Lake.  We opted for Peaceful Valley due to weather conditions.  We would not have been able to traverse the 2 mile county roads to either of the other two spots.  We couldn’t even drive onto the short road for Peaceful Valley.  We parked on the shoulder of the highway with our van pointed downhill in case we needed to push it out of the snow.

treeSnowshoeing down the road to the trail is about a 200 yard jaunt.  We only got about 50 yards before we had to stop and spend 15 minutes helping push a lady who got her Ford Explorer stuck in the snow.  She made the critical mistake of driving over the crest and couldn’t get back up the hill.  The new snow was too soft and deep.  I was burning up after that and hiked with my jacket unzipped.  We were in an odd weather inversion with the temperature warmer than 3000 feet lower in Longmont.  It was over 32° with zero wind.  I even took off my gloves.  The warmth was ironic given the thick clouds and falling snow.

oscar bluesPeaceful Valley has a good three or four feet of base snow now.  The most recent snow fall is super fluffy.  Middle St. Vrain Creek Trail was postcard perfect in the falling snow.  A few hikers in front of us laid the only tracks which helped ease our trek.  We continued beyond where they turned around though and blazed our own tracks.  The soft powder slowed us down considerably.  We made it as far as the intersection with the Sourdough Trail and turned back for an hour long outing.  I needed to dig out some snow in front of our tires with my snowshoes in order to get onto the road, but we made it home safely.  We stopped again for lunch at Oscar Blues in Lyons and were back home by 12:30.  It’s been a great winter snowshoe season.  Next time we’re up n the mountains will be late March or April.  I expect the snow to be even deeper then.

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Beaver Reservoir

25 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

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Oscar Blues, Sourdough Trail

IMG_3277Another perfect day to be snowshoeing along the Peak-to-Peak Highway.  This morning we drove to Beaver Reservoir which sits half way between Brainard Lake and Peaceful Valley.  The trailhead lies two miles down County Road 96, which is marked on Hwy 72 by a sign for the Tahosa Boy Scout Camp.  The trail crosses the road about a quarter mile before the reservoir.  We simply parked on the side of the road.

creek

We started out southbound on the Sourdough Trail.  The trail was a bit hard to spot among new growth aspen and evergreen.  We turned around on a ridge after nearly a half mile because the snow was fading and the trail just wasn’t very pretty.  This was a good call as we discovered the northbound trail to be absolutely gorgeous.  We might have known since there were no tracks southbound but several northbound.

oscar bluesWe found ourselves shedding gear under the warm sun.  Despite the strong wind on the road, the trail was quiet.  We were able to cover 2.32 miles in about 90 minutes.

We skipped the Millsite Inn this trip and lunched at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  The weather was so nice we ate outside on the deck.  This marks our third consecutive weekend to snowshoe.  We hope to squeeze in a couple more jaunts through the woods and snow before I head to Austin.  This really is ideal training for a marathon.  Tomorrow I have a four mile cross country race in Boulder.  Ellie plans to run it too.

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