Longs Peak 4346 m

There is no higher peak, if you were to fly east from here across the United States, across the Atlantic until Mont Blanc.  This peak was seen by the Stephen Long expedition of 1820 first on June 30 of that year and his name appears on it as early as 1825. Long would have seen the mountain from 9000 feet below its summit from the high plains of Colorado.  One can ascend by car up the canyons from Boulder Colorado to Estes Park and then drive a few miles to the south and leave one's car at the Longs Peak ranger station.  It is important to get an alpine start on this peak, since Colorado is subject to fierce electrical storms.  You should be off the peak by 2:00 p.m.   2 miles of trail are through thick forest up into the timberline.  After that we pass through the boulder field past mount Lady Washington and up the slope to the Keyhole.  Until this point, you have been ascending westward.  Now at the Keyhole you are a 13,200 feet and looking down into Glacier Gorge.  One traverses southward across the West face
following "Fried Egg" symbols painted on the rock until a large Couloir is found called the Trough.  Climb the Trough with Longs peak on your left and the Keyboard of the Winds on your right.  At the top of the Trough. walk out on a ledge on the South face called the Narrows.  Continue eastward and then veer north up slabs called the Homestretch up to the summit.  Enjoy the view and return.  We started at 4:00 a.m.



Lat/Long     40.2547 N/ 105.6153 W