Route Climbed: Loft Route Date Climbed: August 8, 2003
Thanks to MIZTFLIP for his separate email correspondence and route description!
Our team of 4 left the Longs Ranger Station at 1:30 a.m. By 4:00 we were in the gully leading up to the Loft. Within that gully we scrambled up a hard-packed snowfield that could have been avoided by moving more towards the center of the gully, (something you could observe during daylight, from a distance). As it was we kicked and clawed our way up the snowfield until we came out on dry boulders at the top.
Ultimately we reached the top of the Loft by 6:00 a.m. and after crossing diagonally to the northwest we found several small cairns and began our descent off the Loft.
As we worked our way into Keplinger's Couloir beneath the Palisades we continued to spot small cairns along the way as we ascended towards the Notch. We never spotted Clark's Arrow but still feel we were on the correct route. The summit was reached at 9:00 a.m.
The Loft Route is awesome (especially if you "enjoy" scrambling) but it's more work than the Keyhole Route so be prepared! Triple or quadruple the Trough and you'll have an idea of how much boulder scrambling is involved in climbing via the Loft Route...
On this day we didn't see any other climbers until we got close to the Home Stretch. This is definitely the way to go if you enjoy a break from the crowded Keyhole Route and feel confident in your route finding abilities.
Route Climbed: The Loft to Clark's Arrow, Keyhole descent Date Climbed: August 2, 2003
On my prior trip up Longs from the Loft we missed Clarks Arrow and descended 200-300 feet too low before getting into Keplinger's Couloir. This time I found the right spot, the system of small ledges, and the short down climb. The elusive Arrow exists!
Interestingly two parties, one a group of two, the other a group of six, had turned back from the exact spot as were heading to it. They were convinced it was not the way. So our group of three and one solo climber we met had this side of mountain to ourselves this Saturday.
Back at the trailhead we stopped to chat with Chief Ranger Jim Detterline, who told us Clark's Arrow was painted in 1960 by Ranger Roy (?) Clark. It is now fading away and often missed. Clark's photo is in the station, rapelling with a dangling water bottle clipped to his harness. Detterline wondered how often the bottle would get hung up in the ropes.
Jim also said that he hasn't been getting out much, he'd not been up Longs yet this month, and its already the second day! He just did a new 5.11a route on the Trough side, and is up to 214 summits, a mere 207 ahead of me.
Route Climbed: Clark's Arrow via The Loft Date Climbed: July 30, 2003
This was an excellent alternative to the keyhole route. You most likely will not see anyone else on this climb until the last 300 feet to the summit.
It presents more challenging route finding and climbing and allows you to also climb Mount Meeker with only an additional 450 vertical feet in about .5 miles.
The Keyhole route is a wonderful social experience :-). Among the dozens of people I met were a couple from the Netherlands, a guy from Oregon, and a lawyer from D.C. My trip report is at http://www.masoner.net/TR/longs.html
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 23, 2003
Went solo and enjoyed a truly beautiful day on Longs. Despite warnings of "technical conditions" and snow and ice by the rangers, I found that any snow in the trough was easily bypassed by staying on rocks to the north (left). I actually found the route to be easier than I had expected. The exposure wasn't too bad, and the climb from the Boulder Field to the Keyhole was shorter than it looked. The trough was a bit tedious, though.
This was a mid-week climb before the rangers deemed the climb "non-technical," but I stil encountered about 15-20 climbers on the route. I can't imagine how crowded Longs must be on a weeked after the Rangers have declared it non-technical!
What a climb! We left Denver at 2 am, and did the route car to car in 15 hours. Keiners is beautiful. Lambslide was in great shape, and Broadway was exciting as well! Keiners Chimney was a bit wet. We got slightly off route near the top of Keiners (we didn't follow the black band all the way north to where we could've scrambled) and had an interesting last 5.6-5.7 pitch that topped us out just below the summit. Highly recommended route
Route Climbed: Kieners Route Date Climbed: June 1, 2003
Sweet Climb! - You just can't beat a sunrise at Chasm Lake. Lots of snow made for some routefinding challenges in getting on Kiener's proper though. Similarly, lots of snow on the North Face make for a "not-so-fun" rappel. Anchors (slingable rocks) are far below the surface and hard to find.
This was another of the 14ers I did with my dad. Seeing this mountain virtually every clear day from where I lived, finally climbing it (esp. with my pops) was very satisfying. Making an alpine drive-start from our home in Federal Heights, I think we got to & left the parking lot around dawn. The weather was good on the way up, & the views were spectacular. The view of the Diamond from the Boulder Field absolutely blew my mind. Considering the length of the hike, the altitude, and the tremendous exposure in certain places, the dozens of people we encountered amazed me (including this late-sixties/seventy-something year-old guy who was hauling major ass). After a short time on top, a storm materialized, chasing the throng (including a guy I knew from the CU hiking club who'd gotten altitude sickness) downwards. Halfway back to the car, my legs had been reduced to 2 strands of wet spaghetti noodles, and I had to use a knee brace of my dad's to make it back. All in all, an amazing day on an amazing mountain!
Route Climbed: Kehole Date Climbed: July 18th 2002
My 1st 14er!!!! Three in our group had never hiked in the mountains (except Lily mountain on the 16th.) We really took our time up to the Keyhole. Once through the Keyhole my niece (22) demonstrated unbelievable bravery when confronted with the cliffs of the Ledges and the intimidation of the Homestretch. She is afraid of heights but refused to turn back even though we were willing to turn back for her. Longs had wonderful mercy though. We had very minor wind...great weather and we needed it. It still took us 17 1/2 hours. This trip was actually a life changer for a couple of us in the group. It was so awesome we are setting our goal for all 55 14ers.
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: June 22, 2002
I first attempted to climb Longs Peak in the summer of 1990 with 3 guys from work. None of us had every climbed a 14er before. I had done a lot of hiking in my day however, I had just moved to Colorado the previous winter and was not used to climbing at such elevation. We left plenty early (or at least we thought) but due to our lack of conditioning we didn't make it to the keyhole with enough time to summit before the weather moved in. We were rained upon most of the descent.
Upon returning to work the following week, people then told me "Heck if you want to climb a 14er - did you know there are lots easier ones you could have started with?", live and learn. At any rate, after 12 other 14ers, I attempted Longs again June 22, 2002. I had many more conditioning climbs under my belt and was ready for the trip. After staring at Longs Peak for nearly 13 years of living here, it was nice to be on the summit. We climbed the mountain during the height of some of the summer fires, so the visibility wasn't the greatest on top, but we had a good group of climbers and a beautiful day otherwise. I would climb it again given the opportunity. This mountain is definitely in my top 10.
Route Climbed: Keyhole Route Date Climbed: August 16, 2002
This was AWESOME!! I've done 9 14ers, and this is by far my favorite, so far. I got a late start (around 7am), but hiked quickly up to the KH. It was quite windy, which caused alot of late starters (like myself) to turn back. I am so glad that I did not turn back. Windy all the way from the KH to the Summit. On the way down, the sun came out, and the windy disappeared. It was tempting to lay down on the granite face (home stretch) and just soak up the sun. It was beautiful. 5 hours to Summit from parking lot and 4 hours back.
Dayhiked from the parking lot starting at 3:30 AM. Beautiful mountain, buts loads and loads of other climbers. Waited in line to cross the exposed sections. Made it to the top at 9:00. Back to the car at 12:00 PM. Definately a good workout, I ran out of water on the descent and was feeling pretty crappy at the end.
ynpsteve - Aug 12, 2003 4:23 pm
Route Climbed: Loft Route Date Climbed: August 8, 2003Thanks to MIZTFLIP for his separate email correspondence and route description!
Our team of 4 left the Longs Ranger Station at 1:30 a.m. By 4:00 we were in the gully leading up to the Loft. Within that gully we scrambled up a hard-packed snowfield that could have been avoided by moving more towards the center of the gully, (something you could observe during daylight, from a distance). As it was we kicked and clawed our way up the snowfield until we came out on dry boulders at the top.
Ultimately we reached the top of the Loft by 6:00 a.m. and after crossing diagonally to the northwest we found several small cairns and began our descent off the Loft.
As we worked our way into Keplinger's Couloir beneath the Palisades we continued to spot small cairns along the way as we ascended towards the Notch. We never spotted Clark's Arrow but still feel we were on the correct route. The summit was reached at 9:00 a.m.
The Loft Route is awesome (especially if you "enjoy" scrambling) but it's more work than the Keyhole Route so be prepared! Triple or quadruple the Trough and you'll have an idea of how much boulder scrambling is involved in climbing via the Loft Route...
On this day we didn't see any other climbers until we got close to the Home Stretch. This is definitely the way to go if you enjoy a break from the crowded Keyhole Route and feel confident in your route finding abilities.
Nelson - Aug 4, 2003 8:45 am
Route Climbed: The Loft to Clark's Arrow, Keyhole descent Date Climbed: August 2, 2003On my prior trip up Longs from the Loft we missed Clarks Arrow and descended 200-300 feet too low before getting into Keplinger's Couloir. This time I found the right spot, the system of small ledges, and the short down climb. The elusive Arrow exists!
Interestingly two parties, one a group of two, the other a group of six, had turned back from the exact spot as were heading to it. They were convinced it was not the way. So our group of three and one solo climber we met had this side of mountain to ourselves this Saturday.
Back at the trailhead we stopped to chat with Chief Ranger Jim Detterline, who told us Clark's Arrow was painted in 1960 by Ranger Roy (?) Clark. It is now fading away and often missed. Clark's photo is in the station, rapelling with a dangling water bottle clipped to his harness. Detterline wondered how often the bottle would get hung up in the ropes.
Jim also said that he hasn't been getting out much, he'd not been up Longs yet this month, and its already the second day! He just did a new 5.11a route on the Trough side, and is up to 214 summits, a mere 207 ahead of me.
miztflip - Jul 30, 2003 2:48 pm
Route Climbed: Clark's Arrow via The Loft Date Climbed: July 30, 2003This was an excellent alternative to the keyhole route. You most likely will not see anyone else on this climb until the last 300 feet to the summit.
It presents more challenging route finding and climbing and allows you to also climb Mount Meeker with only an additional 450 vertical feet in about .5 miles.
richardmasoner - Jul 30, 2003 12:40 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 26The Keyhole route is a wonderful social experience :-). Among the dozens of people I met were a couple from the Netherlands, a guy from Oregon, and a lawyer from D.C. My trip report is at http://www.masoner.net/TR/longs.html
dsnell - Jul 29, 2003 7:17 am
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 23, 2003Went solo and enjoyed a truly beautiful day on Longs. Despite warnings of "technical conditions" and snow and ice by the rangers, I found that any snow in the trough was easily bypassed by staying on rocks to the north (left). I actually found the route to be easier than I had expected. The exposure wasn't too bad, and the climb from the Boulder Field to the Keyhole was shorter than it looked. The trough was a bit tedious, though.
This was a mid-week climb before the rangers deemed the climb "non-technical," but I stil encountered about 15-20 climbers on the route. I can't imagine how crowded Longs must be on a weeked after the Rangers have declared it non-technical!
live wire - Jul 28, 2003 6:46 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: June 12, 2000Nice and quite summit, mild ice and snow.
Tried kieners route two weeks prior but got snowed out.
ccoash - Jul 22, 2003 5:38 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 15, 2003An excellent climb as always. Little bit of snow in the trough made for a couple tricky spots, but nothing impossible.
climberkjp - Jul 7, 2003 9:28 am
Route Climbed: Keiners Date Climbed: July 6, 2003What a climb! We left Denver at 2 am, and did the route car to car in 15 hours. Keiners is beautiful. Lambslide was in great shape, and Broadway was exciting as well! Keiners Chimney was a bit wet. We got slightly off route near the top of Keiners (we didn't follow the black band all the way north to where we could've scrambled) and had an interesting last 5.6-5.7 pitch that topped us out just below the summit. Highly recommended route
jwclimbs - Jun 6, 2003 1:18 pm
Route Climbed: Kieners Route Date Climbed: June 1, 2003Sweet Climb! - You just can't beat a sunrise at Chasm Lake. Lots of snow made for some routefinding challenges in getting on Kiener's proper though. Similarly, lots of snow on the North Face make for a "not-so-fun" rappel. Anchors (slingable rocks) are far below the surface and hard to find.
hoosierhiker - May 17, 2003 9:10 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 31, 2002After being rained out in 2001 I made it to the summit a year later with my friends Jeremy and Dave.
smudge - May 4, 2003 2:41 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: August 20, 2001Not as hard as I had been told, but certainly a challenge. Sore feet, but a lot of fun!!
Diggler - Apr 4, 2003 9:34 am
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: summer, 1995This was another of the 14ers I did with my dad. Seeing this mountain virtually every clear day from where I lived, finally climbing it (esp. with my pops) was very satisfying. Making an alpine drive-start from our home in Federal Heights, I think we got to & left the parking lot around dawn. The weather was good on the way up, & the views were spectacular. The view of the Diamond from the Boulder Field absolutely blew my mind. Considering the length of the hike, the altitude, and the tremendous exposure in certain places, the dozens of people we encountered amazed me (including this late-sixties/seventy-something year-old guy who was hauling major ass). After a short time on top, a storm materialized, chasing the throng (including a guy I knew from the CU hiking club who'd gotten altitude sickness) downwards. Halfway back to the car, my legs had been reduced to 2 strands of wet spaghetti noodles, and I had to use a knee brace of my dad's to make it back. All in all, an amazing day on an amazing mountain!
Wyoming Bob - Mar 29, 2003 7:11 am
Route Climbed: North Face a.k.a Cable Route Date Climbed: March 15, 2003Winter ascent, day before "Snow of 2003". 0230 depart from TH, 1115 summit, 1800 back at TH. Trip report link provided.
big_g - Mar 3, 2003 3:25 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2002
Route Climbed: Loft to Clarks Arrow to summit to Keyhole downLong day but ascending to the Loft allowed me to summit nearby Mt. Meeker too. Pretty cool couple of mountains.
tonybell1 - Feb 26, 2003 7:12 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 26, 2001Climbed with my 15 yo son Ryan. First on the summit (8AM).
scvanm - Feb 26, 2003 5:41 pm
Route Climbed: Kehole Date Climbed: July 18th 2002My 1st 14er!!!! Three in our group had never hiked in the mountains (except Lily mountain on the 16th.) We really took our time up to the Keyhole. Once through the Keyhole my niece (22) demonstrated unbelievable bravery when confronted with the cliffs of the Ledges and the intimidation of the Homestretch. She is afraid of heights but refused to turn back even though we were willing to turn back for her. Longs had wonderful mercy though. We had very minor wind...great weather and we needed it. It still took us 17 1/2 hours. This trip was actually a life changer for a couple of us in the group. It was so awesome we are setting our goal for all 55 14ers.
mtnhiker13 - Dec 26, 2002 2:32 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: June 22, 2002I first attempted to climb Longs Peak in the summer of 1990 with 3 guys from work. None of us had every climbed a 14er before. I had done a lot of hiking in my day however, I had just moved to Colorado the previous winter and was not used to climbing at such elevation. We left plenty early (or at least we thought) but due to our lack of conditioning we didn't make it to the keyhole with enough time to summit before the weather moved in. We were rained upon most of the descent.
Upon returning to work the following week, people then told me "Heck if you want to climb a 14er - did you know there are lots easier ones you could have started with?", live and learn. At any rate, after 12 other 14ers, I attempted Longs again June 22, 2002. I had many more conditioning climbs under my belt and was ready for the trip. After staring at Longs Peak for nearly 13 years of living here, it was nice to be on the summit. We climbed the mountain during the height of some of the summer fires, so the visibility wasn't the greatest on top, but we had a good group of climbers and a beautiful day otherwise. I would climb it again given the opportunity. This mountain is definitely in my top 10.
zzril - Nov 22, 2002 12:19 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: August 1988This was my first Fourteener, climbed one week after arriving in Colorado from Memphis, TN. Hardest thing I had ever done at that point in my life.
rob_runkle - Nov 2, 2002 8:31 am
Route Climbed: Keyhole Route Date Climbed: August 16, 2002This was AWESOME!! I've done 9 14ers, and this is by far my favorite, so far. I got a late start (around 7am), but hiked quickly up to the KH. It was quite windy, which caused alot of late starters (like myself) to turn back. I am so glad that I did not turn back. Windy all the way from the KH to the Summit. On the way down, the sun came out, and the windy disappeared. It was tempting to lay down on the granite face (home stretch) and just soak up the sun. It was beautiful. 5 hours to Summit from parking lot and 4 hours back.
Martin Cash - Oct 31, 2002 4:30 pm
Route Climbed: Keyhole Date Climbed: July 7, 2001Dayhiked from the parking lot starting at 3:30 AM. Beautiful mountain, buts loads and loads of other climbers. Waited in line to cross the exposed sections. Made it to the top at 9:00. Back to the car at 12:00 PM. Definately a good workout, I ran out of water on the descent and was feeling pretty crappy at the end.