| Mt.Lady Washington, East Slopes, Longs Peak TH, 12-26-2005 Trip Report |
| Mt.Lady Washington, East Slopes, Longs Peak TH, 12-26-2005   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 32.84000°N / 113.91°W Date Climbed/Hiked: Dec 26, 2005 Activities: Mountaineering Season: Winter | Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: Mar 19, 2006 / Mar 16, 2007 Object ID: 181943 Hits: 389  Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
12-26-2005 from Longs Peak TrailheadGeneral Information: elevation 13,281ft.
trailhead elevation - 9,300ft.
3,981ft. elevation gain, app. 4.5 miles one way, Solo Climb
I woke up early on a clear day in Denver at 5:45am. I hadn't climbed for several weeks and was enthusiastic. The drive usually takes me an hour and forty minutes from southeast Denver. You go through Lyons and take Colorado 7 towards Estes Park. You will see a sign on your left for the Wild Basin Area, keep driving. A few miles later take the turn for the Longs Peak Trailhead. This turn off is well marked. I drove up the road and took the left fork towards the ranger station. I quickly put on my gators and hand warmers, winter gear etcetera. The weather was fantastic for December. In addition it was only 8a.m. and the snow was non existant in some places, low and compact in others. I scoped the trail and it was solidified in the snow. I decidided to take the risk of not hauling my snowshoes on my back. Yet I was worried about how the wind would be up high. This Longs Peak area seems to be infamous for thwarting climbers winter agendas. I followed the Longs Peak trail towards Chasm Lake. The trail took me through Goblins forest and most of the time all I could see was trees draped in snow. The air was clean and had a cold crispness to it. After the better part of an hour I reached treeline. The climb up to this point was on a solid trail. There had been a small spell of dry good weather to my fortune and snow was minimal. Once I came to treeline I was rewarded with great views of Meeker, Longs and my destination Lady Washington. This is also the moment that I realized the snow was piled in sand dune style, 6-8 foot drifts. I desperately postholed through these things east towards Chasm Meadows and the Lady Washington Eastern slopes. It slowed me down quite a bit and I resented not bringing the snow shoes. I bumped into a solitary climber, a lady of about 50 something. I hope to be in good physical condition like her as my body ages throughout the climbs. What an inspiration. We talked for a brief moment and she mentioned that high winds had blown her back from summiting Lady Washington several weeks before. As I continued postholing through the snow drifts it became apparent I had truly lost the trail. Luckily I had been in this area twice before this outing, to climb Meeker and Long's. I felt confident I could relocate the trail on my way down. To not do so might mean that I'd end up descending through the forest off trail without snow shoes, not a good prospect! I came to mills moraine and could see chasm meadows to my left (slightly southwest). After the initial quarter mile above treeline the snow cover subsided alot. It was all wind blown off. My pace picked up and I began to pick my way through the rocky terrain of the boulders. The boulders I found on Mt. Lady Washington are much like the small ones you'll find in the Keyholes boulderfield section. The only difference is steeper terrain. I slowly picked my way to the summit. With a higher vantage point I spotted two climbers following the Longs Peak trail towards the boulderfield. In my opinion, it was much too late for them to succesfully complete a winter summit of Long's..but some folks are more daring than me :) The weather stayed outstanding and I didn't have my winter coat on. I was plenty warm with multiple sweaters. I had gotten to within several hundred feet east of the summit when the wind began to pick up. First slowly, and with each step upwards it seemed to become a little chilier. When I crested the top of the peak the wind really hit me. The peaks eastern slopes had been shielding me from tremendous winds blowing east from the continental divide. It felt good summiting. The first thing I did was drop my mouth in awe at Long's Peak SUPERB East Face! From Mt. Lady Washington it is truly remarkable. The summit also offered great views of many other snow covered peaks within the park. I dreaded having to remove a glove so that I could take some summit pictures. As predicted, my right hand was freezing after snapping a few shots. I huddled below some summit boulders and had a quick bite. The descent was uneventful except for the howl of a couple coyotes in the forest. They were close too and I it gave me a few raised hairs. While descending the East side of Lady Washington be careful, an occasional rock will shift, especially during the spring melt-off when the soil is moist. This climb is highly recomended as a winter test piece as it rarely seems to hold alot of snow. The area gets alot of traffic, year round and will usually have a well defined, compact trail leading through the snowy forest in winter. Images
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