| The Loft: A Colorado Mountaineering Classic Trip Report |
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| The Loft: A Colorado Mountaineering Classic   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Colorado, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: Jul 16, 2005 Activities: Mountaineering Season: Summer | Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: May 29, 2006 / May 30, 2006 Object ID: 196835 Hits: 1012 Loading... Page Score: 82.62% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Frozen In TimeA Rocky Mountain High I consider Mt. Meeker the Queen of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is the 2nd highest peak in the park and is also the northernmost centennial thirteener in the state. It offers no easy route and had enticed me for some time. The Gerry Roach DVD on Longs Peak provides a great visual of this route, including the so called crux. My climbing partner Dave and I had decided to do it anticipating possible cramp-on usage. Due to recent hot weather I decided to go without them. Our ability to complete the route depended on our not needing them now. I guess I was too lazy and cheap to rent a pair @ REI since I don't own any yet. I picked up Dave at his house around 3:15am. We made good time navigating the tight turns of CO7 by way of darkness. We parked at the Longs Peak Trailhead which is one of the few areas in R.M.N.P. that won't charge an entrance fee! It was already very warm as we trudged up the highly used and deeply inset Longs Peak trail. Me and Dave had good conversation of his exploits in far reaches of the world and of the Colorado 14ers. When we ascended to tree line we got our first good glimpse of the Loft. It's a truly majestic peak that rivals the majesty of Longs. We made great time getting to the Chasm Meadows junction where you leave the main trail. It's a left turn but don't expect a trail. It looked promising that I'd be able to traverse the large snow slope filling the Loft. The only question was how hard the snow would be? If it was bullet hard I probably wouldnt be able to do it (safely). The terrain becomes much rockier and steep once you begin ascending towards the run out of the Loft. Above, we could see the shapes of tiny people crossing the snow slope. We walked below the magnificent ships prow which was to our right. Luckily, the rock on the prow is mostly solid or the falling rock hazard would be fatal here. We climbed, sticking to the right side of the continually narrowing slope. We did this to avoid snow as long as possible. The difficulty here didnt exceed 2+ but it was bloody steep! With the Loft being the top of the ridge between Meeker & Longs, the route crosses the snow slope below it along with a 10-20 foot wide ledge system for several hundred feet. This section would be hard for me to describe. On a busy summer day, you'll be able to see where people are crossing over to the left (south) side of the snow slope. It was around here that we put on our climbing helmets just in case you know! You dont want to get off track here! If youre doing Class 4 climbing maneuvers youre off-track for sure. The difficulty wont exceed Class 3 scrambling. The exposure can really give one a jolt of adrenaline in spots. It was fun going to the top of the ridge. Once within reach of the 13,460ft. Longs~Meeker saddle the difficulty eased up again. It returned to walking and hopping along on boulders. Meekers northern side is littered with these large blocks of stone above the Loft. Careful footing was required. Me & Dave reached the summit probably about 5 hours after leaving the car. If my memory serves correct? It was over a year ago and here I am writing this. The summit block lived up to its name. It required an easy pull-up move to get on top. The weather had held, the summer heat was on and here I was, enjoying this great summit view with Dave. We descended the same we way we had come up. On the way down we encountered a reckless fellow, glissading down the Lofty snow patch without an axe or good climbing boots. He gained tremendous speed and nearly cart wheeled it once he slid into solid ground. With no helmet he could have easily busted his head open! Not to sound like mother hen or anything. It just ruins a climb to see someone get injured. We did the short detour to Chasm Lake and ate a bite on the way down, highly recommended and well worth it. In any event, what an awesome climb in R.M.N.P. Meeker became the 8th mountain that I had climbed in the park at this time. Many summits have and will continue to follow. I wrote this climb while reminiscing on a memorable route and summit with a friend who is moving to Switzerland. Me and Dave completed several great climbs during our short time climbing with one another -Meeker included. Cheers & Happy Climbs! Extra Credit : Chasm Lake
The hike to Chasm Lake (11,690ft.) is a great outing in an of itself. Start at the Longs Peak TH and follow the signs, excluding any peak bagging it is 8.4 miles roundtrip coupled with 2,390ft. of elevation gain. As the photo suggests, this is perhaps one of the most Beautiful lakes in Colorado. A system of well maintaned trails and signs will lead you to the lake. Those who visit this special place in the winter are rewarded with solitude and a sense of bitter cold ;) Images
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Rocky Mountain National Park
