Wind fest on the NW ridge

As in the map, the route follows the Long's peak standard route from the Long's peak TH in RMNP near Meeker Park, CO. We met in Boulder at 6 am, got to the the TH at 7 and were started out no later than 7:30. The snow on the trail was well packed in the valley and switchbacks. So while everyone brought snowshoes, we did not need them. We cached the shoes in the tundra above the switchbacks at N40.27077 W105.58115. The tundra is strongly wind-blown all winter and typically does not require snowshoes. To reduce the effect of the wind we started up the NE face of MLW at N40.27025 W105.60203 at 11,909'. A more scenic and easily accessible route (avoiding the trickier concavity of the NE face) would be to follow the ridge up to the summit from nearby Granite pass. We topped out at 11:30 am maybe 200' below the false summit of MLW. The wind was becoming more and more noticeable the higher we went. It looked to be 50-60 mph sustained wind at the summit. Daedra and Emily had stayed even lower on the NE face because the gusts there were already challenging. James, Scott, and myself walked around to the ridge itself for a look at the surroundings. The sustained wind on the ridge was 40 mph. That was enough with the temperature being just under freezing to warrant goggles and other gear for the group; i was happy to have my expedition socks and Mercury Mitt gloves as well as 4 layers on top. Including the wake cloud that persisted all day, the view of Long's peak was fantastic from our rest stop on the way down at the cutoff to Chasm lake at N40.26566 W105.59255. The group was back at the TH parking lot at 2:30 pm.

During the trip, i did think to wonder what the area would be like on the days i have seen a miles-long wake cloud that extended from Long's peak out to Longmont.

Link to photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19047247@N04/sets/72157649252593057/