Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver ticked finally!

We drove up on Thursday May 10th and camped out at the Longs Peak Campground. What a great night with a great fire, half pound burgers, all the fixins and an eagerness to get up into high country again. It was a bit chilly though but I have to say, sleeping in the back of a mini van is far better accomodations than what I am used to! I would say we bedded down around 10:30 or so with plans to get up around 3 or 4AM.

So, around 4AM (LOL) we did finally wake up and climb out into the brisk Colorado alpine air and fixed some of the famous McFadden Mud (Rich's Coffee). What a life saver that stuff is! After getting a fruit cup down and an orange followed by coffee we made our way to the trailhead.

I dont care what anyone says, from now on, I take my mp3 player for the ascents! It really makes a difference on ascent speed and keeps me from getting bored and waiting for the partner to catch up so I can chat. Or, on the other hand, keeps me in a groove to where I can keep up with the partner! Im glad I brought it considering my partner brought his as well. And if I am out on a solo trip, the battery is sure to go dead!

I would say from what I can remember that we started up the trail at around 5-5:30 and made it to the Chasm Lake ranger cabin around 8:30-9. Not bad considering the amount of gear we were hauling and the amount of snow on the trail right now.






Big Horned Sheep in RMNP. This one was giving me a little attitude as I crossed his path and then I noticed he had a couple females with him.






A look at Dreamweaver on the left of the Flying Buttress of Meeker, the Loft, Ships Prow, and of course, the Diamond of Longs Peak.

As we made our way over to the base of the couloir we really started to doubt whether or not we would have enough time or energy to complete the entire route and get down before the afternoon norm of T-Storms makes its way in.

The climbing up to the base of the couloir was pretty soft and sloppy with a bit of postholing. Not to mention it is very hot on that snow with the sun in blazing mode! What a relief it was to get inside the couloir and in the shade as well as onto some snow that was just a little less soft.






This is me leading the first crux pitch on the route. 2 cams were more than plenty of pro for this crux.

I would say we moved along pretty quickly through the first pitch. I was about 11:30 or so by the time we reached it. I would say we did'nt start slowing down until we landed near the toop of the Flying Buttress.






This is a fantastic look down to where the route makes a dog leg. This was taken by Rich while I was leading the first pitch up the upper half to the next crux. I didnt get any pics of the upper crux because we were both too focused on the climb in the now loose snow and steep upper half. Maybe I would solo this one next time?






This would be the top of Longs Peak from the ridge of Meeker. A great look at the upper half of the Loft route on Longs.

We moved through the upper half of the route slow and I was dehydrated and had not eaten so much as a gel in hours. The soft snow and deep postholing were really slowing the process. I would say we should have waited another couple of weeks to do this route. It was still a great day though!






A look down the steep upper ridge of Mt Meeker. Traversing this area with all the rock bands and snow and ice was a bit nerve racking here considering I was looking down to the edge of this vertical face.






This would be Rich McFadden. Another great climbing companion!

We made our way to the top of the route around 5:30n or so. I really wished we had camped up near Chasm Lake. I was exhausted and did'nt take care of myself from halfway into the route. I needed the long hard day though. I am glad it happened the way it did. I felt like I acomplished more.






A look from the ridge of Meeker to her summit. We chose not to traverse the ridge to the summit due to the time (it was around 6:30) and the amount of snow and ice on the ridge. I am glad we avoided it. The descent of the Loft was still ahead and a long walk down after that.

We made it back to the car around 9:30 or a quarter to 10. It was a great day of tough conditions and a long day that exhausted me but kept me interested. It took a little convincing to get Rich to follow me into the couloir because he was almost certain we would have to bail like we did last year halfway up the route. Once I got him in there I knew we were commited and bailing was not going to be an option for us. Thank God for the great weather he blessed us with that day. It did get a little dark and even snowed for a few minutes but there was no thunder or the dreaded Colorado lightning that is usually the norm for the high country.

Overall, I would recommend this trip for aspiring mountaineers and mixed climbers. I would suggest if you're not in real athletic condition that you camp near Chasm Lake. This will give you more time for the route and daylight rather than on the approach. I would think conditions will be better in a couple weeks or so. Harder ice and less snow. Go do this route though and you will not be dissappointed!

Michael

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