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Peak(s):  Mt. Elbert  -  14,438 feet
Date Posted:  07/13/2014
Modified:  01/28/2016
Date Climbed:   07/13/2014
Author:  jaleutious
 Mt Elbert - Northeast Ridge   

We did Mt Elbert via the that standard Northeast Ridge approach which was a 9-mile roundtrip hike that was entirely Class-1 on a well-maintained and easy-to-follow trail.

We started out very early, meeting in the parking lot of the Jeffco Government Center light rail station at the western end of the "W-Line" to accommodate hikers from Denver riding out on the light rail before meeting to drive up to the trialhead. I will say that in the Denver area for hikes in the Front Range or Sawatch, I think this is the best spot to meet as it does not require everyone to bring cars- especially if carpooling is the plan. On weekends at the Jeffco Gov. Center, parking is free on saturdays and sundays in some spots in the garage just east of the light rail platforms.

Due to this being an early-summer ascent, there was almost no snow on the trail which made it a fairly easy and straightforward climb. The section below the treeline was longer than we expected but once it ended, we gained altitude fairly quickly. A member of our team did get some altitude sickness (he seemed fairly inexperienced with 12,000+ altitude and his body was just not having it) but he managed to soldier on and summit with the rest of us which I couldn't believe. In my experience, when altitude sickness starts, the only way to help it is to go back down but apparently in his case, we just pushed through it.

We summitted close to 8:15am and were all feeling pretty solid. The view that day was great because of partially how clear the sky was while the sun was still pretty low giving the entire valley a golden hue. Going back down went fairly quickly and with some good conversation, was pretty painless. I had plenty of water and snacks to keep my energy up and ultimately enjoyed my experience of bagging Colorado's highest 14'er.

Ultimately, it was a pretty good day! I will say that Mt Elbert really was a gentle giant and should be a very do-able 14'er of all that I have done, it felt like it was the easiest I have tackled so far. Highly recommended for those who are still new to 14'ers.



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