I am a part time Aspen resident, and an avid hiker. Pyramid has been on my list for awhile, and I finally decided to tackle it. I hired a guide to take the route finding troubles out of the picture, and to just generally enhance my comfort and safety level. I am not trying to bag all of the 14'ers and I just enjoy exploring high places in my beautiful backyard of Aspen so I felt no qualms about hiring someone to make it happen in the safest way possible. As a local, I know not to mess around in the Elks-route finding is a nightmare, rock quality is crappy and loose, and this summer alone I have witnessed numerous Blackhawk rescues in the Bells while I have been on day hikes. I am very fit and have tons of experience with super long 15 mile-plus outings like the 4 Pass Loop in a day, and have climbed Castle and Conundrum along with many 14’ers over Independence Pass. What I lack in technical and exposure experience I make up for in very high fitness, familiarity with conditions in the Maroon wilderness, and good movement in the mountains, so Pyramid with a guide felt like a good next step in my progression.

We got an early start (4:30ish), and made quick time (about an hour) to the amphitheater. The hike up to the talus field was on a good climbers trail-thank you CFI! The talus field is unpleasant like all talus fields are-definitely long but lots of stable rocks amid the junk. Tiny bit of snow still hanging around but nothing that required traction. The 1000 feet of suck was as advertised. Definitely the worst (and only unpleasant) part of the day. I found 1 pole to be more helpful than 2, and an f-bomb here and there boosted morale.

Gaining the saddle was a relief, and we said hi to the mountain goat who was waiting for us. The sky didn’t look great (which was crazy as it was 7ish and there was nothing in the forecast), but we were cruising and making really good time so we decided to press on as there was nothing electrical-looking on the horizon or in the forecast. The leap of faith was more like a giant step but it was a bit tricky as I am under 5 feet so my legs can’t easily span the gap. For some reason it was more difficult for me on the return. The ledge traverse was no big deal. Lots of fun. As we made our way higher, navigating the ledges and scrambly sections was Type 1 fun. I never felt unsafe and the exposure wasn't too bad. A fall would have hurt for sure, but nothing worse. Again, having a guide, especially in the technical sections, allowed me to enjoy the experience much more than I would’ve had I been left to my own devices.

Maybe about 500 feet from the top we ran into a very lost group of 3 climbers. They were quite relieved to see somebody else and even better a guide as there was no one else on the mountain that day. They followed us up to the summit and again on the descent. They were super nice and so grateful for our help. As we got to the summit, we could see weather really starting to move in, so we snapped a couple of photos and turned around just as a couple of flurries of snow were turning to rain. The conditions got very slippery very quickly and I think it would’ve been a pretty terrifying descent had I not been with someone with a rope who intimately knew the proper route and a couple of shortcuts to help us bail as quickly as possible.

We made quick time getting back to the saddle in just under an hour. Now that we were out of the technical section we took a five minute break, enjoyed the mountain goat family that had gathered and took a water break. The 1000 feet of suck sucked a little less on the descent as the rain had made the surface a bit tackier. Poles are imperative for this section! We cruised through the talus and back to the climbers trail. Of course, at this point, the sun was starting to peek out and the weather was improving. Gonna have to get this one again on a nicer day!

It truly was one of the best days I have had in the mountains (the only thing that would’ve made it better would’ve been a bluebird day.) I feel like I unlocked a new level of my climbing potential as I was able to get much more comfort with exposure and true class 4 climbing. I know a lot of people on this forum go it alone or with friends, but I can’t stress enough how great it was to hire a guide and explore these beautiful mountains with a little extra layer of safety. I have spent extensive amounts of time in the Elks over a number of decades, and I know all too well how dangerous they can be. I am excited to add more of the beautiful mountains in my backyard to my list for future adventures now that I have even more confidence in my abilities up high. Have fun, get out there and explore, and most importantly BE SAFE (however that looks for you)!