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Mt Meeker via Iron Gates

We left the Long's Peak parking lot at 4:50 AM. We had beautiful weather all day. Here we're approaching the Iron Gates. The boulder field leading up to the gates had plenty of loose rock, so watch out for those. It is very easy to kick a few rocks loose on the scramble up, so watch out for anyone below you too. Next up was the Knife Edge section. It has dramatic drop-offs on either side, but the narrow ridge itself was solid rock and very thrilling to move across. It gives you a nice sense of exposure without feeling overly technical. When tackling the Knife Edge, I've seen reports where people drop down on climber's right to bypass the direct crest. We decided to stay on the high side (climber's left) along the top. You could go either way depending on what looks comfortable, but staying high on the crest felt great and kept the movement straightforward on good holds. Almost to Meeker summit, we paused to take in the perspective of Longs Peak nearby and the Loft saddle below us. It’s a much smaller summit compared to its neighbor, but it offers incredible, beautiful views! We descended the Loft route after summiting Meeker. Routing down the Loft required some careful attention to avoid cliffing out on the ledges, but it wasn't bad overall as long as you take your time. There are cairns to mark the way. We also stopped by Chasm Lake on the way down to dip our feet in the cold water, which felt amazing after all the miles. Overall, this was a very fun, quicker, and much less crowded hike than the more popular Long's Peak Key Hole route, while still packing in a couple of truly thrilling sections! GPS Track(s) on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): View Map   Download GPX File   Download KML File Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):