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This is my second trip report on this hike because on the other trip report I didn't have any pictures, now I do and I thought I might as well just redo my report.
On summer break I knew we were going to Colorado in August. I wanted to climb a 14er. So why not the tallest? It looked easy enough. So that summer I prepared to climb Mt. Elbert. I ran 2 miles every other day to help my cardio (770ft in Ohio to 14,000ft is a little altitude difference), we eventually got all the things that we were going to need to climb this mountain. And with valuable info from by dad's co-worker we were set to try to climb Mt. Elbert.
The Report
The crew was my cousin Liz, my Dad and I. Liz had 2 friends that were from Fort Collins (Luke and Logan) that were going to meet us.
We left Snowmass Village at 4:30 a.m. to drive to the Northeast Route Trailhead On 82 Over Independence Pass
It was dark until we got to Twin Lakes. Twin Lakes at Sun Rise Sun Rise from the East
We got to the trailhead at about 6:45. We didn't see Luke or Logan so we called them and couldn't reach them. We assumed they had already started so we started. We began with a slow pace and about 30 minutes later we took a break. Then we met-up with Luke and Logan who had gone past the trailhead and went further down until they figured out that they weren't at the right place. So in their old BMW (which the muffler had fallen off) they finally got back to the trailhead and all was good. The trailhead view of Elbert notice the summit is almost blocked
The hike to the treeline was pretty uneventful, (this is an amazing trail very wide and nice). I did not see the cabin remains and there was no stream in the beginning. The trail through the woods is half of the hike. We were at the tree line at 9:30. My dad wasn't feeling good at the tree line so he decided to turn back (maybe Woody Creek Tavern wasn't the best pre-14er dinner, but boy, it is good). The tree line is great place to take a break and there is a nice little clearing right before the tree line that you can rest in the shade. Views to the east from the clearing by the tree line Looking East from the tree line Elbert's high neighbor, Mt. Massive
After this it gets harder. You have to go up a easy slope for a little and then after you get up that to gain the flatish ridge. In front of you, you see the first false summit
It looks pretty high and steep, your eyes don't lie but it isn't THAT bad. You basically just zig-zag up it. It has some loose dirt but it isn't anything terrible. However it is steep and you should take your time.
After that life's good but you still have to get over the second false summit. The second false summit it is not steep and it is not as long as the first false summit. Once you climb that you have your victory walk thats like 20 ft and you're higher than anyone in Colorado (which is a pretty cool feeling). The views are awesome! It was a beautiful day, Elks in the back Snowmass, Capitol, Sopris The pin of proof Elbert's little brother South Elbert Looking west you can see all of the Elks Massive Mt. Massive
It was Liz's, Logan's and my first 14er, Luke has done like 7 or so
We summited @ 1:30 which is a little late but there were no threatening clouds so we had time. Looking back up Elbert. Marmot
The way down took a while and we got back at the trailhead at 4:30. We met up with dad and said bye to Luke and Logan and got back to Snowmass Village for some tasty lasagna. Parting shot
Thank you Bill for all the valuable info.
Thanks for reading
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Brings back memories of the Summer of 2007. Mt. Elbert was my first 14er that year and I have been hooked ever since! Nice pictures of the trip...now I have to ask, what does the osu stand for in your username?
Huffy13, sorry it took so long to respond!!!!
Thanks for commenting, Elbert was fun. I hope I can try another one!!!
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), we eventually got all the things that we were going to need to climb this mountain. And with valuable info from by dad's co-worker we were set to try to climb Mt. Elbert.
