Got a bit of a headstart from camping at Boulder Brook camp #1, gave me ~1000ft and a mile or two that I would have had to trek from the Longs Peak TH. Started at 2:00AM on the dot from my campsite and made it above treeline by 3:15AM. A little bit after granite pass I met two pretty cool brothers and spent most of the rest of the climb with them. The boulderfield wasn’t too bad of a challenge but I took frequent stops to catch my breath. I made it to they keyhole at around 5:00AM and got caught off guard by how intense the wind was going through it, but about 10ft later it died down. The ledges were pretty simple, up until the trough. The trough was a pretty decent sufferfest, but with enough time for breaks and a lack of wind, got knocked out relatively quickly. The narrows were a little sketchy, only because this was the first time I’ve had that sort of exposure on the side of a mountain. Home stretch was pretty simple too, however the wind started to pick up pretty heavily on the last half of the climb. Very windy day in general, didn’t spend too much time at the summit because my flannel wasn’t enough to keep me from shivering. Summited at around 8:30 and enjoyed a banquet at the top with the other two guys who, coincidentally enough, also brought banquets. Saw a marmot at the top, don’t know what he found up there that he couldn’t find 3,000ft lower but it was the first time I ever saw one. I didn’t anticipate how brutal the climb back down to my camp would be on my knees and calves, so I had to limp a little bit. Overall, great first 14er, beautiful views, and an unforgettable climb.
