Mt. Elbert Trip Report 05/08/2006

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt. Elbert - 14,438 feet
Date Posted	05/08/2006
Date Climbed	05/08/2006
Author	AaronPSU79

Mt Elbert - no snowshoes in May
Missed the turn for the 4WD road and ended up driving down the wrong 4WD road for about 2 miles before I realized my mistake, that cost me about 45 minutes. Finally found the right road and made it all the way up to the trailhead. This was in a 4WD Dodge Dakota with 31x10.5‘s on it. I didn‘t have any problems but I agree with others that that road is pretty hairy in some spots. Much to my surprise when I got to the trailhead there was already a Jeep Liberty there, bone stock. I wouldn‘t have thought a vehicle that small could make it but apparently they did, I looked at its tires; 235/65 R17, which is about a 29 inch tire if you care to compare to what you have on your rig... Left the trailhead at about 5am. Did not use snowhoes at all the entire trek! I would not recommend this for others though as I only weigh around 150 and travel light. And I still fell through the snow crust many times on the way back, just not enough to be a serious hassle. Not only did I not use snowshoes but I made it all the way to the summit in tennis shoes! I like to start out in tennis shoes because they‘re more comfortable, I told myself once my feet started going numb or got wet I would change into my boots. But they never did! So I just went all the way to the summit in sneaks. I think it was so cold that the snow that stuck to my shoes didn‘t melt, and actually served as extra insulation, that‘s why it worked so well. Of course without snowshoes the only way I could get enough grip to get up the slick sections was with my ice axe. The first section of trail through the woods can be hard to follow as many trees have fallen across it and you‘re forced to detour through the woods and find your way back. Once out of the woods I started seeing lots of animals, one fat white bird got a bead on me from about 200 yards away and divebombed me at top speed, screeching all the way, was I standing next to his nest or something? jeez. On the way up the snow was very crunchy and supportive, didn‘t fall through at all. It was overcast and fairly cold, flurries all throughout the day. Once I reached the summit the clouds started clearing out, got some great views, very windy of course. Once the sun came out the snow started getting mushy. I put my boots on and did fall through in several spots, but nothing too bad. Made it back to the trailhead at 1 pm, total travel time was 8 hours. This was more than I expected. I think it was a)because of all the snow slowing me down and b)me being slightly out of shape after not doing much hiking during the winter. All in all a great trip, I just wish they would put a sign on the road for the 4WD road!

Mt Elbert - no snowshoes in May

Missed the turn for the 4WD road and ended up driving down the wrong 4WD road for about 2 miles before I realized my mistake, that cost me about 45 minutes. Finally found the right road and made it all the way up to the trailhead. This was in a 4WD Dodge Dakota with 31x10.5‘s on it. I didn‘t have any problems but I agree with others that that road is pretty hairy in some spots. Much to my surprise when I got to the trailhead there was already a Jeep Liberty there, bone stock. I wouldn‘t have thought a vehicle that small could make it but apparently they did, I looked at its tires; 235/65 R17, which is about a 29 inch tire if you care to compare to what you have on your rig...

Left the trailhead at about 5am. Did not use snowhoes at all the entire trek! I would not recommend this for others though as I only weigh around 150 and travel light. And I still fell through the snow crust many times on the way back, just not enough to be a serious hassle.

Not only did I not use snowshoes but I made it all the way to the summit in tennis shoes! I like to start out in tennis shoes because they‘re more comfortable, I told myself once my feet started going numb or got wet I would change into my boots. But they never did! So I just went all the way to the summit in sneaks. I think it was so cold that the snow that stuck to my shoes didn‘t melt, and actually served as extra insulation, that‘s why it worked so well. Of course without snowshoes the only way I could get enough grip to get up the slick sections was with my ice axe.

The first section of trail through the woods can be hard to follow as many trees have fallen across it and you‘re forced to detour through the woods and find your way back. Once out of the woods I started seeing lots of animals, one fat white bird got a bead on me from about 200 yards away and divebombed me at top speed, screeching all the way, was I standing next to his nest or something? jeez. On the way up the snow was very crunchy and supportive, didn‘t fall through at all. It was overcast and fairly cold, flurries all throughout the day. Once I reached the summit the clouds started clearing out, got some great views, very windy of course. Once the sun came out the snow started getting mushy. I put my boots on and did fall through in several spots, but nothing too bad. Made it back to the trailhead at 1 pm, total travel time was 8 hours. This was more than I expected. I think it was a)because of all the snow slowing me down and b)me being slightly out of shape after not doing much hiking during the winter. All in all a great trip, I just wish they would put a sign on the road for the 4WD road!

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