This is the most intimidating mountain along the northern Front Range of the Colorado Rockies and the deadliest of the state's 14ers (mountains above 14k feet/4200m). The keyhole route involves class 3 scrambling on a mountain face, walking along a 3ft/1m-wide ledge above a sheer cliff, and lots of time above the treeline in tundra where you're the tallest thing on wet rock and storms come out of nowhere. Even being comfortable around the mountains in that park, it's the kind of hike where I see sections like the narrows/homestretch in a photo and my hands start shaking. But if I can conquer a mountain like that, it's a big step up in wilderness confidence. The path to it has some of the most beautiful columbine patches I've seen in super delicate tundra ecosystems that are fascinating to walk through.

I will shitpost on this mountain. The highest shitpost anyone has hopefully made.

Here it is from the ground. The main photo is probably taken at about 12k'

  • Lush [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I did this last month! I personally loved it and it got me into scrambling. My gf on the other hand absolutely hated it but still summited.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      You're braver than I to attempt it earlier. I've been keeping an eye on snowpack daily and didn't want to do it when the California fire was degrading our air quality so much. Ice on the lower RMNP hikes is scary enough, while up there it would immediately turn me back.

      • Lush [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        The hazy air definitely killed the views but there was barely any snow. Only had to walk on snow for ~10ft

        • happybadger [he/him]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I did Bierstadt last year when the local fires were really bad. Smoke at that altitude made breathing suck which brought me down earlier than I would have liked. I'm really cautious with Longs timing and getting down before the morning rush/storms, but for such a milestone hike I'd hate to limit the view.

            • happybadger [he/him]
              ·
              3 years ago

              1AM is my target time. I'd like to at least be to the chasm lake fork before sunrise to get a good shot of it coming over the tundra. That will be a pretty easy pace to keep and thankfully there's fuck-all to look at until then apart from that waterfall.