Boulder County Highpoint Trip Report
Longs Peak
Date: August 25, 2007
Author: Jeff Cook
During my week-long trip to Rocky Mountain National Park last week, most of the
days were crystal clear until well after noon but the night before our hike a
freak snowstorm hit Longs leaving several inches of snow starting at about
12,000 feet. We started hiking at 3 am and reached the pass below the
switchbacks up to Boulderfield at a few minutes past 5 to a howling wind.
The wind varied from about 20 mph to gusts we estimated to be near 50 mph.
This became more severe as we passed through Boulderfield, climbing gingerly up the
steep boulder slope toward the Keyhole. Near the Keyhole we could hear the wind
howling over the ridge from the west and, between the gale winds and the icy rock,
only a few people were able to climb high enough to peer through the
keyhole to assess the condition of the ledges on the other side.
The assessment was not good - everything was covered with snow and ice.
Those who braved the final steep climb to the keyhole turned back and joined the rest
of us in the Ages Vaille hut, where we had a nice little hand-warming party for
a while before most of us decided it was time to turn around and descend.
Clouds still obscured the sun and it seemed unlikely that the ledges on the
western slopes would melt out any time soon.
My friend and I were on a tight schedule, so we were among those who turned back.
I don’t know if anyone was able to make it to the summit later in the
afternoon when it was relatively clear and sunny but, as far as we were able to figure,
no one who hiked the Keyhole route made it past the Keyhole that morning.