Longs Peak

The trip report on this page represents the 24th and 25th times I have been to the summit of Longs Peak.

I can see Longs Peak from my living room window, and one of my favorite ways to spend a day is an adventure to the summit. I have put together a "Longs Peak Page" summarizing the routes I have done on Longs Peak. Check it out by clicking the link above.

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 14,259 ftRock Type: Granite
This page contains two trip reports:

1.

Cables up, Keyhole downDate: June 25, 2024 (Tue)Trip Report #: 703Partner: solo

2.

Cables up, Cables downDate: July 8, 2024 (Mon)Trip Report #: 712Partner: solo

Route up: Cables Route on North Face (5.4)

Route down: Keyhole Route (3rd) or Cables Route on North Face (5.4)

A summer morning solo lap of Longs. Sunrise from the summit.

Route Overlays

Summer* conditions

* This was the conditions on a summer day in July 2018. Conditions can vary even in the summer.

Map

Map showing all the routes I've done to the top of Longs Peak. The Cables Route is in blue. The Keyhole Route is in red.

Historical Sidenote About the Cables Route

The Cables Route which I used for my ascent got its name from the fact that in 1925 and 1926, steel cables were installed on the slab above Chasm View, which eliminated the need for rope and belays; subsequently, the Cables Route became the standard route to the summit. The cables, and most of the eyebolts to which they were secured, were removed in 1973 in an effort to "naturalize the park". However, a few were left in place for belays and rappels. After that, the Keyhole Route (which I have also ascended and descended, click link for trip report), which is easier but longer, quickly became the most popular route on the mountain. 

Historical photo of climbers on the Cables Route. Found in article titled Rocky Mountain National Park: A History on the NPS website.

My Dad's First Backpacking Trip + A Poem About It

I always pass on my trip reports to my parents. My dad was particularly interested in this trip report, since the first "backpacking" (his words) trip my dad did was in 1972 (he was 22 years old at the time), to camp overnight in the Boulderfield on Longs Peak and climb the Cables Route with his friend Deisel. The cables were still present at the time. 

My dad did not have a camera with him, but Deisel did. On a previous climb (July 2022) which had involved downclimbing the Cables Route, I had thought it would be cool to add some photos from their adventure in this trip report, but when my dad emailed Deisel he replied with: "Tell Steph I was so scared of climbing the Cable Route I took no pictures, except on the Boulder Field and at the summit."

But my Cables Route adventures inspired Deisel to write a poem marking the 50th anniversary of their Longs Peak climb. The poem is given to the right.

Sleeping at the Base of Longs Peak

In the Boulder Field, Mid-August 1972

- William Deisel Timmerman, August 2022


It was 50 years ago, as I remember it,

And, truth be told, much of it is not remembered,

When I went to sleep high up in a boulder field,

Woke up in the night under a full moon

To piss, and there I was on the moon, 

The boulders all rounded and white like eggs.  

I thought to myself, I must be sleeping on the moon.  

In the morning humans awoke from between the boulders 

All around us from their cocoon sleeping bags.  

As I looked up to the summit of

Longs Peak, having never climbed a mountain

In my life, I remember thinking this is going to be

Great or sure as hell I am going to die today.

Trip Report #1 (June 2024)

(first summer ascent of Cables Route) 

Intro

I had summited Longs Peak in February, March, April, and May. It was the last week of June and I had a free day. I decided to keep my month streak going.

I decided to ascend Longs via the Cables Route on the North Face. I had climbed this route in February and April, downclimbed it a few times (Kiener's to North Face link-up in July 2022 or Meeker to Longs link-up in August 2022) in the summer, but never climbed up it in summer conditions. The Cables Route is one of the most direct routes on Longs Peak. It is fairly moderate, being mostly 3rd with a short 5.4 section.

For a nice loop, I decided to descend via the popular Keyhole Route (3rd) rather than to reverse my route up the Cables Route (which would have been a bit quicker). The entire adventure took me 6 hours and 16 minutes car to car. I acheived my fastest ascent time to date (3 hours and 9 minutes). However, I had previously achieved a faster car-to-car time of 5 hours and 45 minutes when I climbed Kiener's (4th) up (3 hours and 27 minutes) and downclimbed the Cables Route (2 hours and 18 minutes). This suggests that if I just did the Cables Route up and down, I could beat my fastest car to car time easily. I guess I will have to do that.

The following page gives overlays and photos from my morning exercise lap of Longs Peak. It was a beautiful bluebird morning with not a cloud in the sky.

Time Stats

Photos

Approach

2nd-3rd

From the Longs Peak Trailhead, hike up to Boulderfield, and from there to Chasm View below the Cables Route on the North Face. 

The temperature at the Longs Peak trailhead at 5am (before sunrise) was a balmy 65°F. 
Moose sighting on the approach.
Moose droppings.
Longs Peak from just below the Boulderfield.

Cables Route on the North Face

5.4

The 5.4 section of the route is about 150 feet of right-facing dihedral. Otherwise, this route is mostly 3rd class.

I took this photo of the Cables Route area from the Boulderfield. I decided it looked dry enough for a solo attempt.
Looking up at the Cables Route area.
The towering walls of The Diamond from Chasm View. It would have been a great day to climb The Diamond, but I didn't see any climbers.
The crux of the Cables Route is the next 100 feet. It wasn't so bad.
An eyebolt left over from when the actual cables used to be installed.

Top!

The top of Longs Peak is 14,259 feet. The highest summit in RMNP. Enjoy the view! And the crowds.

I summitted just after 8am. There was one other climber (also soloing the Cables Route) who was on the summit with me.
USGS marker on the summit.

Descent via Keyhole Route

3rd

This is the standard "walk-up" route up Longs. Although a longer way down than reversing the Cables Route (5.4), I decided to take this route down for a nice loop trip over Longs. 

I have ascended (and descended) the Keyhole Route a couple of times in the summer and once in the early spring (click links for trip reports). 

Starting the Keyhole Route from the summit. The Homestretch was dry. Summer conditions have arrived.
The Narrows.
The Trough.
Just follow the red and yellow markers.
Sign along the route.
The Keyhole. 
The Agnes Wolcott Vaille Shelter just below The Keyhole. The first shelter was built in 1927 by the National Park Service after a number of climbers died ascending Longs Peak. The shelter was named for Agnes Vaille, who died while descending from the first winter ascent of the east face of Longs Peak on January 12, 1925. Herbert Sortland also died of exposure during an attempt to rescue Vaille. Vaille's family rebuilt the shelter in 1935.
A nice chunk of quartz on the hike out. I'd like this in my yard.
Phlox.
Yellow flowers. I should use my Seek app to idenfity them.
White flowers. I should use my Seek app to idenfity them.
Silky phacelia.
Sunflower.
It's a bit spooky walking under this tree.
Even though it was a Tuesday, the parking lot was full when I got back.
86° in Estes is a pleasant day on Longs.

Trip Report #2 (July 2024)

(second summer ascent of Cables Route - summit at sunrise) 

Intro

Perhaps half a dozen times in my life, I have been near the summit of a mountain at sunrise, and witnessed the phenomenon of the mountain shadow on the sky. The shadow appears as a sharp triangle. I got it my head that I wanted to stand on top of Longs Peak at sunrise, and capture this phenomenon.

What is the explanation for this phenomenon? Unlike ordinary two-dimensional shadows cast on the ground, mountain shadows are three-dimensional voids of shadowed air, sometimes stretching hundreds of miles. The triangular shape is not the mountain’s profile, but rather is caused by the lines of perspective of the edges of the region of shadowed air running back hundreds of miles through lighter illuminated atmosphere and tapering to a point. (This is similar to standing on a straight level road or train track and seeing it taper to a point on the horizon.) The shadow’s end provides information about the mountain’s shape, but this can be too small and indistinct to detect. 

Reference: Livingston, William and Lynch, David. “Mountain Shadow Phenomena,” Applied Optics, Vol. 18, No. 3. February 1979. https://www.thulescientific.com/MountainShadow_Livingston&Lynch_AO_1979.pdf

It would have been ideal to wait for a stretch of warm summer weather, and enjoy a balmy and calm nighttime ascent of Longs. But sometimes availability and conditions don't quite perfectly align (plus I am impatient—or perhaps just excited—once I get an idea in my head), so instead I found myself ascending Longs Peak on one of the coldest nights of the summer, where temperatures were just below freezing. Plus, it had rained heavily the previous afternoon, and that combined with the freezing temperatures meant ice on my chosen line of ascent: the Cables Route. But other than the cold, it was a beautiful clear morning and I enjoyed being surrounded by bright stars peppering the night sky. 

Since sunrise was at 5:40am, I left the trailhead shortly after 2am, figuring I could make the ascent in about 3 hours but wanting to give myself a little extra time to deal with ice on the route. I arrived on the summit shortly after 5am, and had to wait for about a half hour until sunrise began. I relished having the entire summit to myself to enjoy a spectacular sunrise.

This was my 25th ascent of Longs Peak. Despite the darkness and ice on route, this ended up being my fastest ascent time and overall (ascent+descent = 5:37) time to date. I was home before 9am. The Cables Route is the most direct way to the summit of Longs.

Below are some photos of sunrise and mountain shadow from the top of Longs Peak. Enjoy!

Time Stats

Photos

Approach

2nd-3rd

From the Longs Peak Trailhead, hike up to Boulderfield, and from there to Chasm View below the Cables Route on the North Face. 

(no photos - it was dark)

Cables Route on the North Face

5.4

The 5.4 section of the route is about 150 feet of right-facing dihedral. Otherwise, this route is mostly 3rd class.

(no photos - it was dark; see descent photos since I descended the Cables Route in the daylight)

Top!

The top of Longs Peak is 14,259 feet. The highest summit in RMNP. This was the first time I had ever been on the summit at sunrise. I had the summit to myself and enjoyed a gorgeous sunrise and peak shadow. I stayed up there for nearly an hour (I arrived on top 35 minutes before sunrise and had to wait—I wished I had brought a thermos of hot coffee!)

Dawn.
The sun poking up above the horizon.
Morning sun.
The shadow of Longs Peak on the sky.
Summit rocks glowing in the morning light, with the shadow of Longs Peak on the sky in the distance.
Glowing rocks and Longs Peak shadow.

Descent via Cables Route

5.4 downclmb

I downclimbed the Cables Route, being extra careful to avoid stepping on the ice.

Eyebolt.
Ice on the crux section of the Cables Route, from some heavy rain the previous afternoon and freezing temperatures overnight.
A view down the crux section of the Cables Route.
I was very careful not to step on the ice.
A view up the start of the Cables Route.
The towering walls of the Diamond from Chasm View.
A view back at Longs Peak from the lower Boulderfield on the hike out.
I'd like this chunk of quartz for my patio.
Cute aster.
Every spot in the parking lot was occupied when I got back, just before 9am on a Monday morning. On a nice summer day, the parking lot is always full by this time, mostly with hikers attempting the Keyhole Route or hiking up to Chasm Lake or the Boulderfield.

previous and next adventures

(June 2024)
(July 2024)