Mount Elbert
| Colorado |
Elevation: 14,433'
Vertical Gain: 4,800'
Vertical Gain: 4,800'
Date: July 4, 2012
Time: 9:16 AM
Time: 9:16 AM
Weather: Cool, clear
Party: Bob, Kevin
Party: Bob, Kevin
I was a little tired from climbing Wheeler Peak the previous day but Kevin and I were still up
early to another chilly morning. The car thermometer read 44 degrees. After packing up and
starting the car, the TPMS light stayed on for low pressure in the left front tire. I was hoping it
was borderline and would be okay as the temperature rose but regardless, we had a climb to
do so we drive the mile on a dirt road to the already crowded parking lot at the trailhead and at
6:10 began the hike up a mountain that was only our second fourteener.
The trail up Mount Elbert was steep the whole way and this time I was feeling the altitude more
than Kevin. Tree line was about half way up and once it opened up I could see that the Fourth
of July brought out a larger number of hikers than usual. There were a number of people
already on the summit, most of which had a pre-dawn start, but I was too tired to be very chatty
with them. It was also humbling to see mountain bikers at the top. I know they came up a
different way and perhaps pushed the bikes much of the way but it was impressive to see
them take off riding down from the summit. Another guy was training for the Leadville 100
ultramarathon. Yes, that is 100 miles. Colorado definitely has a different standard for what it
means to be an outdoor enthusiast.
I was still pretty tired on the hike back down and didn't really perk up as the elevation became
less, which is what has happened on previous climbs. We finally finished at 12:23 and drove
back and crashed at our campsite for a recovery nap in the car. By then we only had 9 pounds
of pressure in the tire and the spare had a big "Do Not Use" tape over it. We drove slowly,
asking campers along the way if they had a compressor, and got lucky on the third try. With a
re-inflated tire we made it to Leadville okay. Hertz wanted us to go to their location in Eagle
which was 1:20 away which sounded risky so rather, we found a shop that would fix it and
waited for the repair. (A wood splinter actually worked its way into the tread.) It was also rainy
so instead of camping, we had hot showers and a bed at a hotel, and Pizza Hut for dinner
which were all well deserved and wonderful. (This was the same Pizza Hut we went to on a
family trip years before.)
I had contingency time in the schedule for this trip which we did not need and this gave us
over two free days of sightseeing. We first met up with a friend of Kevin's (another Kevin) at a
coffee shop in Copper Mountain. After checking out the western town of Keystone we took
the route through Rocky Mountain National Park, spotting a couple of moose and a herd of elk
before ascending to the top of Trail Ridge Road and back down the east side. We were able to
get a site and set up camp at Moraine Park Campground after which we took a short out and
back hike from the Fern Lake trailhead. At the hike turnaround we scrambled up to the top of
some ledges to watch the sky change color in the valley as the sun set.
In the morning, we made a quick drive back up Trail Ridge Road for one last look and headed
through Estes Park to Boulder where we had pizza for lunch and where I was thrilled to see
the bikes hanging in the University Bicycles shop, particularly Andy Hampsten's 1988 Giro
d'Italia winning bike. Then it was on to Golden where we waited in the hot sun for a tour of the
Coors brewery which was well worth it. We particularly enjoyed the free samples in the "club"
area afterwards.
A late flight the next day to LaGuardia allowed us time to tour the Hammond's Candy factory
and visit the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver. We returned the brand
new Chevy Cruze a little dirtier, with a patched up tire, and with 2,288 more miles on it. Hertz
even reimbursed the cost of the tire repair!
early to another chilly morning. The car thermometer read 44 degrees. After packing up and
starting the car, the TPMS light stayed on for low pressure in the left front tire. I was hoping it
was borderline and would be okay as the temperature rose but regardless, we had a climb to
do so we drive the mile on a dirt road to the already crowded parking lot at the trailhead and at
6:10 began the hike up a mountain that was only our second fourteener.
The trail up Mount Elbert was steep the whole way and this time I was feeling the altitude more
than Kevin. Tree line was about half way up and once it opened up I could see that the Fourth
of July brought out a larger number of hikers than usual. There were a number of people
already on the summit, most of which had a pre-dawn start, but I was too tired to be very chatty
with them. It was also humbling to see mountain bikers at the top. I know they came up a
different way and perhaps pushed the bikes much of the way but it was impressive to see
them take off riding down from the summit. Another guy was training for the Leadville 100
ultramarathon. Yes, that is 100 miles. Colorado definitely has a different standard for what it
means to be an outdoor enthusiast.
I was still pretty tired on the hike back down and didn't really perk up as the elevation became
less, which is what has happened on previous climbs. We finally finished at 12:23 and drove
back and crashed at our campsite for a recovery nap in the car. By then we only had 9 pounds
of pressure in the tire and the spare had a big "Do Not Use" tape over it. We drove slowly,
asking campers along the way if they had a compressor, and got lucky on the third try. With a
re-inflated tire we made it to Leadville okay. Hertz wanted us to go to their location in Eagle
which was 1:20 away which sounded risky so rather, we found a shop that would fix it and
waited for the repair. (A wood splinter actually worked its way into the tread.) It was also rainy
so instead of camping, we had hot showers and a bed at a hotel, and Pizza Hut for dinner
which were all well deserved and wonderful. (This was the same Pizza Hut we went to on a
family trip years before.)
I had contingency time in the schedule for this trip which we did not need and this gave us
over two free days of sightseeing. We first met up with a friend of Kevin's (another Kevin) at a
coffee shop in Copper Mountain. After checking out the western town of Keystone we took
the route through Rocky Mountain National Park, spotting a couple of moose and a herd of elk
before ascending to the top of Trail Ridge Road and back down the east side. We were able to
get a site and set up camp at Moraine Park Campground after which we took a short out and
back hike from the Fern Lake trailhead. At the hike turnaround we scrambled up to the top of
some ledges to watch the sky change color in the valley as the sun set.
In the morning, we made a quick drive back up Trail Ridge Road for one last look and headed
through Estes Park to Boulder where we had pizza for lunch and where I was thrilled to see
the bikes hanging in the University Bicycles shop, particularly Andy Hampsten's 1988 Giro
d'Italia winning bike. Then it was on to Golden where we waited in the hot sun for a tour of the
Coors brewery which was well worth it. We particularly enjoyed the free samples in the "club"
area afterwards.
A late flight the next day to LaGuardia allowed us time to tour the Hammond's Candy factory
and visit the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver. We returned the brand
new Chevy Cruze a little dirtier, with a patched up tire, and with 2,288 more miles on it. Hertz
even reimbursed the cost of the tire repair!
Home away from home isn't
always very much.
always very much.
Distances can be deceiving on
these treks above treeline.
these treks above treeline.
Kevin took this of me, probably
while waiting up ahead.
while waiting up ahead.