Most of the hike up was in a whiteout, which didn’t bode well for my goal: photographing the sunrise on The Diamond and the full Moon as it dipped down through the Keyhole thirty minutes later.
I did see the Moon once or twice, poking it’s blurry sphere through a thinner layer of cloud that happened to pass through. That kept me going up through the whiteout and the light snow flakes that were taunting me. Maybe I would eventually climb above the clouds! Maybe the clouds would clear out in time to get the images I was after! Maybe…just, maybe!
But, ’twas not to be.
I sat and crawled around on the summit of MLW (13,281′) for a good hour before I saw any sign of clearing. Just as I was thinking of descending (with a grand total of just three photos on my memory card), the sun started to work its magic on the clouds and I began to see glimpses of the rest of the world.
I’m glad I waited.
Some high points for those headed out to this area within the next few days:
–With a bit more effort and cursing, I probably could have done the whole hike today in naked boots. The trail up to Chasm Lake junction was well packed, if a bit slippery, like a Dairy Queen slush. Higher up, the snow was a bit crustier, but you would still post-hole terribly if not following tracks. Even then, on MLW’s East Ridge ankle to shin post-holes were common. I did surrender briefly and put on the snowshoes for about the first 500′ vertical up the East Ridge past the Chasm junction. From the summit of MLW down to the Estes Cone Trail turnoff I wore microspikes and thought they helped, but you could possibly get away without them.
–From Chasm Lake junction there is a good set of tracks to follow that generally trend to the south side of MLW’s East Ridge. They stay mostly on snow. On the way back, and lower on the ridge, I ended up following some descending humanoid tracks that trended north of the ridge and bypassed the junction completely, joining the packed path down closer to treeline. With near whiteout conditions, the tracks were like breadcrumbs in a cave, so they were nice to have.
–I left the trailhead at 1:45a.m. and made the summit by 5:35a.m.–almost four hours (via the East Ridge). The trip down took just two hours and fifteen minutes (also via the East Ridge). I spent two hours and forty minutes on and around the summit…waiting…then photographing like crazy when the clouds parted.
–I am not an expert back country skier, so can’t really recommend…but, it sure looks like Longs is in good shape now for some ski descents. (Although you’ll have to hike the last half mile or more back to the parking lot.) See the photos and you be the judge on whether its worth the effort to trudge/climb/skin up there for a gnarly one-run return.
–The warm temps will cause rapidly changing conditions over the next couple of weeks.
–Very fresh bear tracks by the Estes Cone trail turnoff!
–I just love these unstable weather conditions for photography. The clouds and the light is always doing an unusual, never-to-be-repeated dance across the mountains and sky. Blue skies are yucky and boring.
–Looks like I’ll be out again on June 2nd for another try at the sunrise/full Moon set photo combo, possibly with another adventurous friend. Maybe see you there?
Some selected images:
A sort of resigned plea to the cloud gods. How about a little parting of the vapor…just for a few minutes? (FYI…20 second timer to get to that perch.)…
The gods hear my plea! You can now see the ridge leading up to Mt. Meeker there on the right…
No matter how many times I see it, I’m always impressed by this sheer granite wall. From MLW, the view is in-your-face stunning…
And thar she blows, Cap’n!…
And even the oft-ignored (undeservedly) Mt. Meeker was looking mighty mighty…
A brief glimpse of part of the Twin Sisters area through the cloud layers. Estes Park would be to the left. Note the landslide on the right side caused by the 2013 floods…
Another good hike that also starts at the Longs Peak Trailhead…
A closeup of a climber’s humid bedroom fantasy…
A detail shot of the crack systems on The Diamond…
Just another landscape/cloudscape image I liked. It is surreal to be above the clouds on such a day…I reluctantly return to uncivilization after being in these places…
This could be looking toward the Never Summer Range of Rocky Mountain National Park…
Then the clouds started to build again. Time to head down…
A view down the East Ridge of Mt. Lady Washington. Pretty good snow coverage for May…
This is the little footbridge you cross near treeline on the trail. There looks to be a good two feet of packed snow on it…
It looks like a rear paw may have stepped on the front paw here. These tracks weren’t there when I started up early in the morning! They looked fairly fresh and went to and fro near the intersection of the Estes Cone Trail with the Longs Peak Trail, just a quarter mile or so from the trailhead parking lot…
Great pictures! Thanks for sharing the report. Your quote: “I reluctantly return to uncivilization after being in these places” represents the most sincere reality for me as I am from the east coast. I am returning to RMNP in mid June. No Longs this year, but I hope to take my wife to Sky Pond and up to Hallett Peak. I hope the conditions improve significantly be then.
Thanks again for sharing,
Kenny
Kenny, thanks for visiting! By June things should be looking a lot different in RMNP–but there will still be plenty snow and running water in all the right places to keep things picturesque. Sky Pond and Hallett Peak should be fine. Have fun! DanJ